DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

Indotel is giving telecoms 30 days to disconnect SIM cards that are not tied to a verified identity –a cedula (ID card), passport or residency card with the photo of the individual.

Cell phone activation on prepaid plans has been allowed without these requirements in the past, enabling thousands who do not have IDs to have smart phones in use.

The Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel) has mandated mobile service providers to verify the identities of all prepaid users within 30 days. The move, formalized through Resolution No. 064-2025, aims to combat the illegal use of phone lines, enhance user protection, and assist law enforcement in criminal investigations.

The resolution was announced during a press conference held at the Indotel Cultural Center, amid rising concerns over the widespread activation of phone lines without proper identification — a loophole that...

Top diplomatic and government officials from the Caribbean were here for the Ministry of Foreign Relations’ tribute to the English-speaking intra-Caribbean migration, the “Cocolo heritage” in the Dominican Republic. The industrious migrants from the English-speaking islands brought with them significant cultural, economic and social contributions.

For the occasion, the Ministry of Foreign Relations inaugurated on 28 June 2025 the Monument to the Cocolos in San Pedro de Macoris. The monument is a permanent tribute to the migrants’ crucial role in the development of the Dominican sugar industry.

The events continued with the launch on 29 June of the book “Contributions of the Cocolos to Dominican National Identity.” The book delves into the wide-ranging influence of these immigrants across the nation’s economy, culture, sports, and academic and literary spheres.

Beyond...

The Dominican Republic has 24 industrial manufacturing free zones, most in the interior provinces, and the industrial district located in West Santo Domingo. These areas play an important part in the economic development of each region.

This information was released by the Center for Industrial Development and Competitiveness, known as Proindustria, as part of the celebrations associated with the Day of Micro-, Small, and Mid-sized Enterprises (Mipymes).

The agency noted that towns such as Villa Altagracia, Cotui, Barahona, and Salcedo still have plenty of space for installing new industries under the umbrella of the free zone laws. There is also land available in El Seibo and Higüey.

The fact is that Proindustria promotes both local and foreign investments in these industrial parks and provided the buildings according to the specific...

During the 55th General Assembly of the Organization of American States, celebrated in Antigua and Barbuda this past week, the delegates, at the behest of the United States, passed a resolution to support the multi-national security mission currently in Haiti. The resolution, almost an afterthought, was passed with urgings from the US and Haiti, during the very last session of the assembly.

The resolution urges members of the OAS to give support, according to their means, to the mission currently in Haiti and headed by Kenya. The resolution suggests that member states could assist the mission through contributions to the UN Trust Fund, as well as direct assistance to the Haitian police. All of these efforts, according to the document, are guided towards the celebrations of general elections in Haiti.

The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet on 30 June in New York to discuss continued...

In a frank interview with Listín Diario, Spanish colonel and geopolitical analyst Pedro Baños weighed in on the deepening crisis in Haiti, the role of foreign intervention, and the global balance of power, including US foreign policy, the Middle East conflict, and the influence of global powers.

On 25 June 2024, the first convoy of an international security force arrived in Haiti with one goal: to restore public order — at any cost. A year later, the Multinational Security Support Mission, led by Kenya and backed by the United Nations, has failed to stabilize the country, says Baños.

“It is very difficult to stabilize a country with foreign forces. Stabilization must come from within — with external assistance, yes — but from within,” said Baños, 64, during the Desayuno de Listín Diario interview.

According to the retired Spanish colonel, what Haiti urgently needs is not...

The Dominican Republic must play a proactive role in promoting peace, investment, and job creation in neighboring Haiti, argues economist Humberto Cristian, a member of the Haiti Studies Unit at the P. Alemán Center of the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), as reported in Listin Diario.

In a recent opinion piece titled “Emotion-Driven Migration Policies and Their Impact on National Life,” Cristian emphasizes that current immigration measures alone are not enough to prevent future crises. He points to Haiti’s significantly higher birth rate and warns that, without political and economic stability, the situation could deteriorate further in the next decade.

“If we don’t eliminate the power of gangs and restore political order, in 10 to 15 years, we may face an even more severe crisis than today,” Cristian cautions.

The ongoing instability in Haiti, Cristian...

Growth forecasts for 2025, initially pegged at a robust 4-5%, have been significantly downgraded. The Ministry of Economy and Central Bank reports for May 2025, are tempered outlooks for the nation’s economic performance in the current year.

This development comes as a key point of discussion among financial analysts and policymakers, who are now scrutinizing the factors contributing to this altered projection. The initial optimism, which suggested a dynamic expansion, appears to be giving way to a more cautious assessment. Further details on the revised growth expectations and the underlying reasons are anticipated to shed more light on the Dominican Republic’s economic trajectory for 2025.

While the Dominican Republic has historically been one of the fastest-growing economies in Latin America and the Caribbean, outpacing the regional average with a 5% average GDP...

The National Institute for Ground Traffic and Transportation (Intrant) warns new anti-congestion and safety measures are ready to go into effect on 1 July 2025. Drivers whose vehicles are towed away because they were illegally, poorly, or dangerously parked, will be responsible for the towing costs as well as the parking fees at the Intrant yard. And the Intrant says Digesett is serious about penalizing for left turns on restricted intersections.

All this is part of the new “RD Is Moving” program set up by the Intrant and other agencies as a way to reduce traffic jams throughout the city of Santo Domingo as well as the National District.

Interestingly enough, this information was provided not by an officer of Intrant, but rather by a spokesperson for the Banreservas Trust, Shyam David Fernandez, noted those parking where they shouldn’t face a fine of RD$1,000 in...

Jakaira Veras García, of the Collegiate Court of the Judicial District of Puerto Plata, and fellow judges Venecia Rojas and José Juan Jiménez, issued their verdict on the high-profile case of MLB leading slugger Wander Franco accused of child sexual abuse.

The Puerto Plata court found Wander Franco, the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop, guilty of sexual abuse and exploitation of a minor in the Dominican Republic. He was sentenced to two years in prison, but the sentence was suspended on the condition that he must not approach or have contact with minors for sexual purposes. Franco was fined approximately US$3,650.

The court recognized that Franco had been pressured and blackmailed by the minor’s mother, who sought financial gain.

Meanwhile, the mother of the minor, Martha Vanessa Chevalier, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined around US$11,050 for her role in the sexual...

Will Koby Brea follow in the footsteps of Karl Anthony Towns, a fellow University of Kentucky player today regarded as one of the leading basketball players in the NBA?

Dominican national basketball team player Koby Brea was recently drafted in the 2025 NBA Draft with the 41st overall pick. He was initially selected by the Golden State Warriors but his draft rights were immediately traded to the Phoenix Suns. Koby Brea is expected to make the Suns’ roster next season, initially as a bench player with the opportunity to grow into a more significant role due to his shooting skills.

Brea is known for his elite 3-point shooting, having made 43.5% of his three-pointers in his final college season at the University of Kentucky. He is projected to be a second-round pick who will likely start his NBA career as a reserve.

Sports analysts see him with the potential to develop into a starter...

The Abinader administration has contracted DGA Group, a global advisory firm, for consultancy services regarding security, people trafficking, drug trafficking, migration policy and human rights.

Diario Libre reports the contract is for advisory services to the Ministry of the Presidency for 12 months for RD$102,923,175. The firm will present recommendations for the country to improve its reputation for handling the Haitian crisis and for the strengthening of bilateral relations with the Trump administration.

As reported, Minister of the Presidency Jose Ignacio Paliza requested the services on 15 April and the contract was signed on 20 June 2025.

Read More:

• Diario Libre
• DGA Group

The Dominican Republic achieved a significant diplomatic breakthrough on Wednesday, 25 June 2025 by securing that the United Nations Security Council schedule a meeting for Monday, 30 June to discuss the ongoing crisis in Haiti. Diario Libre reports the meeting was scheduled in response to the request made in a letter by four sitting and past Presidents of the Dominican Republic.

Diario Libre reports the meeting was requested by the A3++ group—which includes Sierra Leone, Somalia, Algeria, and Guyana—following the public release of a letter signed jointly by Dominican President Luis Abinader and former Presidents Danilo Medina, Leonel Fernández, and Hipólito Mejía. The letter was addressed to the leaders of Security Council member states and delivered through the Dominican Republic’s diplomatic mission to the UN.

Particularly noteworthy is that the letter reached...

Imports from Haiti to the Dominican Republic dropped sharply by 48.83% during the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, according to preliminary figures from the Dominican Republic-Haiti Bilateral Trade Report published by the Customs Agency (DGA). The imports reflect a decline in free trade manufacturing.

From January to May 2025, Dominican imports from its neighboring country totaled just US$4.12 million, a steep decline from the US$8.2 million recorded during the same stretch in 2024.

The report notes that imports under the free trade zone regime saw a year-on-year decline of 51.67%, while those classified under the “consumption dispatch” regime actually surged by 113.39%.

By trade regime, free trade zones accounted for the vast majority—92.82%—of imports, with the remaining 7.18% falling under the consumption dispatch category.

The...

Alexandra Cedeño, the director of Sustainable Mobility at the National Transport and Transit Institute (Intrant), is on a media tour to explain to the population in Greater Santo Domingo the new measures that 700 newly outfitted Digesett agents will be supervising implementation as of 1 July. Greater Santo Domingo is about the National District, the capital city with about one million inhabitants and the surrounding province of Santo Domingo with around two million inhabitants, who mostly work and study in the National District.

The new RD Se Mueve (DR Moves) strategy is being rolled out in phases in the National District and has four key components. These are the scheduled management of 11 main avenues, optimized traffic light network at 100 intersections, parking regulation, and left-turn restrictions at 25 intersections in the National District.”

The main intention of the traffic reform is to reduce accidents and shorten commute times in Greater Santo Domingo.

Engineer...

The government bank, Banreservas continues to overcharge seniors for driver license renewals, despite an official order to the contrary. Banreservas continues charging more than double the authorized fee — a discrepancy that has sparked public complaints and confusion, Listin Diario reports.

The National Institute of Traffic and Land Transportation (Intrant) confirmed to Listín Diario that as of November 2024, the renewal fee for driving licenses in categories 2, 3, 4, and 5 for individuals over 65 years old is RD$950. The decision reflects the shorter two-year validity period for seniors’ licenses, compared to four years for those aged 18 to 64.

However, Banreservas, the state-owned bank responsible for processing the payments, still charges RD$1,900 for these renewals — the full price for a four-year license.

A physician, Dr. Hernández, told Listín...

The Dominican Republic is steadily positioning itself as a leading academic hub in the Caribbean and Central America, with growing international interest in its higher education system. According to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Mescyt) Franklin García Fermín, the country is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for students, particularly in fields like medicine, engineering, and STEM disciplines.

Currently, around 600,000 students are enrolled in higher education across the country, with about 120,000 studying online. The Dominican Republic has 57 universities and multiple technical and specialized institutes catering to both local and international learners.

At a meeting hosted by Listín Diario, Minister García Fermín explained that this vision is already materializing through collaboration with key international bodies, such as the United...

President Luis Abinader attended the graduation class for the 37th promotion of the Voluntary Military Service Values Training Program (Servicio Militar Voluntario – SMV). 5,536 graduated after receiving training in civic responsibility, ethics, military discipline, and community service. The graduation took place at the Sans Soucí Convention Center in Santo Domingo, was led by President Luis Abinader and Minister of Defense Lieutenant General Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre.

The graduates, who came from 24 provinces across the country. With this latest class, the SMV has now trained and graduated 89,337 participants over the course of its 23-year history, the Presidency reported on 25 June 2025.

During the ceremony, Minister Fernández Onofre emphasized the symbolic significance of the venue. “This is not a military barracks, nor a traditional classroom,” he...

Vitelio Mejía / 7 Días

The Presidency is moving forward the initiative to provide Santo Domingo with a MLB-standard baseball stadium.

President Luis Abinader has named the former president of the Supreme Court of Justice Jorge Subero Isa to chair a special advisory commission in charge of determining the feasibility of constructing a modern baseball stadium on government-owned land in the Ensanche La Fe sector of the National District.

Other key public officials and private sector experts on the commission are the Minister of Sports, the general manager of the Development and Export Bank (Bandex), the executive director of the National Baseball Commissioner’s Office, and legal specialists Angélica Noboa Pagán, Elka Shecker Mendoza, Olivo Rodríguez Huertas. Edgar Torres Reynoso will serve as executive director.

According to the official decree (No. 306-25), the commission’s...

Ligia Díaz, senator for the province of Azua, called on authorities to take urgent action against illegal motorcycle races irregular held on the busy Baní-San Cristobal-Santo Domingo highway, warning that the activity poses a serious threat to road safety.

Speaking during a session of the Senate, Díaz described the motorcyclists involved as “a danger” to the many drivers who use the route daily.

“Motorcycle racing is causing serious problems from Baní all the way to the 6 de Noviembre [San Cristobal] highway. These riders are not only endangering their own lives but also those of everyone traveling on this heavily trafficked road,” the senator stated.

The statements by the Azua deputy were backed by the Peravia (Bani) province senator. Julito Fulcar, who is the spokesperson for the ruling PRM in the Chamber of Deputies, called for the directors of the National Police, the...

On a media tour for his new book, “Geohispanidad: La potencia hispana en el nuevo orden geopolítico,” Spanish geopolitical analyst, Pedro Baños was in Santiago on Tuesday, 24 June 2025 for the Dominican launch of his latest book. The Fundación El Demócrata, Grupo Estrella, and the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) hosted the book presentation at the PUCMM Health Sciences Auditorium on its Santiago campus.

Pedro Baños is a Spanish colonel in reserve. He was formerly the Chief of Counter-Intelligence and Security for the European Army Corps. He is one of Europe’s top specialists in geopolitics, terrorism and intelligence.

He is a former professor of Strategy at the Centro Superior de Estudios de la Defensa Nacional and head of the Geopolitical Analysis Area of the Spanish Ministry of Defense.

He is a prolific writer. Previous...

The Dominican government is collaborating with the US Embassy for the repatriation of the corpse of US citizen Ellen Frances Hulett who died when detained by Migration authorities. The Tourism Police had taken the woman into custody on 22 June 2025 in Sabana de la Mar, eastern Hato Mayor province, after she showed signs of mental distress.

A press release from the Migration Agency explains the local authorities are collaborating with the US Embassy and the mother of the deceased woman.

Hulett would pass away on 23 June while under institutional supervision and receiving medical care, rthe Migration Agency reported in its press release on the case.

According to an official statement released Tuesday, 24 June 2025, Hulett’s case has been handled with what authorities describe as “the utmost institutional rigor,” ensuring respect for human rights and in close...

The City Hall of the National District says it needs to find another location for discarded debris and items that are being stored in their location in the Mirador del Sur Park. Listin Diario had denounced that residents of the city park area had complained the area was growing as a garbage dump. The City Hall responded and removed much of the garbage that had more than 90 days but says it needs to find a new location and thus will continue to storage new garbage.

Read More:

• Listin Diario
• DR1 News

President Luis Abinader said his administration is monitoring the worsening of the crisis in the Middle East “hour by hour.” The President said the conflict between Iran and Israel can significantly impact hydrocarbons and fuel prices in the DR. The President made the remark when addressing a journalist question during the 23 June 2025 weekly press conference.

Speaking during the press conference, the President said that the DR only imports 20% of its total hydrocarbon imports from the Middle East.

Already shipping fares are up, as shipping lines are applying the shipping contingency charges. Minister of Industry and Commerce Victor (Ito) Bisono said that the cost of cargo shipping is up. “Nobody wants their ship to be sunken and the normal insurance does not cover war contingencies,” he explained.

A report in Noticias SIN explains that even when the conflict...

The Dominican Republic is a leading regional cacao producer and exporter. The challenge ahead is to increase local consumption and export more finished products, a report in El Dia reveals.

Meanwhile, stimulated by rising international prices, cacao exports have experienced a significant increase in revenues for their crops. From January to May 2025, raw cacao and cacao byproduct exports reached US$128.98 million, marking a 56.48% increase compared to the same period in 2024, when exports totaled US$82.43 million, according to the Customs Agency (DGA), as reported in El Dia.

This surge helped consolidate cacao as the country’s second most exported product under the national trade regime, contributing to an overall export total of US$5.64 billion—an 8.62% year-on-year growth.

Data from ProDominicana, the national export center, presents an even more optimistic figure: US$247.7...

Everybody can do their part and not buy or order dishes with conch, locally known as lambi. The molusk needs the time from 1 July to 31 October to breed so that the species still continues to be available locally.

The Dominican Council of Fishing and Aquaculture (Codepesca) has announced a nationwide ban on the capture and commercialization of Strombus gigas (also known as Lobatus gigas or queen conch).The ban covers all individuals of the species at any stage of their life cycle, as well as their shells.

The scientific and common name for the banned species are:Charonia variegate (caracol fotuto), Cassis tuberosa (Pata de Mulo), Cittarium pica (Burgao), Astraea coalata (Burgao Santa Maria).

The ban applies to the owners and managers of supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, fishery and fishermen. These should abstain from consuming, fishing, storing, purchasing or trading in the sea...

Anibal de Castro, executive editor of Diario Libre, has editorialized against the Dominican Republic continuing to be part of the Central American Parliament. Politicians and legislators receive cushy perks and generous wages in US dollars for their participation. People have always asked what the DR gets out of this. Costa Rica many years ago chose not to participate. Other regional participants are Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. Each country appoints 20 legislators to the regional entity.

Anibal de Castro writes in the editorial on 23 June 2025:“For the Dominican Republic, the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) is like a wicker chair in a fire: purely decorative and utterly useless. Its existence has no impact on real political life, plays no role in the region’s meaningful debates, and certainly doesn’t respond to the urgent needs of...

The Constitutional Court of the Dominican Republic in May 2025 issued a landmark ruling banning the public use of nicknames to identify high-profile corruption cases in the judiciary.

In Ruling No. TC/0225/25, the court upheld a constitutional appeal filed by Jean Alain Rodríguez Sánchez, former Attorney General, effectively prohibiting the Office of the Prosecutor (Public Ministry) from using the label “Caso Medusa” to refer to his criminal case. The decision is binding across the judicial system and must be applied to all individuals facing criminal proceedings.

The ruling clarifies that code names or aliases may still be used internally by investigators to prevent information leaks during pre-trial investigations. However, once cases enter the public domain, all defendants must be referred to by their legal names.

“Throughout all stages of the criminal process...

Educa, the pro-education private non-governmental organization, has named Yahaira Sosa Machado as the new director. She replaces Enrique Darwin Caraballo who served in the role for 13 years.

Sosa Machado is an expert in public policies and international trade. She holds a Law degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), graduating Cum Laude. She also earned a Master’s in International Business from Aix-Marseille University in Provence, France. Her academic background includes studies in Trade Negotiations at Florida International University (FIU) and International Arbitration at American University in Washington, DC. She is certified in quality management of production processes (Calidena) and in Leadership for Creating Public Value from HarvardX. She is fluent in Spanish, English, and French.

She built her career at the Ministry of Industry and...

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off the Dominican Republic coast on Monday, 23 June 2025, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The quake was at a depth of 2 km (1.24 miles), USGS said. The earthquake occurred off the coast of Miches, in central eastern Dominican Republic.

The USGS reported the M 5.7 earthquake occurred 77 km NNE of Punta Cana.

The epicenter, with a depth of 2 km, was initially determined to be at 18.86 degrees north latitude and 68.02 degrees west longitude.

The earthquake occurred after 10:45pm when most people had gone to sleep. Witnesses say it was felt as far west as in the capital city of Santo Domingo. No damages were reported.

Diario Libre reports there have been more than 75 replicas of lesser magnitude were reported.

The state university, Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) National Seismology Institute registered...

Torrential rains and powerful gusts of wind battered several areas of Puerto Plata on the north coast of the Dominican Republic on Tuesday, 24 June 2025, causing damages to roofs of homes and downing trees and signs, sparking fear among residents, CDN reported.

Whascar García of the Civil Defense in Puerto Plata reported multiple incidents. Notably, fallen trees blocked sections of the Luperón Tourist Highway, particularly near the La U area between Tubagua and Yásica Arriba, as well as in El Choco, in the municipality of Sosúa.

In the town of Los Hidalgos (El Mamey), high winds ripped zinc roofs off several homes, leading to significant material losses. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Other affected areas included the Puerto Plata–Navarrete highway, where fallen trees disrupted traffic in sectors such as Las Avispas in Maimón. Damage was also reported in...

The Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with the General Fine Arts Agency (DGBA) and the National Gallery, is inviting the general public to Arte en Bellas Artes, a special exhibition showcasing a representative selection of works from the Palace of Fine Arts’ permanent collection, N Digital reports.

The exhibition opens Thursday, 26 June 2025, at 6:30pm at the National Gallery of Fine Arts located in the Palace of Fine Arts on Av. Independencia and Av. Máximo Gómez. The inaugural event will be attended by cultural authorities, artists, and prominent figures from across the Dominican arts community.

Organized by the Arts Management and Outreach Department of Bellas Artes, the exhibition is part of the DGBA’s 85th-anniversary celebrations, which officially take place on 19 July.

Arte en Bellas Artes is described as a journey through iconic pieces that highlight the...

President Luis Abinader unveiled that a historic public-private investment of US$531.5 million has been invested recently in the Dominican Republic’s port infrastructure, describing it as a transformative step toward making the country a regional maritime and logistics hub.

Speaking during his weekly press briefing La Semanal con la Prensa held at the Presidential Palace under the theme “De Frente al Mar”, on 23 June 2025 Abinader detailed the government’s coordinated efforts with private stakeholders to modernize key ports, boost the fishing sector, and position the nation as a competitive player in international trade.

The President hailed the Dominican Port Authority (Apordom) as a model of financial recovery and efficiency. Under his administration, the institution cleared debts totaling RD$1.3 billion, more than doubled its revenues (from RD$56...

The President submitted a new bill to Congress for a new regulatory authority that would oversee all gambling and betting activities. Major gaming companies are said to be owned by past and present legislators and politicians in the country. The betting ventures have multiplied and are more common than grocery stores in the smallest of towns and in every urban center neighborhood.

The proposal, sent to the National Congress this week, places heavy emphasis on tax collection. It creates a new General Gaming Agency under the Ministry of Hacienda, which will look at registration, control, oversight and licensing.

In a new attempt to regulate the gaming industry, this will cover everything from sports betting and casinos to online betting, slot machines, raffles and electronic lotteries.

Diario Libre reports that it was only last year that the country issued...

The Dominican Republic is one of six Latin American countries that have joined the preliminary studies to implement a project for shared space-based telecommunications infrastructures. The DR joins Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Paraguay, and the 21 countries – 15 member states and six associate members – of the Caribbean Community (Caricom). The governments seek improved connectivity to support the development of key sectors such as distance education, telemedicine and other vital digital services.

The local telecom regulator, the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel) signed the memorandum of understanding with the government of Spain and the Spanish company Hispasat. Satellite connectivity overcomes the limitations of terrestrial infrastructure by providing coverage in areas where traditional telecommunications networks are either unavailable...

Ruling political party government officials and politicians of the government party and opposition political parties have prematurely announced their intentions to seek their party’s candidacy. The next presidential election will be held in May 2028.

The prohibition for candidates to campaign and parties to act in favor of choosing candidates is already in the Dominican electoral law. Now the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) has ruled rejecting that political parties take shortcuts in their Presidential candidate selection.

In its landmark ruling, the Tribunal Superior Electoral (TSE) prohibits all political parties from selecting or proclaiming presidential candidates before the legally established timeline. The ruling annuls a plan by the opposition party Partido de la Liberación Dominicana (PLD) to hold an early internal consultation, El Dia reports.

The TSE’s...

Find out about the new mass transport vehicles the Abinader administration is assigning to key routes in Greater Santo Domingo and the country’s second largest city, Santiago. The government has programs for expanding mass transit rail and skylift service and bus services.

Follow the story: DR Transport

24 June 2025

The Dominican Republic’s public debt has surged by more than US$3.75 billion in the first four months of 2025, marking a 6.52% increase so far this year, according to official data from the General Public Credit Agency under the Ministry of Hacienda, N Digital reports.

As of April 2025, the country’s non-financial public sector (NFPS) debt — which includes both external and domestic liabilities — reached US$61.34 billion. This figure underscores a sustained upward trend in public borrowing, particularly since 2022.

Between 2022 and 2025, the Caribbean nation’s public debt has grown by US$9.49 billion, an increase of over 18% in just three years. When including the US$16.29 billion in liabilities held by the Central Bank, the Dominican Republic’s consolidated public debt now totals approximately US$77.63 billion.

In recent years, the trajectory of the NFPS debt has...

On Monday, 23 June 2025, the Social and Economic Council (CES) has begun the meetings to discuss matters related to Haiti with representatives of different sectors in the Dominican Republic

In a landmark session held at the Universidad del Caribe (Unicaribe), the Dominican Republic’s Economic and Social Council (CES) opened the national dialogue on the Haitian crisis and its far-reaching implications for the country. The initiative aims to shape a unified and institutional response to the growing fallout from Haiti’s ongoing collapse.

Backed by representatives from the government, former Presidents, and the country’s social, labor, and business sectors, the CES established six working groups to address key issues: Migration, Bilateral Trade, Development of Border Communities, National Security, International Relations, and Labor Affairs.

The discussions are...

The collapse of the roof of the JetSet Club in Santo Domingo on 8 April 2025, with 236 reported deaths and more than 180 seriously injured, has brought to the open the topic of how much the victims can expect to be compensated with. The case has left around 170 children orphaned. So far the case has been categorized as involuntary homicide, which if maintained means the two leading accused, the siblings Antonio and Maribel Espaillat, could be sentenced to three months to two years in prison, at most.

Car insurance companies are known to pay less than RD$500,000 for the death of a young person, while one lawyer claims to have won RD$20 million for his client, but admits this is an exception.

On average the lawyers say people can expect RD$1 million to RD$3 million in compensation for the death of a person in cases of involuntary homicide.

Read...

Wander Franco / Diario Libre

The Attorney General Office prosecution arm, the Public Ministry has requested a five-year prison sentence for professional baseball player Wander Samuel Franco Aybar, who is on trial for the alleged sexual abuse of a then 14-year old minor.

In addition, prosecutors are seeking a 10-year prison sentence for the teenager’s mother, who is a co-defendant in the case. She is facing charges of child sexual exploitation and money laundering.

The request was made during the ongoing trial at the Puerto Plata Collegiate Court, where the prosecution presented 165 pieces of evidence, which they argue are sufficient for a guilty verdict against both defendants.

Franco Aybar is accused of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with the minor. Prosecutors have requested that he serve his sentence at the San Felipe Correction and...

Metereologist Jean Suriel has been reporting on the solar halos that have been visible in different places in the Dominican Republic this year. A search online shows people have been talking about them since they began appearing in January 2025.

Recent reports are from people noticing them in the skies of the Cibao region.

Jean Suriel explains that when people can see a halo around the sun, it is an optical phenomenon caused by light refracting through ice crystals in high, thin cirrus clouds. This is similar to how a prism separates light into a rainbow.

In the case of solar halos, the clouds at high altitudes contain millions of tiny ice crystals. When sunlight passes through these crystals, it bends (refracts) and reflects, creating the appearance of a bright ring or circle around the sun.

Moreso, Suriel reports on the weakening of the passing cloud of Saharan dust and that the...

It’s vacation time in the Dominican Republic. Is a good time to visit. In the cities, with schools out, it feels traffic is down 30% and jams are less intense on city streets.

This is the peak time for family vacations. Children coming to spend summer with their grandparents and people just coming to get away from the intense heat up North….

Summer tourism is the peak time for international visitors given that hundreds of thousands of Dominicans living abroad visit.

Read more in Spanish:

• Hoy

Air France flights are returning in 2026. Air France has announced nonstop service between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic on 13 January 2026. The seasonal route will operate three times a week—Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays—through 28 March 2026 using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

Flight schedule (local time):

AF968: departs Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 2:25pm, arrives in Punta Cana at 6:45pm.AF969: departs Punta Cana at 9:05pm, arrives in Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 10:30am the next day

Punta Cana will become Air France’s sixth destination in the Caribbean, alongside Cayenne (French Guiana), Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe), Fort-de-France (Martinique), Saint Martin, and Havana (Cuba).

Read More:

• Air France

Casa de Campo will be hosting its 45th International Tennis Tournament. The tennis tournament has expanded and now features all sorts of racquet sports available at the resort and residential community in La Romana.

The event is taking place from 26 to 29 June 2025 and is centered at the world-class Casa de Campo Racquet Center. This year’s tournament coincides with the 50th anniversary of the iconic luxury resort, marking a milestone celebration for one of the Caribbean’s most renowned residential and tourism destinations.

The 2025 event will welcome 150 top-level male and female players competing across various categories for a range of prizes. Alongside the on-court action, a lineup of social events will offer guests, players, and spectators a full experience combining sport and leisure.

Now recognized as a key fixture on the international tennis...

The National Hotel & Tourism Association (Asonahores) announces its 2025 Exposicion Comercial will take place again at the Bluemall Punta Cana, in eastern Punta Cana. The date is 10 to 12 September 2025. The 37th trade show is a prime time when participating suppliers reach out to the hotels in the Punta Cana area and the hotel industry in general. The exhibition is open to the general public.

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• Infotur

The city of Puerto Plata will come alive with the sounds of merengue from 18 to 20 July 2025, as it hosts the inaugural edition of the Puerto Plata Merengue Festival that promises to become an annual cultural celebration. The performances of Kinito Mendez and Josie Esteban have been announced.

Cultural promoter Luciano Vásquez, the driving force behind the event, announced that the festival will now hold a permanent spot on the province’s cultural calendar, scheduled every second week of July. “The rhythm that beats in the heart of Dominicans will now have a space of its own in Puerto Plata,” Vásquez said during a press conference.

The 2025 Merengue Festival will feature a rich lineup of cultural and artistic programming, including pre-festival activities on 15 and 16 July. Organizers promise an inclusive and festive atmosphere that celebrates...