DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

During a Sunday Mass at the Santa María De La Anunciación University Parish, Monsignor Carlos Tomás Morel Diplán, called on Dominicans to reclaim the spiritual essence of Christmas, urging a shift away from materialism toward family unity and social integrity.

Morel Diplan was named Santo Domingo coadjutor bishop in November 2025. The role gives Morel Diplan control of the Santo Domingo Diocese and places him in the capacity to replace current Archbishop of Santo Domingo Francisco Ozoria. The latter is expected to resign when reaching 75 years next year.

In advance, Pope Leo passed on to Monsignor Morel administrative and financial capacities for the Archbishop Office of the capital city and Santo Domingo municipalities. The Pope also designated Father Manuel Ruiz to a new diocese created in Santo Domingo East with autonomy over this new area...

The Punta Catalina Thermal Power Plant (EGEPC) has concluded its 2025 fiscal year with record-breaking transfers to the Dominican state totaling US$258.4 million as of 3 December 2025. The figures solidify the facility’s position as one of the nation’s most potent public assets for cash generation.

With this latest performance, the cumulative contribution of the Punta Catalina Electric Generation Company between 2023 and 2025 has reached US$562.9 million. These funds were funneled into the national economy through a combination of public debt amortization, dividends, and tax payments.

According to a statement released by EGEPC, the 2025 results represent the highest annual contribution since the plant began operations. Management described the year as a “turning point” for the facility’s role in national public finance.

Despite a year defined by fiscal restrictions...

The Ministry of Public Works, acting through the RD Vial Trust, has officially launched the bidding process for the design and construction of a new overpass at Kilometer 28 of the Duarte Highway.

The project is designed to eliminate one of the most notorious traffic bottlenecks at the entrance to Santo Domingo, providing a long-awaited solution for thousands of commuters and commercial drivers traveling to and from the municipality of Pedro Brand.

The initiative is more than just a bridge; it is a comprehensive structural intervention. According to the MOPC, the project will integrate several key features to streamline movement:• Removal of traffic lights: The plan includes the elimination of two major traffic signals currently causing significant delays in Pedro Brand.• Traffic segregation: New side roads (marginales) and expanded lanes will separate local...

Minister Faride Raful / Listín Diario

Interior and Police Minister Faride Raful issued a stern warning on Monday, 22 December 2025 against an entertainment industry she claims “thrives on disorder,” following a violent weekend that left two young men dead during holiday festivities.

Speaking after a weekly citizen security meeting led by President Luis Abinader, Raful addressed the ongoing struggle to curb noise pollution. She noted that government efforts to enforce tranquility have met significant pushback from commercial interests that disregard the rights of local residents.

“There has been considerable resistance from the start because this belongs to an industry that generates disorder and does not care about the rights of the citizens in the surrounding area,” Raful told reporters.

The Minister emphasized that the state is “obligated to guarantee peaceful...

Nelson Arroyo / Noticias SIN

Nelson Arroyo, executive vice president of Seguros Reservas, the insurance division of the state Banco de Reservas, issued a firm rebuttal on Monday, 22 December 2025 against warnings from economist Juan Ariel Jiménez regarding the state-owned insurer’s financial stability. Jimenez was Minister of Economy during the government of Danilo Medina and today is a professor at the University of Harvard in Boston. Arroyo dismissed the claims as “unfounded” and lacking “technical rigor.”

The exchange marks a sharp escalation in tensions within the financial sector. Arroyo expressed regret that Jiménez, whom he described as a typically prudent voice within the political opposition, would issue judgments he believes are designed to capitalize on the public sensitivity following recent controversies surrounding Senasa.

“There is an attempt to seek political...

Authorities at the Ministry of Agriculture authorized the import of 4.7 million quintals in 2024, a move local producers claim destabilized the market.

Rice is more than just a staple in the Dominican Republic; it is the cornerstone of the national diet and a symbol of agricultural pride. For nearly two decades, the country has boasted a self-sufficiency rate of 106%, keeping annual imports to a minimum, usually hovering around half a million quintals.

However, 2024 emerged as a statistical anomaly that disrupted years of market stability, Diario Libre reports.

According to data from the General Customs Agency (DGA) and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce (MICM), the government in 2024 authorized the highest volume of foreign rice purchases in decades. Over 4.7 million quintals entered the country last year, carrying a price tag of US$152.6 million.

To put that figure...

Metropolitan Archbishop of Santiago, Héctor Rafael Rodríguez / Diario Libre

The Metropolitan Archbishop of Santiago, Héctor Rafael Rodríguez, has issued a sharp critique of the state’s regulatory frameworks following the recent scandal involving the National Health Insurance (Senasa).

The prelate questioned the apparent lack of effective oversight mechanisms designed to prevent financial insolvency, operational failure, and potential acts of corruption within public institutions.

Speaking to members of the press, Archbishop Rodríguez expressed concern that the crisis at Senasa suggests a systemic failure in governance. He argued that the situation likely escalated because the entity was operating without sufficient checks and balances.

“It gives the impression that no one was controlling it, no one was supervising it, and that is...

Christmas is the time to enjoy traditional tropical music. Several well-known performers prepare Christmas extravaganzas to delight their fans.

Performances scheduled for this year in the capital city are:26 December. D’Parranda Navideña. Mily Quezada, Fernando Villalona, Conjunto Quisqueya 9pm. Hotel La Fiesta, Jaragua Renaissance, Santo Domingo.

26 December. El Super Can Navideno. Jossie Esteban, Miriam Cruz, Pochy Familia, Los Villalona. 10pm. Hard Rock at Blue Mall, Santo Domingo.

27 December. Navidad en Salsa. Yiyo Sarante. 9pm. Hard Rock.

See more shows at: Uepa Tickets

23 December 2025

Dominican fans had high hopes of watching New York Mets Juan Soto play for the Tigres del Licey. He had announced the Mets had cleared him so he could play. But this will not happen. The Gigantes del Cibao on 22 December 2025 did the unexpected and defeated the Tigres del Licey to clinch the fourth slot to make it to the playoffs of the Dominican Winter Professional Baseball Championship. A triple by Marcos Hernandez made the difference. Ironically, Hernandez had previously played for the Licey.

The Leones del Escogido saved face for the capital city by defeating the Estrellas Orientales to qualify for the playoffs, too. Hector Rodriguez, who has just been recruited to play for the Cincinnatti Reds, decided the game for the Escogido. He had been cleared by the Reds to play that one game.

The regular season has practically ended with the Aguilas Cibaeñas, Toros del Este...

Air Caraïbes launched seasonal, direct flights from Paris-Orly (ORY) to Samaná (AZS). This is the only European airline to offer direct service to Samana. The triangular route (Paris-Samana-Santo Domingo-Paris) enables combined trips. Tourists can combine Samana with Santo Domingo.

The inaugural flight was on 15 December 2025. The airline is offering one flight initially, increasing the schedule to two weekly (Mondays and Saturdays) starting from 12 January 2026 through the winter season.

Air Caraïbes is a French West Indian airline that has its headquarters in Les Abymes, Guadeloupe. The airline’s main base of operations is at Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport in Guadeloupe, with a focus city at Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport, near Fort-de-France in Martinique. Air Caraibe flies Airbus A350s.

The Air Caraibe flights to Samana seek to bring more French...

Tourism Minister David Collado officially inaugurated a reorganization project in Bayahíbe on Wednesday, 17 December 2025, with works starting with a new parking and pedestrian complex. The new parking area was designed to end years of traffic gridlock in one of the country’s busiest coastal hubs.

The parking project is a RD$213,467,118 development that spans 26,000 square meters. The development was made possible largely through land donations from Central Romana, signaling a significant public-private partnership for the region.

The parking facility has spaces for 58 buses, 157 light vehicles and 58 motorcycles. The pedestrian infrastructure includes 2,364 square meters of new sidewalks, a pedestrian bridge and specialized trails. Storm drainage systems, cobblestone paving on the North Street and modern lighting were installed. A dedicated Tourism Police (Politur) station, public...

Legendary composer and singer Juan Luis Guerra has announced ticket sales for two concerts in Santiago this 2026. A first concert was scheduled for Saturday, 21 February 2026, but after it promptly sold out a second concert was staged. This will be at the same Estadio Cibao but a day earlier, on Friday, 20 February.

The concerts are coordinated by SD Concerts.

Read more in Spanish:

• Diario Libre

President Luis Abinader officially opened the first phase of the revitalized La Caleta Underwater National Park on Monday, 15 December 2025, marking the completion of a RD$420 million (approximately US$7 million) project designed to rescue a site of immense historical and environmental value and the swimmable public beach closest to the capital city.

The park area is 120,000 square meters and 2.74 linear kilometers. The park has new pedestrian paths, parking, viewpoints and children’s play areas. There is an area for the Tourism Police (Politur), bathrooms and vendor modules.

A Ministry of Tourism press release explains that the renovation ends more than 40 years of neglect, transforming a once-deteriorating coastal area into a modern hub for sustainable tourism and marine conservation.

Located adjacent to the road stretch leading to Las Américas...

The Dominican Republic is a prime Caribbean destination for major live music in 2026. Following a wave of announcements starting in late 2025, several global icons and Latin music legends have already locked in their dates for the upcoming year, Listin Diario reports.

From pop and electronic to urban and rock, here are several of the international stars and festivals booked for the Dominican Republic in 2026:

Global superstars & pop icons• Morrissey: The legendary English singer is scheduled for a historic performance at the Altos de Chavón Amphitheater on 25 January 2026.• David Guetta: One of the world’s most famous DJs will bring his “Monolith Tour” to Santo Domingo at the Estadio Quisqueya on 26 March 2026.• Chayanne: The Puerto Rican “King of Latin Pop” returns with his “Bailemos Otra Vez Tour” on 11 April 2026, at Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo• Ed Sheeran: The...

President Luis Abinader and Minister of Public Works Eduardo Estrella were present for the official opening of the third phase of the Av. Ecologica, an alternate east-west route connecting the capital city with the Multimodal Caucedo, Las Americas International Airport and eastern destinations (Juan Dolio, La Romana, Punta Cana).

The Av. Ecologica has connections with the bypass routes so that traffic from the east can head directly to the north without having to enter the usually heavily congested capital city nor contribute to traffic congestion on the Las Americas Expressway. The Av. Ecologica route enables freight container traffic from the Multimodal Port off Las Americas Expressway to take the Juan Pablo II Highway (the toll road to Samana) and later connect to the Santo Domingo Bypass then continuing on to the northern Cibao region or the southern provinces.

Read more in...

The Central Electoral Board, in charge of the civil registry in the Dominican Republic, announced that the new state-of-the-art ID (cedula) cards for legal residents of the Dominican Republic will begin in early 2026. The head of the JCE, Roman Andres Jaquez Liranzo, told reporters that the issuance of the new document to the general public would begin on 8 April 2026. Reportedly, this would be by birthdates. The entire process is scheduled to end on 31 March 2027.

The process will begin on 26 January 2026, when the JCE issues the first of the new IDs to President Luis Abinader.

During February and March, the JCE will begin issuing the new cedulas to members of the government ministries and other dependencies.

The timeline for covering the entire population is set to begin on 8 April, when the cards will be given to the Overseas Deputies, as well as the political...

Yorlin Vasquez Castro / Hoy

Legal advisor to President Luis Abinader, lawyer Antoliano Guzman Peralta announced the names of the five new judges of the Supreme Court of Justice after the National Council of the Magistracy (CNM) met on Friday, 19 December 2025.

The newly selected judges are Edyson Alarcón Polanco, Miguelina Ureña Núñez, Manuel Hernández Victoria, Yorlin Vásquez Castro and Namphi Rodríguez.  

The career judges chosen are Alarcón Polanco and Ureña Núñez, who both have served in the Civil and Commercial Chamber of the National District Court of Appeals. Hernández Victoria joins from the Penal Chamber of the same court.

The judges from the external sector are Yorlin Vásquez Castro, who is a specialist in economic and tax law; and Namphi Rodríguez, who is a well-known expert in public law and a practicing newspaper contributor. The selection adheres to the...

Somewhere along the years, loud music became synonymous with the way to listen to music in the Dominican Republic. Ironically, while Dominicans like their music loud, 95% of noise complaints to the 911 Alert System in Greater Santo Domingo are for loud music.

A report in Listin Diario says that complaints for loud music led in reports to the 911 Service in Greater Santo Domingo. There were 1,126,582 reports on loud music to 911 from 2015 to 2025. The municipality of Santo Domingo East led in complaints. It also has the largest population.

The Listin Diario report says the situation has improved after Faride Raful was appointed Minister of Interior and Police, but the loud music complaints continue to be made. There are reports that the authorities seem too complacent and the situation continues.

Read more in...

Nelson Batista of the Santiago ecological society, Soeci, warns that senator Antonio Marte of the Santiago Rodriguez province is promoting the construction of a road to connect Santiago Rodriguez, with access to the new Manzanillo Port to San Juan de la Maguana.

Nelson Batista explains the road would go from Loma de Copey to Sabaneta de San Juan de la Maguana and is promoted by senator Antonio Marte. It would pass through protected areas. Batista says that persons in the know have been purchasing the lands adjacent to where the road would go.

San Juan de la Maguana is a traditional food-producing province where the Ministry of Mining and Ministry of Environment have been authorizing exploration permits. Exploitation permits for mining operations are pending.

The communities in the area alert of the major damages to their livelihoods the mining...

In a move described by the Attorney General Office as one to bolster regional security, Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso met with US Ambassador Leah Francis Campos for talks on ways to reinforce the strategic partnership between the Dominican Republic and the United States in the fight against drug trafficking and transnational crime.

The high-level meeting, held at the Attorney General’s Office, focused on ongoing bilateral initiatives designed to dismantle criminal networks and secure the borders of both nations, a press release dated 21 December 2025 from the Attorney General Office highlights.

Attorney General Reynoso emphasized that the collaboration is essential for hemispheric security. She said they discussed:• Narcotics Interdiction: Streamlining efforts to disrupt drug routes.• Anti-Money Laundering: Targeting the financial lifelines of...

In an update on the November 2025 feature on the TVB Port in Port-au-Prince, The Miami Herald highlights how the Haitian government delays in authorizing specialized customs agents for the port is a roadblock for more European investment. The TVB Port received major investment from the French Development Agency.

The feature by Jacqueline Charles looks into how the seaport dispute is testing Europe’s ties to Haiti. The new port would incorporate modern inspection technologies to combat smuggling of illicit goods and the expedited flow of regular cargo.

Read more at: The Miami Herald DR1 News

22 December 2025

A US federal court in the Southern District of Florida has sentenced a second key member of a Dominican drug trafficking organization led by National District Councilman Edickson Herrera Silvestre, Listin Diario reports.

José Eduviges Aponte Torres, known by the aliases “Buby” or “Meano,” was sentenced to 87 months (7 years and 3 months) in prison for his role in trafficking approximately 376 kilograms of cocaine from the northern coast of the Dominican Republic to the United States.

Following his prison term, US District Judge Beth Bloom ordered Aponte Torres to serve two years of supervised release. The sentencing, finalized on 15 December 2025, marks the latest blow to a criminal structure that bridged Dominican politics, high-ranking military officials, and international narcotics trade.

The sentencing of Aponte Torres follows that...

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Father Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez as the sixth Bishop of Palm Beach, succeeding Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito who has led the diocese since 2003 and submitted his resignation upon reaching the 75 year old cut off age early in 2025. Rodriguez was born in Moca, Dominican Republic.

When commenting on the appointment, Rodriguez said he first wondered out loud if it was an AI prank. CBS News New York describes his new district of assignment as “ritzy.” CBS reported he would spend Christmas in Queens, New York and then head to Florida at the start of the new year.

The National Catholic Reporter explains that Rodríguez was ordained to the priesthood on 3 July 2004, in Santo Domingo, and became affiliated with the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York on 29 June 2012. He is a canon lawyer with extensive experience in penal canon law and pastoral...

The Dominican Republic observed the shortest day of 2025 on Sunday, 21 December 2025, as the winter solstice officially ushered in a transition in the northern hemisphere’s astronomical calendar.

The solstice occurs when the Earth’s axis reaches its maximum tilt away from the sun. For those in the Caribbean, this shift results in a noticeable reduction in daylight hours and the arrival of the longest night of the year.

While the solstice is often associated with the onset of winter, it is primarily a geometric event. Because the North Pole is tilted at its furthest point from the sun, the tropical latitude of the Dominican Republic sees its minimum solar exposure.

According to prominent local meteorological analyst Jean Suriel, the solstice delivered an unusually long night on Sunday, with 13 hours of darkness.

Residents can expect shorter afternoons...

The organizers of the benefit for the La Merced children’s foundation in northern Santo Domingo announced the postponmetn of the event for March 2026. The new date and details will be announced.

The several course dinner would have been prepared by Dominican two Michelin star chef Maria Marte.

Read More:

• DR1 News

Late last week, the Dominican Football League celebrated the last round of matches to decide the playoff picture. In the current format there are 10 teams playing for six positions in the final phase called the “liguilla” or “little league playoffs”.

The situation was tense as Moca received O&M FC. The O&M team had lost the previous week to Atlantico FC from Puerto Plata, and if both teams won their final games, Atlantico would enter the liguilla, and O&M, for the first time in years would be resting for several weeks.

Atlantico was playing Jarabacoa FC, already eliminated from the playoffs but playing for pride more than anything. In Moca, the home team struck first in the first half of the match with a goal by Parra, possibly sealing the fate of O&M. In the last seconds of the first half, Moca missed a penalty kick, giving O&M some hope.

Meanwhile, in...

The Caribbean Series is scheduled to be played 1-7 February 2026 and now is moving to Mexico. The games will be played in Zapopan, a suburb of Guadalajara, after the Mexican Pacific League offered the country as an alternate host. The 2025 series was held in Mexicali, Mexico. The 2027 Caribbean Series is scheduled for Mexico, too.

The Dominican Republic (Leones del Escogido) is the defending champion into the Caribbean Series 2026.

The championship series that matches the best of the Caribbean League would have been held in Caracas, Venezuela. The international airline shutdown restricts all international events in Venezuela. The leagues from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Mexico announced they would not participate in the Caracas edition because of the political tensions.

The political crisis in that country has worsened after Maduro rejected the outcome of...

Nothing is settled yet in the Dominican Professional Winter Baseball League’s 2025-2026 Championship. Only the Aguilas Cibaeñas and the Toros del Este have secured slots. The Estrellas Orientales, Leones del Escogido, Tigres del Licey and Gigantes del Cibao hope to win the two missing playoff slots.

The Aguilas and Toros are the only teams comfortably above .500 in the standings as of Sunday, 22 December 2025. The Aguilas lead the pack with a dominant 32-16 record, yet the Toros defeated them on Sunday at their La Romana stadium to post a standing of 26 wins and 22 losses.

The Gigantes del Cibao follow with 22 wins and 26 losses. Next on the standing are the Leones del Escogido (21-25), Estrellas Orientales (22-27), and Tigres del Licey (21-27), all three locked in a battle that could go down to the final pitch.

Sunday’s results shook up the standings significantly. In...

Former Minister of Economy during the Danilo Medina administration, economist Juan Ariel Jimenez warns there are other black holes similar to the National Health Insurance company (Senasa) scandal, mentioning the Banco Agricola and the Reservas insurance company. He said he has the financials that prove the significant irregularities in these entities, when responding to questions in an interview with Colombia Alcantara for Al Tanto TV.

Jimenez, who is also a professor at the University of Harvard in the United States, joined hundreds of thousands of Dominicans who have expressed indignation regarding the Senasa black hole that has been quantified at RD$15 billion to RD$20 billion so far. The financials of the health insurance company show it owes suppliers around RD$10 billion for services in 2024 and beyond, and has been needing billions in injections of funds from the central government. The judge hearing the case, Rigoberto Sena has stated: “This is a dark and scandalous...

President Luis Abinader and Minister Eduardo Estrella / Presidency

President Luis Abinader conducted a formal site inspection Tuesday, 16 December 2025, to monitor the progress of the tunnel currently under construction beneath the Plaza de la Bandera. He announced the general public should be able to use the fast route by the second quarter 2026.

During the tour, the President reviewed the technical advancements of the infrastructure, which is engineered to span approximately 1.02 kilometers with two lanes in each direction. The underpass is specifically designed to alleviate bottlenecks at the intersection of Luperón and 27 de Febrero avenues, one of the most congested transit nodes in the capital.

The new tunnel will facilitate an uninterrupted north-south flow of traffic along Luperón Avenue. By eliminating the need for...

Interior and Police Minister Faride Raful reported this Wednesday, 17 December 2025 that the Dominican Republic’s new police patrol model is yielding significant results. Since its implementation mid-year, the pilot program, with its 1,150 new agents, has reportedly led to a measurable decrease in both criminal activity and social conflict within its targeted zones, as reported in Noticias SIN.

The model currently operates in specific sectors of Santiago de los Caballeros, the Distrito Nacional (the capital city), and Los Mina in Santo Domingo Este. It utilizes a strategic quadrant system designed to maximize visibility and community engagement, allowing for a more intimate connection between the authorities and the neighborhoods they protect.

Raful explained during an interview on El Despertador that more patrolling directly correlates to higher deterrence, noting...

Health authorities are sounding the alarm as a significant rise in respiratory viruses over the last few weeks threatens to worsen with the arrival of the holiday season and thousands of travelers. The Dominican Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery warned on Wednesday, 17 December 2025 that the influx of citizens living abroad creates a dual impact, noting that while returning residents bring gifts and economic support. The travelers may also introduce new viral strains into the local population.

Media reports confirm people are falling ill in large numbers in New York, the second largest Dominican city around the world, too. As of mid-December 2025, health officials have officially declared the flu “prevalent” across New York State. Lab-confirmed flu cases have seen a dramatic spike recently, with reports showing increases as high as 119% in New York City over a single...

In a rare enforcement action against non-Haitian irregular migration, the Dominican Republic Army (ERD) intercepted seven Chinese nationals during a targeted operation in the northwest province of Montecristi.

The group was apprehended by soldiers stationed at the Hatillo Palma outpost. Working in coordination with S-2 intelligence officers, military personnel flagged and stopped a gray Chevrolet Captiva (license plate G736126) for inspection.

Following a field verification of their immigration status, the seven individuals were taken to the headquarters of the 4th Infantry Brigade. Authorities confirmed that the group entered the country illegally, though the specific route. Whether they came by sea or across the land border from Haiti, remains under investigation.

The ERD has since transferred the detainees to the Migration Agency (DGM) to begin formal...

Local media are reporting that the US Southern Command (Southcom) has established a provisional airbase at the capital city airport. The US military posed for the group photo on the airfield described as “an airfield in the US Southern Command Area of Responsibility” on 9 December 2025. The 921st Contingency Response Squadron is also known as The Dragons. The DVIDS website explains that the squad is in the Dominican Republic as part of an open-the-airbase mission set within the 621st Contingency Response Wing that enables rapid global mobility.

DVIDS explains that the squadron is responsible for opening, operating and closing airbases in austere environments while being self-sustaining.

DVIDS reports that the US military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the US Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the...

The streets of La Cuaba in northern Santo Domingo were illuminated by candlelight Tuesday, 16 December night as residents escalated their long-standing campaign against a controversial landfill project slated for construction in the rural area of El Aguacate. This demonstration was organized by the grassroots movement known as “No Vertedero” and brought together a wide coalition of community members, religious leaders, and local officials. The vigil marked the latest chapter in an intensifying struggle to prevent the Ministry of Environment from authorizing a waste processing plant and sanitary landfill in the community.

Participants from Salamanca, El Aguacate, and La Cuaba gathered on the town’s main avenue and concluded the night with a march to local parks that lasted until well after ten o’clock. The atmosphere was a mix of solemnity and defiance...

Two Michelin star Chef Maria Marte will be cooking at the Hotel Embajador as part of a Three Kings Day benefit for Dominican children and Fundacion La Merced in northern Santo Domingo. The several course dinner is scheduled for 5 January 2026 from 6:30 to 9pm.

The Foundation works to eradicate child labor and maintains a community of 600 children and adolescents who receive classes, health and nutrition services. Tickets to contribute to the cause and enjoy a memorable dinner are RD$12,000.

Born in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic, Maria Marte migrated to Spain in 2003, and found work as a cleaning woman at El Club Allard. She would work her way up to Head Chef.

She is the only woman in Spain and Latin America to achieve two Michelin stars while leading a kitchen at El Club Allard.

Bookings are available...

Karl Anthony Towns announces that he will donate his NBA Cup earnings to build a state-of-the-art basketball complex in Tamboril, Santiago. The donation will expand the sports facility of Go Ministries in t he central province. Towns’ mother, the late Jacqueline Cruz, was from Santiago.

He made the remarks during the post-NBA Cup win press conference when asked what he would do with the US$530,000 cash award. He said the resources would help Dominican kids to chase their dreams.

GO Ministries already has a major sports center in Tamboril, built by JMF Arquitectos, SRL, the firm of Architect Jose Mella. Mella has designed and built about half of the MLB baseball academies in the Dominican Republic.

The New York Knicks won the third NBA Cup, the early season elimination round that gives teams early on exposure to playoff pressures. The others to win are the Milwaukee Bucks...

In a high-profile display of retail politics, President Luis Abinader took time during the holiday season to engage with one of the country’s most influential grassroots groups: the national barbering and hairstyling subsector. The 16 December 2025 event, titled Peluqueros RD 2025, served as a strategic platform for the President to project an image of accessibility and “closeness” to the people at a time when his administration’s reputation has been clouded by the ongoing Senasa corruption scandal. By focusing on a trade that sits at the heart of Dominican neighborhood life, the President seemed to pivot the national narrative toward his social agenda and away from institutional controversy where government controls seemed to have failed over the past five years.

The gathering at the Nuevo Domingo Savio Sports Center was punctuated by a...

The United Nations regional economic commission, ECLAC, presented its “Preliminary Overview of Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean 2025,” in which it forecasts an average regional expansion of 2.4% in 2025 and 2.3% in 2026. The Dominican Republic, 2.9% is forecast for the end of 2025, down from 5% in 2024. ECLAC expects GDP to increase in 2026 and forecasts a more optimistic 3.6% for the coming year.

ECLAC includes the Dominican Republic in the Central American region that is seen registering a 2.6% expansion in 2025, affected by weaker demand from the United States. In 2026, Central American regional growth is seen improving to 3.0%, although vulnerabilities remain in relation to trade, remittances, access to financing and exposure to climate change.

The Caribbean is expected to grow by 5.5% in 2025 and 8.2% in 2026, underpinned by significant growth in oil activity in...

The seventh session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) concluded on 12 December 2025, with a historic commitment to tackle marine assets. Gathering over 6,000 delegates from 186 countries at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, the UN Environment Assembly voted to issue 11 resolutions including Resolution UNEP/EA.7/L.3) that addresses sargassum seaweed blooms, paired with a sweeping mandate to accelerate the climate resilience of coral reefs.

For the Caribbean and Central America, the resolution represents a vital shift from local crisis management to a coordinated global response. The region has long struggled with the dual threat of “brown tides” (sargassum) and “white death” (coral bleaching).

Massive blooms of sargassum have choked coastlines, devastated the tourism sector, and decimated local fisheries. The new resolution formally recognizes...

The Central Electoral Board (JCE) officially announced that as of 16 December 2025 the civil registry entity is established as the Digital Signature Certification Authority. The certification event marks a critical milestone in the rollout of the Dominican Republic’s next-generation identity and electoral cards.

The successful generation of the Root Certificate grants the JCE the legal and technical competency to act as a trusted third party in digital transactions.

In a high-security ceremony, the institution completed the generation of cryptographic electronic keys. These keys serve as the “seed” for the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) that will allow citizens to utilize legal digital signatures via their new ID cards.

The event was led by JCE president Román Andrés Jáquez Liranzo, alongside the full plenary of titular members and technical...

The Senate of the Republic fast-tracked and approved the 2026 General State Budget Bill on Tuesday, 16 December 2025. The bill, which remains unchanged from the version approved by the Chamber of Deputies last week, now moves to the Executive Branch for promotion into law.

The budget for the 2026 fiscal year totals RD$1.84 trillion in projected revenues and financing sources. It operates under a macroeconomic framework that anticipates a 4.5% GDP growth, an average inflation rate of 3.8%, and an estimated exchange rate of RD$65.50 per US dollar.

The approved plan projects a fiscal deficit equivalent to 3.2% of GDP. The government expects to collect RD$1.43 trillion in consolidated revenues, while requiring RD$401.76 billion in financing to cover the deficit and debt applications.

Total spending is estimated at RD$1.62 trillion (18.7% of GDP), distributed in RD$1.41 trillion (86.7%)...

US Ambassador Leah Campos completed her first official visit to a private sector entity in the Dominican Republic this week, touring the extensive sugar and agro-industrial operations of Central Romana Corporation, according to a press release from Central Romana.

The visit follows through on a commitment made by the ambassador during a recent American Chamber of Commerce (Amchamdr) luncheon, where she signaled the importance of the corporation to the bilateral trade relationship.

Ambassador Campos was accompanied by a specialized delegation including officials from the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The group was received at the Central Romana headquarters by its president José Fanjul Jr., alongside executive vice presidents Ramón Menéndez, Eduardo Martínez-Lima, and Leo...

They looked like ordinary offices. Operating under legitimate-sounding names like Agnes Travel SRL and Urtarte’s Paradise Call Center, these facilities in Santiago and Puerto Plata weren’t selling vacations. Instead, they served as the engine for “Operation Discovery,” one of the most sophisticated digital fraud networks ever dismantled in the Caribbean.

In its coverage on the conclusion of the case, Diario Libre questions that the Dominican judiciary has issued what is described as minor sentencing benefiting the locals incriminated in the case.

The Dominican judiciary has begun handing down the sentences and the outcomes have sparked debate over whether the punishment fits the scale of the crime.

Diario Libre reports that the mastermind, Miguel Ángel Camilo Pérez (alias “Cilo” or “Milo”), identified as the brain of the Dominican operation, was sentenced to seven years...

This weekend’s games will decide the regular season of the 2025-2026 Dominican Professional Winter Baseball Championship. The Aguilas del Cibao have ensured their spot. The same for the Toros del Este that qualified in second place for the semi final round. But the third and fourth slots are still up for grabs as of 16 December 2025. The top four teams in the regular season standing advance to the semi final round.

On Wednesday, 17 December 2025, the Gigantes del Cibao will visit the Toros del Este in La Romana. The Leones del Escogido will play the Aguilas Cibaeñas in Santiago. The Estrellas Orientales will match the Tigres del Licey in Santo Domingo. All games start at 7:30pm.

The teams then break on Thursday. The weekend games will decide the regular season that ends on Tuesday, 23 December 2025.

As of Tuesday, 16 December, the Aguilas were in first place (30 wins and...