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Foreign Relations Minister Roberto Álvarez underscored the nation’s “strategic relevance” to the United States, calling the US the country’s principal commercial partner and political ally.
Álvarez delivered the keynote address, “The Dominican Republic in an Uncertain Geopolitical World,” at the Organization of American States (OAS) headquarters as part of the 33rd edition of Dominican Week in the United States. His presentation offered a detailed analysis of the current bilateral relationship and the steps the Dominican Republic is taking to strengthen it.
The Foreign Relations Minister emphasized the robust economic ties, revealing that trade in goods between the two countries totaled US$154.8 billion between 2015 and 2024, as reported in El Dia. US exports accounted for US$98.5 billion, while Dominican exports reached US$56.28 billion.
“The US market consumes 56% of our...
Over 35 Dominican business leaders and officials are currently in Washington and New York to advance crucial issues aimed at strengthening the bilateral economic and business relationship between the Dominican Republic and the United States.
These representatives from the government and the private sector are participating in the 33rd edition of Dominican Week in the U.S., organized by the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AmChamDR).
During the opening ceremony, AmCham DR president Francesca Rainieri stated that Dominican Week is the best proof that when the public and private sectors collaborate, “doors of investment, trade, innovation, and cooperation open.”
Rainieri emphasized the importance of the relationship: “The United States is our principal partner: more than 40% of our exports go to this market, and bilateral trade already exceeds...
President Luis Abinader and Environment Minister Paíno Henríquez hailed the advances in titling of protected areas as a “historic milestone” that has cemented the creation and strengthening of the National System of Protected Areas (SINAP).
Minister of Environment Paino Henriquez announced the Dominican Republic has become the first country in the Caribbean to reach the global objective of protecting 30% of its coasts. Henriquez also spoke of the important advances in land titling of the protected areas, backed by Protected Areas Sectorial Law 202-04. He said forest areas are now 44%, up from 10% in 1970. 25.5% of Dominican territory is now under different protected area categories.
Henríquez highlighted that the National System of Protected areas ensures that 85% of the mountain water basins and birthing areas of rivers are under protection, ensuring the source...
The Ministry of Environment is throwing its full weight behind the newly unveiled National Water Plan 2025-2045, a strategic blueprint designed to ensure the sustainable management of water resources in the Dominican Republic for the next two decades.
Environment Minister Paíno Henríquez participated in the official launch event, which gathered top government officials, representatives from international organizations, and leading water sector experts.
The presentation took place at the Aula Magna of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD). Key figures leading the activity included the Administrative Minister of the Presidency, Andrés Bautista; the Spanish Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Lorea Arribalzaga Ceballos; the Executive Director of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INDRHI), Olmedo Caba Romano; and Minister Henríquez, who represented the Dominican Government and President Luis Abinader.
The plan is the result of a rigorous technical...
Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso has appointed Roberto Santana Sánchez, former rector of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), as the new head of the newly created Penitentiary and Correctional Services Agency (DGSPC).
The move aims to leverage the prison management expertise of the also former university leader to advance the country’s institutional path toward establishing a new Ministry of Justice, which will be tasked with administering the entire prison system.
Santana Sánchez, a widely recognized consultant and current director of the National Office for the Support of Penitentiary Reform (Onaprep), will replace Police Colonel and attorney Roberto Hernández Basilio, who has been reassigned to the police reform leadership team.
Santana Sanchez is the Dominican Repubic’s expert in prison management and is a leading consultant on the matter in Latin America. He...
The Ministry of Education (Minerd) is slated to receive a massive RD$332.03 billion budget for 2026, according to the draft of the National Budget (PGE) bill submitted to the National Congress, El Dia reports. This is the largest ministry allotment in the country.
This allocation for Minerd, the entity that regulates early, primary, and secondary education in the country, marks a significant 7.1% increase over the current 2025 budget. The boost amounts to more than RD$22.06 billion compared to the current year’s budget of RD309.96 billion. If approved without change by legislators the RD332.03 billion would solidify Minerd as the recipient of the largest sectoral expenditure within the Central Government.
By law, the Minerd is consistently assigned 4% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the annual National Budget. However, despite this historically significant...
Dominican government ministers of Foreign Relations and Industry & Commerce and business people are taking advantage of Dominican Week in the USA to lobby for the restoration of the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HELP) Act trade preference program that was allowed to expire on 1 October together with the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Fernando Capellan, president of Codevi, the largest private employer in Haiti (around 20,000 jobs) is championing the efforts on behalf of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
The mechanism allows for special provisions for the clothing produced in Haiti and Africa and exported to the United States.
For the United States, the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) is also working to continue the programs.
“We are frustrated by the failure to act on these long-standing...
The US Embassy has clarified the requirements for renewing B1/B2 tourist and business visas, confirming that not all applicants will need to appear for an in-person interview. This addresses the recent uncertainty that all visa applicants might be required to attend an interview with a US consular official.
Michelle Angulo, spokesperson and press attaché for the diplomatic mission, explained the specific conditions under which applicants remain eligible for an interview waiver:• Previous visa validity: The previous visa must have been issued with 10 years of validity at the time it was initially issued.• Expiration window: The renewal application must be submitted within 12 months of the previous visa’s expiration date.• Applicant’s age: The applicant must have been at least 18 years old when the previous visa was issued.
The Embassy also stated that a deferred...
The Chamber of Accounts (Cámara de Cuentas), the Dominican Republic’s top government auditing agency, announced the release of four new audit reports, increasing the total number of reports approved under its current administration to 36.
The full body of the Chamber of Accounts approved the new reports during its 17th ordinary session held on 19 September 2025, El Nacional reports.
The newly published audits cover significant public and political entities, focusing on their financial and budgetary management over varying periods:• National Veteran Citizens Party (PNVC): Audited for the period between 1 January 2010, and 31 December 2017.• National Aquarium (Acuario Nacional): Examined the financial statements covering the years 2012 to 2015.• Santiago Municipal Council (Ayuntamiento Municipal de Santiago): Focused on budget execution from 2013 to 2015.• National Police (Policía...
Local media continues to air and publish more details on the many scams that operated at the state insurance plan company, Senasa.
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The Dominican Weather Institute (Indomet) reports on its 1 October 2025 forecast that residents and visitors can look forward to a period of generally good weather in the Dominican Republic, with forecasters anticipating abundant sunshine and only brief, isolated showers over the next few days.
The most recent forecast, valid from Wednesday, 1 October 2025, at 6am through Friday, 3 October 2025, at 6am, suggests stable conditions will dominate the mornings, though afternoons will bring temporary changes due to atmospheric instability.
Indomet says that Thursday will bring a beautiful morning with mostly clear and sunny skies. The action shifts to the afternoon, when the trough will once again combine with local effects to produce moderate to strong downpours, thunderstorms, and wind gusts. These are primarily expected over provinces in the Cibao region, the Central Mountain Range...
The Dominican Republic is poised to celebrate a historic milestone with the launch of its first-ever dedicated animal festival, the Animal Fest República Dominicana 2025.
The landmark event is scheduled to take place over three days —October 3, 4, and 5— at the Pabellón de las Naciones in the Centro de los Héroes, coinciding with World Animal Day. Admission will be free of charge for all attendees.
More than just a celebration, Animal Fest has a vital mission: to promote responsible pet ownership, animal welfare, and to serve as a crucial fundraiser for the “Ciudad de los Animales” (City of the Animals), an ambitious project dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of abandoned and mistreated animals.
“We want the entire country to feel part of this movement and that together we promote the Ciudad de los Animales project, which will change the history of animal welfare in the Dominican Republic,” stated one of the organizers.
The festival promises a packed itinerary...
In an immersive experience written by extraordinary architect and chronicler Cristian Martinez, “Anaka o na” will be staged at the National Theater’s Sala Ravelo from 9 October to 12 October 2025. Martinez says he wrote the play to explain our ancestry to present and future generations. This is a production by Nileny Dippton.
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The extraordinary life and literary legacy of Dominican historian Frank Moya Pons is at the center stage of the Santo Domingo International Book Fair 2025 with a dedicated pavilion offering a fascinating, immersive journey into his personal and professional world. The Santo Domingo International Book Fair (FILSD) is happening from 5 September through 5 October 2025 at the Plaza de la Cultura at Av. Maximo Gomez.
The pavilion has been set up at the National Library on the Plaza de la Cultura fair grounds with exhibits on his lifelong career dedicated to research and present Dominican history to local and international readership.
Moya Pons is regarded as one of the country’s foremost contemporary chroniclers. The Moya Pons pavilion, conceived by cultural curator Ylonka Nacidit Perdomo, transports visitors to understand the research and writing process undertaken by Moya...
The Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Relations announced on 30 September 2025 that it will not extend invitations to Cuba, Venezuela, or Nicaragua for the Tenth Summit of the Americas, set to take place in Punta Cana from 1-5 December 2025.
The Ministry of Foreign Relations explains that the decision, intends to “prioritize the success of the encounter” amid the current climate of “political polarization,” and is rooted in the Summit’s structure, which is closely coordinated with the Organization of American States (OAS).
“The non-invitation to Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela —countries that, for various reasons, have decided not to be part of the OAS and did not participate in the last edition of the Summit of the Americas— constitutes the decision that, given hemispheric circumstances, favors the largest convening and ensures the development of the forum,” the Ministry...
The UN Security Council on Tuesday, 30 September 2025 authorized a new multinational Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti to replace the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), amid escalating gang violence, widespread rights abuses and a humanitarian emergency affecting all aspects of life in the island nation.
The resolution – co-penned by Panama and the United States, and backed by dozens of countries in the region and beyond – was adopted by a vote of 12 in favor, with three abstentions from China, Pakistan, and Russia.
President Abinader had advanced during his 29 September 2025 press conference that the Kenyan force could be extended to December after which a new UN mission would be sent.
The GSF expands the international security force in Haiti from around 700 to 5,500 men. What is different this time, in addition to the larger contingent, is that...
Foreign Relations Minister Roberto Alvarez and Industry & Commerce Minister Victor (Ito) Bisono are in Washington, D.C. for the American Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Dominican Week in USA. The event, started by late lawyer Luis Heredia Bonetti, is in its 33rd year.
Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez attended on 29 September 2025 the opening of the Dominican Week in the United States. The initiative seeks to highlight the Dominican Republic as a trustworthy business partner, focusing on nearshoring, logistics, innovation, legal and financial services, intellectual property, and diaspora relations.
The ceremony took place at the Dominican Embassy Residence in Washington, with the participation of Ambassador María Isabel Castillo Báez, OAS Ambassador Mayerlyn Cordero, business leaders, and diplomatic representatives from both nations.
The Dominican Week in the USA...
President Luis Abinader visited the Luis Eduardo Aybar Health City on 30 September 2025 to inaugurate the last remaining hospital included in the mega health complex. The capital city medical city center was begun in 2012 during the government of former President Danilo Medina with an announced budget of RD$4 billion. President Abinader announced that it has been completed at a cost four times the initial announced cost.
According to the Minister of Housing and Edifications, Carlos Bonilla, the total investment in the Health City amounted to RD$16 billion. The current administration executed RD$3.2 billion of that amount to finalize approximately 30% of the remaining work.
The surgery building, the last to be completed in the mega health city, was named to honor neurosurgeon Jose Joaquin Puello who took on the responsibility to complete the project left half way...
The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD) has announced a reduction in its monetary policy interest rate (MPR) by 25 basis points (bps), moving it from 5.75% to 5.50% annually.
This decision aims to introduce more flexible monetary conditions to help boost domestic demand given the changing external situations. The BCRD stated that while global uncertainty persists, the measure was taken because international financial conditions are becoming less restrictive.
Alongside the MPR cut, the rate for the permanent liquidity expansion facility (1-day Repos) has also been reduced from 6.25% to 6.00% annually. The rate on remunerated deposits (Overnight), however, will remain unchanged at 4.50% annually.
The Central Bank’s move is supported by a stable domestic inflation environment.• Inflation has remained within the target range of 4.0%±1.0%...
The Ministry of Education (MINERD) announced Tuesday, 30 September 2025, that an investigation confirmed a music video with vulgar content was filmed inside a public school.
In response, the Ministry announced the suspension of several school staff —coordinators and administrative personnel— for investigative purposes. They are being held responsible for the improper use of school facilities.
The Ministry stated that the filming of the video constitutes a direct violation of the formation and education in values, as well as the integrity and the best interest of children and adolescents.
Consequently, the Ministry of Education says it is filing a formal complaint with the Public Ministry to identify all those responsible and determine the extent of each individual’s criminal liability.
Furthermore, the education authority announced it will ask the...
The Attorney General’s Office announced on Tuesday, 30 September 2025 that 11 members of the National Police have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the deaths of five men during a purported shootout. The incident took place on 10 September in a commercial plaza parking lot located on Olímpica Avenue in the La Barranquita sector of Santiago city.
The incident had occurred on Wednesday, September 10th, and was initially reported as an alleged exchange of gunfire with National Police agents—a version that the police institution itself has not yet validated.
Family members of Valerio Estévez and other deceased individuals deny the police version of events, insisting it was a multiple execution. They have demanded an independent investigation and that justice be served.
The National Police initially reported that the deceased men were part of...
The Executive Branch has bestowed the country’s highest honor, the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella, Grand Cross Silver Plaque, to visionary entrepreneur Frank Rainieri Marranzini.
The Grand Cross, Silver Plaque, is usually awarded to members of Congress, magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice, government ministers, ambassadors and the metropolitan archbishop.
The award, formalized in Decree 489-25 was issued by President Luis Abinader and is dated 29 August 2025. It recognizes Rainieri for two key areas:• His role as Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, where his service “contributed to strengthening bilateral relations” between the Dominican Republic and that diplomatic representation.• His extensive business career as the visionary founder of Punta Cana...
As the cold weather trickles in to the northeastern United States, for those living in western Connecticut and Massachusetts it is good to know there are now direct flights to Punta Cana from Bradley International Airport (BDL). Avelo Airlines has nonstop year-round, twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. The flight time is around four hours.
BDL is located in the city of Windsor Locks on the western side of Connecticut. It is close to Hartford, Connecticut and the Springfield, Massachusetts metropolitan areas. It is the second-largest airport in New England and is situated roughly halfway between Boston and New York City.
30 September 2025
Last week, Minister of Tourism David Collado was in Paris for IFTM Top Resa 2025 to promote the Dominican Republic and sign new agreements to recover the French travel to Dominican destinations. The Dominican Republic was the guest country for the 2025 French tourism booking event.
During Top Resa, the president of Air Caraïbes, Marc Rochet, announced two weekly flights from Orly International in Paris to El Catey International Airport in Samana. The new route will start this coming winter.
Minister Collado said this is an important step to attract more French tourists.
The Ministry of Tourism went all out with the delegation explaining its objective is to get the French to again focus on traveling to the DR. He said French tourism has dropped from an average of 225,000 tourists to 144,000 in 2024.
Collado is hopeful the DR will be able to boost French travel to 250,000 by...
Saturday, 27 September 2025 was World Tourism Day, and somebody asked ChatGPT what were the best places for tourists to visit in the Dominican Republic. The answers were interesting.
Number one, to the enjoyment of the Raineri family, was Punta Cana, the paradise onthe eastenr tip of the Dominican Republic that is the hottest tourist destination in theCaribbean.
The second place went to the Colonial City in Santo Domingo, a historic area that the UNESCO named a World Heritage Site in 1990. The ChatGPT noted the history and colonial edifices.
In third place was Bahia de las Aguilas, down on the coast in southwestern Pedernales province. Currently, you need to take a boat to reach Bahia de las Aguilas, yet the pristine beach is the centerpiece of the development program for the area.
In fourth place is the Samana Peninsula and the El Limon waterfalls, Las Galeras...
President Luis Abinader was in Santiago for the 29 September press conference. He presented the advances of the third phase of the transformation of the Gurabo Gully (Arroyo Gurabo) in Santiago city. The President described the project as the most impactful urban work built in the country.
Some 12,000 families are positively impacted. The President said the first 1,200 families have been relocated to the Hato del Yaque government apartments complex with its community and sports center.
The project also encompasses the largest children’s park in the Caribbean, complete with an amphitheater. A soccer field and a track for athletics, complete with Chevron track, is included.
25,000 square meters of green areas have been recovered and another 25,000 are to be recovered by the completion of the project in 2026.
The sanitation works have reduced 40% of the contamination of the Yaque del Norte River, the most important in the central provinces.
The President said the...
President Luis Abinader said during his Monday press conference on 29 September 2025 that it is likely the mandate for the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti would be extended through December 2025.
Abinader said the United States is looking to financially back the expanding of the security force in Haiti to more than 5,000 men. Reports are that plans are under discussion to transform the current MSS mission into a larger Gang Suppression Force supported by new UN frameworks.
Abinader defended the Kenyan-led effort, saying only 700 men of the proposed 2,500 Kenyan force actually traveled to Haiti. He said these were used to defend Haitian government institutions and infrastructure mainly in Port-au-Prince.
The President said that the Dominican Republic continues with its enhanced border control.
Read...
President Luis Abinader and President of the CNM, Luis Henry Molina / Diario Libre
President Luis Abinader is set to preside the reshaping of the Dominican Republic’s highest court, with the power to renew virtually the entire Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) bench over the next six months, Diario Libre reports.
The National Council of the Magistracy (CNM), which Abinader chairs, is charged with evaluating and appointing 16 of the 17 of the SCJ judges. This process gives the current administration, whose party holds three of the CNM’s eight votes, significant influence over the future of the judiciary.
The first round of critical judicial evaluations begins in October 2025. The CNM will assess four judges appointed in July 2017 whose original seven-year terms technically expired in July 2024. These judges have been serving more than a year past their...
The Ministry of Public Health (MSP) has confirmed to N Digital that it transferred free medications and vaccines to the National Health Insurance (Senasa) that were subsequently reported by that institution as million-dollar purchases.
The President says he submitted the case to the Attorney General and is expecting the results of the prosecution inquiries and investigations.
A high-level source within the Ministry of Public Health has validated the information, explaining that the supplies were distributed at no cost through the Expanded Programme on Immunization (PAI). The PAI acquires vaccines and medicines at low prices through the revolving fund of the Pan American Health Organization (OPS).
The confirmation follows an exposé by journalist Edith Febles on the TV program El Día, which first revealed the alleged fraud, calling it a scam of “unsuspected proportions.”
According...
Economist Jaime Aristy Escuder has weighed in on the economic fallout from the Trump administration’s policies, urging caution in the Dominican Republic’s monetary policy management, in an opinion piece in Diario Libre. He writes about how the uncertainty generated by Trump’s tariff policy and constant economic changes in government is a key concern. Even though the passing of tariffs into consumer prices hasn’t been significant yet, analysts such as Aristy Castro have been voicing serious worries.
Aristy Castro writes that the international environment, particularly the restrictions imposed by global economic shifts, has impacted the Dominican Republic’s economic growth rate. At the start of the year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Dominican government, and the Central Bank had all projected the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would rise by 4.5%.
However...
The controversial left-turn restriction at the intersection of John F. Kennedy Avenue and José Núñez de Cáceres Avenue has been provisionally lifted, as authorities attempt to find a definitive solution to the resulting traffic congestion in the nearby La Yagüita sector. The sudden change has already generated confusion among local drivers, Diario Libre reports.
Diario Libre reports that a source from the National Institute of Transit and Terrestrial Transport (Intrant) confirmed that the measure was rolled back after its implementation 16 days ago. The reason? The opening of the Mercedes Amiama School-Home on Primera Street, which the source said had a “negative impact” on the originally designed traffic flow.
“That school has 700 students, and when parents go to drop off and pick up their children, traffic jams form, but we are looking for a solution,” the...
The intense rainfall of last week has delivered a much-needed boost to the nation’s water reserves, pushing national reservoir capacity above 61%. The significant influx of water, accumulated between 24 and 28 September 2025, has drastically improved the country’s hydraulic outlook after weeks of fluctuating conditions, El Dia reports.
The downpours contributed over 112 million cubic meters (MMC) of water to the main reservoirs, according to the latest report from the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (Indrhi). This has raised the national water availability to 1,118.14 MMC, representing 61.10% of the system’s total storage capacity of 1,830 MMC.
Several key reservoirs registered substantial gains. The Montegrande reservoir saw one of the most remarkable increases, rising by 4.43 meters and accumulating an additional 30.27 MMC. The Tavera-Bao complex also...
The Police spokesman Diego Pesqueira says that the watchman of the Ligia Portalatin Sosa in Invivienda in eastern Santo Domingo allowed the professional filming crews to enter and carry out a video by Shupamela6.9 (Carmen Sandoval) and Menor Queen (Darielys Cecilia Marchena Ozoria), two urban artists. Shuupamela participated in the highly-viewed Casa de Alofoke reality show.
The video is criticized for its pornographic lyrics and obscene performance.
The Dominican Association of Professors (ADP) said there was never an authorization on behalf of the administrative or teaching staff. Diario Libre reports that a sign on the outside of the school specifically mentions short skirts and makeup are banned in the public school.
CDN reports that lawyer Danilo Lapaix says the Children Protection Law establishes that those found guilty face two to five years in...
The two head executives of the JetSet Club whose roof collapsed on 8 April 2025 killing more than 236 people have requested the court hearing the case consider their choice of a technician to carry out a repeat investigation into its structural causes. The Abinader administration entrusted the Onesvie that presented the report carried out by leading structural engineers. The first report points to the overload of the roof by the nightclub operators as the main cause of the collapse of the roof.
Antonio and Maribel Espaillat appeared before the National District Palace of Justice on Monday, 29 September 2025, petitioning the Third Investigative Court to authorize a new expert analysis of the disaster. Maribel Espaillat was at the nightclub on that tragic evening and was alerted to the apparent roof problems, and could have suspended the concert. Antonio Espaillat was abroad...
Al Horford, who played on the Dominican national basketball team and is the husband of the Dominican Republic’s only Miss Universe (Amelia Vega – 2003), is set to sign with the Golden State Warriors. Horford had played 7 seasons with the Boston Celtics, including the 2023-2024 season in which the team finally won its NBA penchant. Former All-Star and now a free agent, Al Horford averaged 9.0 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game for Celtics last season.
Horford’s agent Jason Glushon told ESPN on Sunday, 28 September 2025, that Horford had committed to sign a multiyear contract to be the starting center for the Warriors. Horford will be in his 19th year in the NBA league.
CBS Sports highlights that the Warriors are likely seeing in Horford the big man capable to throw the 3- point baskets the team needs to win the 2026 championship. He would join Warriors’ star player...
A significant contingent of 33 Dominican baseball players is ready to participate in the Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason, which kicks off this Tuesday, 1 October 2025.
The initial stage of the playoffs will feature the Wild Card Series, with eight teams vying for survival in four best-of-three series. All games in the Wild Card Series will be played at the home field of the teams with the superior regular-season records.
The action begins early Tuesday afternoon, as teams look to secure victory in their respective matchups.• The Detroit Tigers will visit the Cleveland Guardians.• The Chicago Cubs will host the San Diego Padres.• The Boston Red Sox will travel to New York to face the Yankees.• The Los Angeles Dodgers will be hosts against the Cincinnati Reds.
Some players, like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays, will bypass the...
Vice President Raquel Peña expressed strong confidence when she said on Friday, 26 September 2025 that the Dominican Republic will “shine” when it hosts the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games in 2026. As the country prepares for the regional sports event, the Vice President spoke of the unprecedented government investment of over RD$5 billion for sports infrastructure upgrades, most centered in Santo Domingo.
In a detailed address, Peña spoke of the massive funding package is dedicated to the ongoing renovations of all facilities within the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center, where the 12th Central American and Caribbean Games were held in 1974 and at the Parque del Este complex where the Pan American Games were held in 2003.
The Vice President underscored that President Luis Abinader has championed the event, aiming for the country to be “with pride...
Three days of heavy rains fell over the Dominican Republic due to a passing trough and tropical wave since Wednesday, 24 September 2025 and resulted in more than 5,000 persons displaced from their homes, and around a thousand dwellings affected. There were 21 communities incommunicado. Several aqueducts were also impacted by the intense rains.
The rains came as the trough and tropical wave coincided with the passing outer bands of Humberto crossed by the island.
The rains caused the cancellation of the opening of the Santo Domingo book fair, the most important cultural event of the year. On Friday, 26 September, the Ministry of Education sent students in the early morning. The government recommended that employers be flexible.
The rains continued through Saturday, 28 September, but Sunday was an intensely hot day.
Intense rainfall from the weather phenomenons caused...
On Friday, 26 September 2025, a Caribe Tours bus with passengers rammed into the Pedro Francisco Bono Metro Line 2 station at John F. Kennedy Avenue and Nunez de Caceres. By Saturday, 27 September at 8:25pm, the metro service was restored, according to the OPRET Metro Office.
OPRET reported that the damaged station access was demolished in under 24 hours to ensure public safety and allow trains to resume normal operations.
The agency stated that restoration work on the station’s facade would continue during overnight hours to avoid disrupting service. OPRET has committed to returning the station to its original state as quickly as possible and thanked commuters for their understanding, emphasizing its dedication to efficiency and security.
Caribe Tours, the bus company involved in the collision, issued an official statement detailing the...
Santiago Hazim / Listin Diario
The scandalous case of significant financial leakages benefiting private companies at Senasa, the state insurance plan, continues in the media as details of several business schemes have been forthcoming. The media has been handling quantities of RD$21 billion to RD$100 billion that allegedly were milked through different scams.
The former director of the entity, physician Santiago Hazim released a taped video detaching himself from the irregularities exposed by several leading investigative programs. In his video, Hazim focused on just one of the schemes where massive corruption is suspected at the Senasa, arguing that it was he who had first denounced the case in November 2024. The Senasa case is in the Attorney General Office that has not spoken on the case. The new directors of the Superintendence of Health Risks, Miguel Ceara Hatton and the...
A recent report in Listin Diario highlights how despite having large rivers and mountain areas with water sources, providing water for human use is the most important issue impacting countries in Latin America, especially amid climate pressures.
Despite its six major hydrographic regions and a network of dams and aqueducts, the Dominican Republic faces growing water inequality, particularly in the face of intensifying climate challenges, Listin Diario reports.
In 2024, the country produced 51 million cubic meters of potable water. However, a new report by Listín Diario highlights stark territorial disparities in its distribution. The island nation is grappling with a seasonal drought, made worse by climate change, which has significantly reduced rainfall across several regions.
Access to water remains precarious for much of the population. While...
Everyone who lives in the Dominican Republic knows who bills their electricity. People know this the same way they know that there will be blackouts. These happen in some areas with much more frequency than in others. The government-owned power utilities are known by their initials: EDEEste, EDENorte and EDESur. These distribute most of the power in the DR.
Altogether, according to a report from the Ministry of Energy and Mines, as of July 2025, the different EDEs had accumulated losses of 43.3% of the total energy they purchased. The numbers are amazing. Of 11,600 gigawatt-hours purchased, 4,500 were not invoiced (39.1%), and another 4.2% were invoiced but not collected.
Not only that, but the National Budget Agency has noted that as of August 2025 the EDEs had received RD$71.44 billion from the central government, and when the budget was revised, the...
The Dominican Republic continues to strengthen its positioning as a leading Latin American medical device manufacturer for the US market. Medical Technology cover feature examines the rising appeal of the nation as it emerges as a nearshoring hub for global medtech firms seeking supply chain resilience and cost efficiency in the post-pandemic landscape.
The devices are manufactured in industrial free zones that enjoy tax incentives and benefit from international trade agreements. The DR also takes advantage of its strategic geographical positioning next to the United States.
Medical Technology points out that the Dominican Republic is taking advantage of the nearshoring trend – the strategic relocation of US manufacturing and supply chain operations closer to primary markets. This shift has enabled the DR to attract increased investment from...
Canada’s Fraser Institute measured economic freedom once again, and the Dominican Republic placed in the second quarter (47th) on the list of 165 countries indexed.
The Fraser study covers over 160 countries each year, and their Annual Report of World Economic Freedom is a highly respected instrument for judging a nation’s economic health.
The index published in Economic Freedom of the World 2025 measures the degree to which people in 165 jurisdictions around the globe are allowed to make their own economic choices.
The Dominican Republic is ranked eighth in the Americas. The report indicated that the country received the mark because its monetary stability, facilities for foreign investment, and a regulatory environment that was more competitive in comparison with other countries.
Countries in the Americas were ranked: United States (5)...
The US State Department has released its 2025 Investment Climate report for the Dominican Republic. The United States remains the single largest investor in the Dominican Republic.
Recommendations in the report call for lowering what it calls high corporate tax rates and reducing the complexity of the tax system, in addition to pursuing structural reforms to simplify bureaucratic processes and reduce the high costs of transportation and electricity, for the country to attract greater volumes of Foreign Direct Investment.
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While most activities were cancelled on the first two days of the Santo Domingo International Book Fair, by Saturday, 27 September 2025 the leading cultural event reopened and people braved the rains to be present. The event is centered at the Plaza de la Cultura and all pavilions are indoors. But people have to brave the rains to walk to the pavilions. Thousands did so over the rainy weekend.
The events are free to the general public and the high level of the speakers promises an enrichening experience for cultural fans. This is also an opportunity to check out what’s “in” in Iberoamerican literature, with the participation of several leading editorial houses.
Parking is available inside Plaza de la Cultura only to special guests and those with badges. There is parking at the Ministry of Superior Education and the Unibe university and outside the...
Dominicans José Ramírez (Cleveland Guardians), Juan Soto (New York Mets) and Julio Rodriguez (Seattle Mariners) are part of the exclusive group of seven players who have achieved at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the 2025 Major League Baseball season. This impressive feat constitutes a new record in MLB history for the most players to reach the mark in a single season. The previous high-water mark had been four 30-30 Club members, achieved in the 1987, 1996, 1997, 2011 and 2023 seasons.
Rounding out this unprecedented statistical achievement are Puerto Rican Francisco Lindor (New York Mets), along with Corbin Carroll (Arizona Diamondbacks), Jazz Chisholm (New York Yankees) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (Chicago Cubs).
There are six Dominican ball players on the Top 20 list of game shirts being sold in the United States. Juan Soto, the man with a contract with the NY Mets worth three-quarters of a billion dollars, is the top Dominican, ranked number 6. He is followed by the former Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers, who now plays for the San Francisco Giants and is at number 7. Next, in number 10, is outstanding Fernando Tatis Jr, of the San Diego Padres and the Estrellas Orientales in the Dominican Winter League.
A little bit further down the list is the very exciting shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds, Elly de la Cruz, at 14, and then Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who plays first base for the Toronto Blue Jays, is at 15. Finally, there is Manny Machado, another player from San Diego, at number 19.
Of course, it is easy to understand why Shohei Otani of the Los...
The New York Mets lost to the Miami Marlins 4-0 on Sunday, 28 September 2025, ending Dominican slugger Juan Soto’s chance at reaching the 40-40 mark this season. The loss to the Marlins killed the Mets’ hope to reach the 2025 season playoffs.
Reporting on the loss, MLB stated:“Over 64 seasons, the Mets have endured some of the most precipitous collapses in Major League history. In 2007, they blew a seven-game lead with 17 to play, failing to make the playoffs with one of the league’s most talented rosters. In 2008, they again crashed out of the playoff race on the season’s final day. To this day, the members of those teams carry the weight of their failures.
“This year was supposed to be different. A roster that made it to within two games of the World Series last October, then added Soto on a record-setting $765 million contract, was meant to make the playoffs with ease. One of the most...
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