DR News
Sosúa.- Frankely Toribio known in social networks and YouTube as EL BONITILLO EN LA CALLE, announced this morning
that he was arrested last Tuesday night without any justification, at the time he was in front of the hotel where he was staying. He was stripped off cash and gold earrings by members of the police patrol, who then took him to the police station.
Bonitillo said he was taken to the police headquarters of Sosua, where he was beaten just for asking why he was detained and the head of the barracks ordered the prisoners to beat him up and they did that.
The urban singer, said they did not return the money or his clothes. He said “I came to Sosúa to promote my songs and I found this outrage.”
The 30-year-old singer made a call to the competent authorities for this to be investigated.
Source: Detras del Rumor
Mar 13, 2019
Air Europa announced a Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) layover to its Madrid-Caracas service to ensure the safety of their crew. Last week, according to sources quoted by several Spanish news sites, Air Europa crew that had arrived in Caracas over the weekend were attacked by armed robbers while travelling in a minibus from the airport to their downtown hotel. Three motorcycles surrounded the crew bus but the driver never stopped and was able to arrive at the hotel where private security guards engaged the robbers resulting in a shootout.
As reported, none of the 16 crew members were injured. Yet these refused to stay at the hotel and a police convoy took them back to the airport from where they flew back to Madrid.
Air Europa is one of only a handful of airlines that are flying to Caracas. The airline had been the only one to still allow its crew to stay in Venezuela in between flights.
Source: DR1, Listindiario
Mar 13, 2019
The drought affecting the country has now begun to be felt in the National District. The Corporation for Aqueducts and Sewers of Santo Domingo (CAASD) announced it has begun to implement a water-rationing action plan.
The lack of rain has caused a significant decline in the water the main storage systems are receiving. The water level in the dams and aqueducts that service the capital city is now below normal.
The main systems affected in the CAASD area are the Haina, Isa, Mana, Duey and Isabela rivers. Alejandro Montás, director general of the CAASD, said that water supply to the Greater Santo Domingo from these sources has declined from 420 million gallons a day to 369 million gallons.
The CAASD released a list of neighborhoods that will be affected by the water rationing. These include:
Invi Sur, Miramar, Solimar, Dominicanos Ausentes, Urbanización Tropical, El Cacique, Ciudad Nueva and Costa Brava.
Invi Norte, Buenos Aires del Mirador, Alfimar, Atala Portal, Honduras, Mata Hambre, La Julia, Roca Mar, San Miguel, Los Kilómetros, Jardines del Sur, Ensanche La Paz, Los Cacicazgos, Mirador Sur y Norte, Bella Vista, El Millón, Los Millones, Los Prados, Piantini, Serrallés, Quisqueya, Naco, Paraíso, Villa Francisca, San Carlos, Don Bosco, El Timbeque, San Carlos, Borojol, San Miguel, Gazcue and San Lázaro.
The CAASD says areas that piped water supply service will be cut to four days a week for areas that had received the service seven days a week. Those that previously had five days service will receive three days. Service to areas receiving four days will be cut to two.
Montás says that 125 water tanker trucks will be available. He urged the population to ration their use of water.
Meanwhile, the National Meteorological Service (Onamet) says there will be scant rain through May of this year. The forecast is that the drought situation will continue in the northwest, south and southwest through the next 60 days. The drought has severely affected farming activities and water supply in those regions.
The director of the National Hydraulic Resources Institute, Olgo Fernandez says the nation did not prepare for the extreme dry spell. He said it is the worst drought in 50 years. Only two of 34 dams have adequate water levels.
The Caribbean Drought & Precipitation Monitoring Network reports: “A weak El Niño currently exists, contributing to the continued drier than normal conditions in January 2019, particularly in the east and south of the region. Short term drought that impacts soil moisture and surface water resources is already being felt in some countries, and there is the likelihood for long term drought, that can impact groundwater, large rivers and reservoirs, to evolve by May 2019.”
Source: DR1, Eldia
Mar 13, 2019
Cattle ranchers say the drought affecting the northwest is the most severe in 60 years, affecting the provinces of Montecristi, Dajabón, Santiago Rodríguez and Valverde. It has affected the farms and environment, and the people say all they can do is pray.
Some farms have benefited from the trucked water sent in by the government. The cattle farmers say they are losing their cattle every day to the drought, and fear worsening of the situation as the cooler days of winter give way to warmer Easter and the summer months.
As reported in Diario Libre, Pedro José de Jesús Marrero (Chichito), of the Asociación de Ganaderos de la comunidad La Horca, of Las Matas de Santa Cruz said he had prepared by planting corn to feed his cattle, but this has not been sufficient. He is hoping on Ministry of Agriculture will deliver molasses to feed the cattle.
Reports are of major losses in the tobacco, rice, banana farms due to the drought.
Urban areas are also affected and many are having to purchase tanked water at RD$2,000-RD$2,500 for a cistern truckload.
Source: DR1, DiarioLibre
Mar 13, 2019
The Central Nacional de Transportistas Unificados (CNTU) is the first transport company to announce it will be investing in a fleet of electric cars for taxi service and school transport. The president of the CNTU, William Pérez Figuereo said the company is working with Zero Emision RD that promotes electric cars in the country. He said the CNTU would import 3,000 electric cars from Korea. He says the company expects to replace at least 20% of their fleet, around 110,000 vehicles, in a five year span.
Pérez Figuereo expects to pass on a 30% savings in fares to consumers. As reported in El Dia, electric cars only pay 50% of the import taxes. Likewise, car owners will benefit from a 70% savings on operational costs.
Zero Emision RD president, Charles Sanchez says that the vehicles will cost US$18,000 to US$25,000 and the purchase also benefits from the trust fund for their import created by the government’s Transport and Transit Institute (Intrant).
CNTU will be importing buses and taxi vehicles to be used on the Los Alcarrizos, Km. 9, Bonao to Santo Domingo routes. They will also serve passengers demanding the service at supermarkets and mega stores in Santo Domingo.
CNTU says there are already 20 charge points for the vehicles in Santo Domingo, the Cibao and the East. These feed off solar energy so are not a burden for the national power grid.
Source: DR1, Eldia
Mar 13, 2019
On Saturday afternoon, March 9th, at half past two, a mile long parade of carnival groups started from Playa Dorada to the Malecón of Puerto Plata. Opposite the Tropical Bar of Belgian owner Mik a large stage was set up, on which the carnival groups were giving dance performances. An expert jury judged the performances according to a variety of criterias (clothing, originality, implementation, etc.) For the winners, great cash prizes were made available by the business community and government. The groups came to this final event from all over the country. There were groups from Santo Domingo, Santiago, Barahona, Mao, San Juan, San Francisco, Macoris, Cotui, Samana, Constanza, Fantino, Navarrete, and Bani.
The parade was preceded by a throne with King Momo and Queen Alenny Victoria. Thousands of interested people attended the event. Fortunately for the tourists, they could now and then rest for a while in Mik’s Tropical Bar, where, of course, ice-cold beer was always available. In the evening the party continued with performances by DJ Butterfly, the Lucian and Regina Blue and with the rhythm of the salsa band Sexappel. The event, eventually, ended up with a performance by the local artist Don Miguelo from Puerto Plata.
More pictures and Video:
www.dominicantopten.com
Source: Sosua News
Mar 13, 2019
Environmental specialist José Luis Nazario Lora is calling for a combined effort from all sectors involved to come up with a definitive solution for the management of solid waste in the province of Puerto Plata and avoid the damage the current situation is causing to the population and tourism in the area due to the constant fires at the garbage dump.
Nazario Lora, a civil engineer with a master’s degree in Sanitary and Environmental Engineering from PUCMM, says that if the situation were to be managed properly the frequent fires would not happen. He said a definitive solution should be a plant for controlled incineration that would also generate electricity.
He said that even though a new port has been built and another is under construction, if the current situation is not controlled there will be a negative impact and permanent damage to the image of Puerto Plata as a destination for tourists. He pointed out that the design of a proper system has already been done and the treatment plant partially built but it lacked an evaporation system for heavy metals. However, even though the cost is reasonable at around RD$50 million, nothing has happened.
He reported a Spanish company was turned down with their offer for a garbage-fueled electricity plant. The authorities say they are in conversations with Koreans.
Source: DR1, Listindiario
Mar 10, 2019
The Dominican Republic purchases natural gas from the United States and Trinidad & Tobago. Now,
Qatar wants to sell its natural gas to the Dominican Republic. Qatar is the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas.
In an interview published in El Dia, the business attache for the Qatar Embassy in Santo Domingo, Khalid Al Sharshani said that the country is the third largest producer of gas in the world and the largest producer of liquefied natural gas with 79 million tonnes a year. He said the possibility of starting Qatar natural gas exports to the Dominican Republic will be discussed during the scheduled visit of Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas to Qatar.
The Dominican Republic has had an embassy in Qatar since 2005. Two years later, in 2007, Qatar became the first Arab state to open an embassy in the Dominican Republic. Seven bilateral agreements have been signed in education, tourism, business, tax evasion and aviation services.
The Medina administration recently appointed experienced Dominican ambassador Federico Cuello to be ambassador in Qatar. Cuello for years had served as Dominican ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Saad al-Kaabi, the country’s energy minister, recently said in a press conference that the gulf state had reviewed ways to enhance its role internationally, and would be focusing on its gas industry. Qatar wants to ramp up liquefied natural gas production from 77m to 110m tonnes a year.
Source: DR1, Eldia
Mar 10, 2019
The director general of the Pension and Retirement Plan Agency (DGJP), Germán Nova says that more than 143,000 persons will receive the raises in their government pension plans as of 1 April 2019. The raises for government retirees would benefit those receiving RD$5,117 to RD$30,000 a month. President Danilo Medina had announced the raises in his 27 February 2019 state of the nation address.
Some 107,137 former government employees and 9,030 former police making RD$5,117 will now receive payments of RD$8,000. Likewise, 13,079 civilians and 6,667 former police receiving RD$8,000 to RD$20,000 in retirement payments will receive 10% wage increase on these payments. 5,654 civilians and 1,578 former police receiving RD$20,001 to RD$30,000 will receive 5% increases.
Source: DR1, Hoy
Mar 10, 2019
The political organization Bien Común criticized the Medina administration for allotting RD$1.89 billion in 2019 for events and festivities and only RD$642.6 million to the Neonatal Maternal Health program. The organizations criticized that on average in January, 56 newborns died as well as four women due to pregnancy-related complications, according to a recent bulletin from the Epidemiology Agency (Digepi) of the Ministry of Public Health.
Speaking for the organization, activist Natalia Mármol criticized that the government will be spending 56% more on propaganda compared to the amount put towards collective health services.
“Only by reducing the unnecessary festivities, events and the daily propaganda of the government we could stop the death factories the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) has turned public hospitals into. Only by reducing the wasteful spending can there be enough resources to improve the care for pregnant women before, during and after the delivery,” he said.
She criticized that the PLD governments have devoted more money to political patronage, corruption and merry-making than to social programs. Marmol pointed to the case of the deputy and sister of President Danilo Medina, deputy Lucía Medina whose foundation received an increase of RD$2 million in funding.
“With the resources received by the deputy and sister of President Lucía Medina of Public Health, the salary of 150 general practitioners or 100 perinatologists, the maternal and fetal medicine specialists who pay for the follow-up and control of pregnancies, could be paid for,” added Kirssy Santana of Bien Comun.
They also criticized the delay in the simultaneous remodeling of 56 hospitals, including the La Altagracia Maternity Hospital.
Bien Común recalled that the Dominican Republic is ranked third in Latin America and the Caribbean that least invests in Public Health, only surpassed by Haiti and Guatemala, with only 1.8% of GDP in 2019. “The worst thing is that the government admits that during the period 2020-2022 investment in health will be reduced to 1.7% of GDP.
Source: DR1, Elcaribe
Mar 9, 2019
