DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

The Central Bank reports the Dominican Republic’s economy grew by 2.9% in July 2025 compared to July 2024, according to preliminary data from the Monthly Economic Activity Indicator (IMAE). This marks an improvement from the 1.1% growth recorded in June and brings the cumulative growth for the first seven months of the year to 2.4%.

The 2.4% growth is below the normal standards for growth in the country. The government and monetary authorities are taking actions to inject vitality into the economy, included increases in government capital spending.

A press release from the Central Bank reports that growth in July was driven by a strong performance in several key sectors:• Mining: This sector saw a significant 21.0% increase in July, thanks to higher volumes of gold and silver extraction.• Manufacturing free zones: The sector grew by 7.1% in July, fueled by strong foreign demand for its goods. Exports from these zones totaled $805.8 million for the month, contributing to a...

The Central Electoral Board (JCE) that is in charge of civil registry in the Dominican Republic has included the issuing of a pilot test of 800,000 digital cards (RD$244.7 million) in the approved Emdoc contract (for RD$3.36 billion) for the issuing of more than 9.4 million physical ID cards in 2025-2026.

The also called Mobile ID is a government-approved, digital version of your physical identification document that is stored securely on your smartphone, allowing you to verify your identity both online and in person.

The digital credentials can be used for a variety of purposes, from accessing public and private services to conducting official transactions, with security features like biometrics and PINs protecting your personal information.

The JCE has yet to explain who will get the mobile ID cards.

The newly arrived US Consul General in the Dominican William D. Swaney gave a press conference to announce he is back since July 2025. This is his third appointment to the country.

During the press conference, Swaney mentioned that the US Consulate in Santo Domingo is second in volume of visas processed to Mexico. He said around 200,000 visas were processed, including around 50,000 migrant visas in 2024.

He urged people to use the digital channels and to correctly fill out the forms. He also urged people to strictly comply with the terms of the visas.

In an interview with Diario Libre, Swaney highlighted that the maximum stay on a tourist visa is 90 to 180 days. He said that those who have exceeded their permitted stay, or use the tourist visa for seasonal work, or have been stopped for drunk driving are subject to having their visas revoked.He said that any person who needs to extend their stay should submit an official request, arguing why they need the extension...

The largest mining company operating in the Dominican Republic, Barrick Pueblo Viejo announced the appointment of Gisselle Valera Florencio as president. She replaces Juana Barcelo. Barrick Pueblo Viejo’s operation in Sanchez Ramirez provinces is regarded as one of the world’s leading tier one gold mines. The Ministry of Environment has cleared the construction of a second tailings dam in the province for expanding the production.

Valera Florencio had been carrying out the role after the resignation of Juana Barcelo. She is a corporate lawyer. Previous to her appointment she had served as executive director for government affairs for Central America and the Caribbean at Barrick Pueblo Viejo. Previously she worked for the Jimenez Peña law firm in Santo Domingo.

Valera Florencio reports directly to Barrick’s Chief Operating Officer for Latin America and Asia...

The timeless classics of Hollywood films will fill the main hall of the National Theater this Friday, 30 August.

Santo Domingo Philharmonic Orchestra, led by the renowned maestro Amaury Sánchez, is bringing the musical gala, “Todo Hollywood” dedicated to the greatest film scores of all times to the National Theater. There will be guest performances in addition to the performance of the 60-musician-strong orchestra.

The show promises an immersive and nostalgic experience for movie lovers. The repertoire will include iconic scores from legendary films such as Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Gladiator, Spiderman, and Skyfall, among many others.

The concert is scheduled for Friday, 30 August 2025, at 8:30pm in the Carlos Piantini Hall of the Eduardo Brito National Theater.

Tickets are for sale...

The elite of the athletics world is meeting in Zurich, Switzerland for the Weltklasse Zurich, the grand finale of the Diamond League competitions. At Sechseläutenplatz (27 August) and Letzigrund Stadium (28 August), the world’s best athletes will battle for the prestigious Diamond Trophy in each category.

Paris Olympics gold medalist Marileidy Paulino is scheduled for the 400 m final on 28 August 2025.

Paulino is registered to race against Martina Weil of Chile, Lieke Klaver of The Netherlands, Amber Anning of Great Britain, Henriette Jaeger of Norway, Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrein, Isabella Whittaker of the USA and Natalia Bukowiecka of Poland. Her strongest contender is Salwa Eid Naser who is coached by Dominican Jose Ludwig Rubio.

In coordination with the Dominican Society of Infectology, and on the occasion of the International Day Against Dengue on 26 August 2025, the Ministry of Public Health relaunched its campaign: “Let’s Beat Dengue.” The campaign has been successful in reducing cases and deaths in 2024 and 2025. The effort is a joint stand in favor of preventing diseases by educating the general public.

The Ministry of Public Health under Minister Victor Atallah has been characterized for successful prevention efforts all year round. The relaunching of the dengue campaign comes with the slogan: Eliminate, Clean and Cover, key words that refer to the three effective ways of eliminating breeding grounds for the mosquito that transmits the tropical disease.

Read...

Drivers in the Dominican Republic now have a new, easy-to-remember number to call for roadside assistance. The Fideicomiso RD Vial has launched 511, a dedicated line for reporting emergencies and incidents on the nation’s main highways. This new number replaces the previous 829-688-1000 and is designed to provide a faster, more efficient response.

The launch of 511 is a significant step toward aligning the Dominican Republic’s road safety efforts with international standards. The new number is part of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), which includes countries like the United States and Canada. This adoption of an international standard aims to modernize the driving experience and improve accessibility to immediate help for motorists.

The 511 service is managed by the Integrated Roadside Assistance Service, which is operated by the Military and Police Commission...

There are many traffic laws in the Dominican Republic. The problem has not been the lack of laws; the problem has been the lax enforcement of the laws. The enforcement of the laws is left up to the General Transit and Land Transportation Safety Agency (Digesett).

The National Institute of Transit and Ground Transportation (Intrant) is now calling on all freight vehicle drivers in the Dominican Republic to strictly adhere to the use of the right-hand lane on highways and roads, in line with Law 63-17 on Mobility, Land Transport, Transit, and Road Safety.

Intrant also reminds drivers that freight vehicles may only use other lanes when overtaking is explicitly permitted.

The directive aims to streamline traffic flow, reduce accident risks, and prevent heavy vehicles from obstructing faster or overtaking lanes.

Intrant executive director Milton Morrison emphasized the...

The Dominican Republic’s labor market continues to show positive momentum, with a notable increase of 121,164 jobs from April to June 2024, the Central Bank reports. This growth was driven by a significant surge in formal employment, which added 164,598 new workers, while the informal sector saw a reduction of 43,434 workers.

According to data from the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic’s National Continuous Labor Force Survey, key indicators of employment, unemployment, and informality are all reflecting a healthy market. The country has reached all-time highs in both the number of employed people and the employment rate, while the unemployment and informality rates have fallen to some of their lowest points since the survey began.

The total number of people employed in the Dominican economy reached 5,123,548 in the second quarter of 2025. This 121,164-person increase from...

Top defense officials from the United States and the Dominican Republic made a strategic tour of the Dominican-Haitian border on 26 August 2025, signaling a deepening of bilateral security cooperation.

Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Carlos A. Fernández Onofre, and the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Joseph M. Humire, traveled the length of the border from Manzanillo to Dajabón. The visit underscored the two nations’ shared commitment to addressing regional security challenges.

During the tour, Minister Fernández Onofre, along with Major General Jorge Iván Camino Pérez, the Commanding General of the Army, and Brigadier General Jose Rodríguez Coste, the director of the Border Security Corps (Cesfront), briefed the American delegation. The discussions focused on operations to combat...

A recent social media post by lawyer Juan Carlos Acosta Pérez has ignited speculation about a significant discovery in the Dominican Republic, El Nacional reports.

Acosta announced on Facebook the possible presence of high concentrations of yttrium, a rare earth element, in the Pedernales province. The potential find is located in the Fiscal Reserve Ávila, a stretch of land running from Cabo Rojo to the Sierra de Bahoruco.

According to Acosta’s post, samples collected in the area show yttrium concentrations of up to 3,000 parts per million (ppm). If verified by independent analysis, this would be an exceptionally high figure compared to known deposits worldwide. To put this in perspective, 3,000 ppm is equivalent to approximately 3 kilograms of yttrium per metric ton of rock.

In his post, Acosta cited engineers and technicians who have allegedly been...

Dominican jazz fusion band Retro Jazz will kick off celebrations for its 15th anniversary with a special concert titled “Acordes del Alma” on Saturday, 6 September 2025, at the Máximo Avilés Blonda Hall of the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Santo Domingo, N Digital reports.

The performance will launch a year-long series of events commemorating the group’s journey—a path marked by its innovative reinterpretations of Dominican classics through jazz. Led by renowned arranger, producer, and bassist Pengbian Sang, the ensemble has become a beloved fixture in the country’s contemporary music scene.

“When we started, I never imagined we’d make it this far—let alone have the audience’s continued support and affection for so long,” said Sang. He added that, if plans proceed as expected, the anniversary tour will conclude next year with a grand finale at the Teatro Nacional Eduardo...

President Luis Abinader launched the 2025-2026 school year on Monday, 25 August 2025 in Santo Domingo, welcoming more than 2,062,000 public students nationwide of 2,664,028 students that are registered for the next school year in the public, private and hybrid systems.

The ceremony took place at the newly inaugurated Casandra Damirón School in Santo Domingo Este.

The Presidency announces more than 6,000 new teachers have been hired for the 2025-26 school year. Likewise, the Trae school transportation program has been expanded.

The President announced that 100% of public school students would receive a school kit, underscoring that educational quality remains a priority. He also highlighted the reintroduction of civics and ethics courses into the extended school day to strengthen values and civic education.

Abinader encouraged students to treat their schools as...

The Transportation Cabinet of the Abinader Administration will launch the fourth phase of its left-turn restriction program this Sunday, 1 September 2025, targeting key intersections along John F. Kennedy and 27 de Febrero avenues. The traffic changes are part of the “RD Se Mueve” traffic management strategy aimed at easing congestion and improving road safety in the National District.

The ongoing initiative, which began with interventions at 13 major intersections in previous phases, has already cut travel times by more than 30% on avenues such as Lope de Vega, Tiradentes, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Máximo Gómez.

In this new phase, traffic flow will be reorganized at the intersection of Máximo Gómez and John F. Kennedy, which will shift from a four-phase to a three-phase traffic signal operation. As a result, left turns from John F. Kennedy Avenue...

The Dominican government is maneuvering to reduce the damages of the shutdown of Falconbridge Dominicana (Falcondo), the mining firm that for decades has marked the livelihood of thousands in Monseñor Nouel province. Diario Libre looks into the case in the Superior Administrative Court (TSA) submitted on 22 July 2025 on violations of the 70-year old contract that has resulted in environmental damages for more than US$25 million.

El Informe con Alicia Ortega looks into what is happening now that the mining firm has shut down and the impact in the central province.

Follow the story in Spanish:

• Diario Libre
• El Informe con Alicia Ortega

In the wake of a series of tragic incidents where at least seven children were killed by their own parents this August, Minister of Interior and Police Faride Raful has stated that the country has a significant “social debt” when it comes to mental health.

Just this Monday, 24 August, a young mother gave her three children, ages 11, 9 and 7 poisoned juice and then took her share. The father returned home to find his family dead.

Following a meeting with the Joint Task Force, which included President Luis Abinader and Public Health Minister Víctor Atallah, Raful addressed the issue, emphasizing that mental health had not been a priority for many years in the Dominican Republic. She stressed that while it is fundamentally a health issue, it has also become a matter of public safety, demanding a coordinated response to protect children and other vulnerable groups.

“Mental...

In a night of brilliant play, Dominican senior women’s volleyball team captain Brayelin Martinez led the Reinas del Caribe to defeat Mexico 3-0 (25-15, 25,17 and 25-20) during the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championships taking place in Thailand. The DR is ranked 10th and Mexico 26th by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).

The competition runs from 22 August to 7 September across four host cities: Bangkok, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chiang Mai and Phuket. The 20th edition of the Women’s World Championship represents another historic first, as Southeast Asia welcomes a Volleyball World Championship for the first time in the sport’s history.

In the match on 24 August 2025, the DR shut out Mexico in Chiang Mai and topped the current pool standings on a perfect record of two straight-set victories. The DR had already defeated Colombia (3-0).

FIVB reported...

25-year old Alexander Ogando is trained by Félix Sánchez, the Dominican double Olympic champion. Sánchez is also Ogando’s mentor. Now, the hard work is bearing fruit as preparations are completed for the World Championships set for 13 to 21 September 2025 in Tokyo, Japan.

As part of his ongoing preparations for the World Championship, the Dominican sprinter last week added another major achievement to his career by winning the 200-meter race at the Diamond League in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday, 22 August. The 24-year-old clocked 20.16 seconds, edging out American Robert Gregory (20.19) and Nigerian Udodi Onwuzurike (20.29).

His next race is the 200 m Diamond League final on 28 August 2025 in Zurich, Switzerland. And then, the World Championships in Tokyo.

World Athletics website reports that this victory further cements Ogando’s rise in global athletics and highlights his role...

The brawl between Dominican and Argentine players that happened after the DR had defeated Argentina 84-83 on Monday, 24 August 2025 in Managua, Nicaragua during the AmeriCup 2025 has ended in the suspension of several key players. The suspensions will impact the teams.

Key player David Jones Garcia is suspended for two FIBA official Games. Juan Guerrero and Juan Suero are suspended for one FIBA official game. Angel Delgado is suspended for one FIBA Official Game for a probationary period of three years. If the player commits the same or similar offense during the probationary period, he will immediately be suspended one game, in addition to any sanction imposed for the new offense.

The penalties were released in an official FIBA statement that outlined details surrounding the aftermath of the Argentina-Dominican Republic game at the AmeriCup...

The Colonial City is under intense renovation works, but it is getting better every day. There is always a reason to come and see what is new.

People can look forward to the opening of the Museo del Merengue y la Bachata, scheduled to open in March 2026.

The location and the people behind the Museo del Merengue y la Bachata in the Colonial City practically guarantee its success. The museum will be located in the 16th Century edifice that had opened as the Hotel Frances on the corner of Arzobispo Meriño and Las Mercedes streets.

Louis Broker, the entrepreneur that brought Santo Domingo the iconic places of Pat’e Palo, Jalao and Lulu is now working with Lisa Ortega, the young architect whose design for the Dominican stand in Fitur recently won the best stand.

And there is Jose Antonio Rodriguez, the former Minister of Culture (2012-2016)...

The updated 2026 PGA Tour schedule outlines 35 official events. Among them, the Corales stop will once again welcome over a hundred professional golfers from around the world.

For its ninth consecutive year, the PGA Tour will be held at the Corales Puntacana Championship at the Puntacana Resort & Club’s Corales Golf Course. The Puntacana Championship will be played 13-19 July 2026.

As part of the PGA Tour’s ongoing strategic alliance with the DP World Tour (PGA European Tour), players from both circuits will be eligible to compete in the Corales tournament. The DP World Tour is the premier professional golf tour for men in Europe and beyond, known for its global destinations and schedule across five continents. It finalizes with the DP World Tour Championship takes place in Dubai and is contested by the top-ranked players.

DP World port and logistics operator from Dubai...

Are you a fan of merengue, bachata, salsa, rumba or son? People are giving good reviews to Lungomare, the Santo Domingo Sheraton restaurant lounge on the Malecon as a place to go to listen to live tropical music and do some dancing, too.

There is a steady stream of live performances.

On Wednesdays, there is karaoke from 9pm.

As a sampler, on Fridays in August, Johanna Almanzar and her Rumberos la Banda performs live as of 9pm.

The good news is that admission is free.

Call Lungomare at 829 643-6383 for reservations.

Read more in Spanish:

• Lungomare Instagram
• Lungomare Instagram
• Lungomare

Disney Cruise Line has contracted for stops of its Disney Dream ship in Puerto Plata for the season of October 2026 to May 2027. Early bookings open on the Disney Cruise Line website as of 2 September 2025. This is the first time that Disney Cruise Line will call on Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.

The cruises that will stop in Puerto Plata begin in The Bahamas and end in Tortola from where the ship returns to the Bahamas. The stops are Disney Castaway Cay, Disney Lookout Cay and Nassau in The Bahamas, followed by Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic), San Juan (Puerto Rico), St. Maarten and Tortola.

Read More:

• Disney Cruise
• Disney Cruise

Expedia has launched its Island Hot List and the Dominican Republic is included in the top three. The Dominican Republic is the leading tourism destination in the Caribbean. The DR is listed in third place behind Aruba, Bali (Indonesia), and followed by Fiji and Jamaica.

Expedia highlights these pluses for the top island destinations:• Aruba (Best for Year-Round Sunshine)• Bali, Indonesia (Best for Relaxation)• Dominican Republic (Best for Adventure)• Fiji (Best for Community)• Jamaica (Best for Culture)

The flight and hotel booking engine calls its Island Hot List a definitive guide to the best island destinations of the year. Expedia analyzes what matters most to travelers including standout stays, affordable prices, seamless flight access, and irresistible tourism appeal. Expedia explains that the inaugural curated report, released in July 2025, reveals global...

Zilvinas Lapinskas / Diario Libre

Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) is the regional airport receiving flights from the most airlines and most destinations in Latin America. FL Technics, with headquarters in Vilnius, Lithuania, is now installing a regional giant for aircraft maintenance, repair and overall services (MRO). Having a Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) Center at Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) is critical to ensure the safety and efficiency of air operations in the region.

The MRO center is located in the new Logistics Park of the Punta Cana Free Trade Zone (Grupo Puntacana and DP World Logistics Center) in an area of 115,588 m2 of land. Zilvinas Lapinskas, CEO of FL Technics, explains it is the first infrastructure project to be developed from ground up in the Americas. The new infrastructure will service Airbus A320F and...

Diario Libre journalists covering the advances in the Metro Line 2C construction, scheduled for a test run in September 2025, made a discovery that has people asking what the builders have been thinking when they installed the massive pillars but left no room for pedestrians.

The recent report in Diario Libre helps people become aware that the sidewalks are blocked in some stretches and there are no sure crossways in other areas. Yes, the Metro cars can zoom by above, but what about the people on foot for whom the Metro is designed?

President Luis Abinader has announced the works are advancing so that the Metro Line 2C can open to the general public in February 2026.

Read more in Spanish:

• Diario Libre

The Central Electoral Board (JCE) is going ahead with the Emdoc proposal for new ID for the Dominican Republic. The single contest finals participant, the Emdoc consortium was approved to supply materials, equipment and services for the ID renewal. All IDs in the Dominican Republic have expired. The new ID is said to have a duration of 10 years.

The issuing of the new IDs is part of a general effort of the Civil Registry at the JCE to correct almost three million IDs with irregularities. The JCE expects to issue new IDS to around 8 million persons.

Diario Libre reports that the Central Electoral Board (JCE) has awarded a contract worth RD$3,361,540,992.22 to the Emdoc Consortium, following a decision by its Procurement Committee. The final amount is slightly lower than the consortium’s original bid of RD$3,363,322,420, yet significantly higher than...

Public schools reopened in the Dominican Republic for the 2025-2026 school year on Monday, 25 August 2025. Private schools are allowed flexible back-to-school dates and many had started earlier.

The Ministry of Education says that 2,664,028 students are registered for the next school year in the public, private and hybrid systems.

The Ministry of Education this year is opening morning and afternoon sections at several public schools, eliminating the afternoon classes to give way to the increased demand for classrooms.

The return to school is equated with worsened traffic.

People queued for days in the Centro de los Heroes area to receive the backpacks with electronic devices and school supplies on Sunday, 24 August 2025 from 8am to 2pm. The ticket price was a sack of used plastic bottles.

The exchange was organized by the City Hall of the National District. City Mayor Carolina Mejia who since her first term as mayor in 2020 has been organizing the events that help clean up city garbage while creating awareness among young people of the importance of recycling.

The city hall has an agreement with a recycling company that converts the bottles into furniture for city parks.

Reports are that the effort was successful and more than 15 million plastic bottles were collected.

New Finance and Economy Minister Magin Diaz announced key changes to the 2025 National Budget to boost the economy. Last week he met with legislators of the Special Finance Committee of the Chamber of Deputies to present the government’s proposed reformulation of the 2025 National Budget, which totals RD$69.7 billion. The government says the revised budget prioritizes economic stimulation through increased public investment and targeted sectoral spending.

Of the total amount, RD$20 billion will go to the National Treasury to manage its obligations. The rest is largely earmarked for ministries and institutions expected to drive economic growth amid global uncertainty.

The Ministry of Public Works is set to receive RD$17 billion, the largest allocation after the Treasury, followed by the Ministry of Public Health with RD$12.9 billion. The Ministry of Interior and Police is...

Jose Singer / Acento

Former Dominican ambassador to the United Nations, Jose Singer Weisinger sees the relations of China and Dominican Republic as a one-sided relationship that merits rethinking. He says the DR has little to show from breaking with Taiwan on 30 April 2018 to establish full relations with China during the second Danilo Medina administration.

In an opinion piece in Acento, he complains that the DR has a bad deal with China. He is most critical that China, a member of the United Nations’ National Security Council, has not voted in favor of the proposal to turn the Kenya-deployed mission in Haiti to a Peace Force with more support from the United Nations. Singer says the positive vote would not cost anything to China. He does not understand the position China has maintained in the Security Council.

The position of the Dominican government has been to back the request by the...

The Dominican Republic received members of the United States National Security Council and the US Department of Defense last week. These high-ranking members of the Trump administration met with President Luis Abinader and several Dominican ministers. The visit will come to a conclusion tomorrow, 26 August.

Michael Jensen, a former United States Air Force Lt. Colonel, is the senior director for the Western Hemisphere at the National Security Council (NSC), and Joseph M. Humire is a Bolivian-American, who is an expert in the field of national security and terrorism. Humire is currently the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for the Western Hemisphere.

Joseph M. Humire is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs, overseeing US defense and security policy for Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean...

Vice Admiral Luis Rafael Lee Ballester / Diario Libre

Vice Admiral Luis Rafael Lee Ballestar, the director general of Migration, made it clear to many representatives of the agricultural sector of Tireo and Constanza that his agents would continue to pursue and capture undocumented aliens, even if they were working in the fields.

Farmers, local politicians, members of Congress, all have asked that the Migration Agency for lenience with the Haitian laborers that are an important workforce for the vegetable crops in La Vega province.

Minister of Agriculture Limber Cruz Lopez attended the meeting on the strict application of the government’s immigration policies that President Abinader has proclaimed as necessary for the national security.

The farmers told the authorities that the constant roundups of undocumented workers (Haitians) was damaging their ability to...

This should not be news really. In the United States there have been too many stories about students, burdened by student loan debt, unable to find gainful employment beyond fast-food restaurants. Apparently, something similar is occurring here in the Dominican Republic.

The Diario Libre, and other newspapers, are reporting that most of the nation’s college students are following career paths in Law, Psychology, Education, Accounting, and Medicine, careers that appear to have diminishing prospects for employment.

A recent study by the National Association of Young Entrepreneurs (ANJE) showed that these career paths compose about 45% of all university students, show the lowest salary increase, and apparently do not fulfill the demands of the employment market.

According to Jose Jimenez, an accountant who is now working as a digital traffic analyst at a media company, the...

The mother of a JetSet Club roof collapse victim has launched an educational foundation in her daughter’s memory. In a moving tribute to the memory of Alexandra Grullón, a victim of the tragic JetSet Club roof collapse, Melba Segura de Grullón has launched the Alexandra Grullón Academic and Cultural Fund. The new foundation aims to provide educational scholarships and support to survivors, and to children and young people who lost a parent in the disaster.

The launch event, held at a Santo Domingo hotel, was attended by Vice President Raquel Peña and other prominent figures, including Minister of Public Works Eduardo Estrella. The foundation’s board will be presided over by Melba Segura de Grullón and includes notable members like Milton Ray Guevara, Servio Tulio Castaños, Fernando Hasbún, and Ariel Ramos.

The 8 April 2025 tragedy at the JetSet Club...

In a historic first, Dominican diplomat and archaeologist Kathleen Martínez has been unanimously elected as a member of the Archaeological Academy of Italy, a prestigious institution with roots tracing back to the 19th Century, Listin Diario reports. The honor recognizes her groundbreaking research in Egypt, where she has led a project at Taposiris Magna in search of the long-lost tomb of Cleopatra.

Kathleen Martínez’s current diplomatic post in Egypt is Minister Counselor for Cultural Affairs at the Dominican Embassy in Egypt, and she also leads the Dominican-Egyptian Archaeological Mission in Alexandria.

The induction ceremony, held in the city of Como, was led by the academy’s vice president, Monica Lavino Mariani. Martínez was presented with a diploma formally naming her a “Foreign Academic...

It was not her best event, but Dominican runner 19-year old Liranyi Alonso set an event record of 22.69 to win the 200 m in the Asunción, Paraguay Youth Pan Am Championships. The previous day, Alonso had won silver in the 100m with a time of 11.40.

Alonso is coached by Dominican Jose Ludwig Rubio who coached Luguelin Santos silver medalist in the 200 m in the London Olympic Games (2012). Rubio coaches Salwa Eid Naser, the key contender to Dominican Olympic gold medalist Marileidy Paulino in the 400m.

Read more in Spanish:

• Diario Libre
• Liranyi Alonso 200 m race

FIBA ranks Argentina third in the Americas, the DR is sixth. Yet, over the years, the DR has become the nemesis of Argentina in the AmeriCup. The DR did it again in Managua, Nicaragua, going 84-83 against Argentina in the AmeriCup 2025. Interestingly, the Dominican team is coached by Nestor (Che) Garcia, a former deputy coach of the Argentine national team. The AmeriCup is taking place 22-31 August in Managua, Nicaragua.

Argentina was the big favorite. It took a win in overtime for the DR to repeat the nightmare of the Argentina team. The DR has defeated Argentina in the three most recent matches the teams have played internationally.

For the DR, it was the country’s second win at the FIBA AmeriCup 2025. It was about a team that would not give up. In a hard-fought contest, the emerging players of the DR came from behind after trailing for 35 minutes. The game would end 75-75...