Dominican models were chosen by fashion designer house Valentino to show off the Spring 2019 collection on Wednesday, 23 January 2019 in Paris, France, Diario Libre reports. The show closing was by supermodel Naomi Campbell. The Dominican models were Lineisy Montero, Hiandra Martinez, Elibeidy Dani, Anyelina Rosa, Licett Morillo and Annibelis Baez.
https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/…ture/valentino
Source: DR1, DiarioLibre
Jan 26, 2019
The Central Electoral Board (JCE) reported that the identification card (cédula No. 402-4095330-3) issued to now deported Colombian drug trafficker Julian Alberto Jimenez Monsalve (Machete), in the name of David Jose Mateo was issued by the Oficialia del Estado Civil de la 12va Circunscripción in Santo Domingo East. The JCE said that procedures were violated to issue the document. The document was issued on the same day of the transcription of his birth certificate in violation of the process that calls for an investigation to precedes the issuing of the document.
The JCE identified Alba Elizabeth Vásquez Curiel, Zewxis Oxiades Ledesma Gonell and Yaniris Yohanni Perez as responsible for the fraudulent issuing of the identification document.
Sandra del Carmen Francisco Paniagua, Oficial del Estado Civil de la Oficialía de la 12va Circunscripción de Santo Domingo Este, and the head of the office was suspended for 30 days without pay.
The identification document was voided, the identification card cancelled and the officers fired and have pending a case in the judiciary.
Source: DR1, JCE
Jan 26, 2019
Agriculture Minister Osmar Benítez proudly announces that Dominican pineapples will soon be sold on Amazon.com. He explained that Shared-X Impact Farm is installing itself in a free zone Las Carolinas at Cruce del Pajón in central Monte Plata. Monte Plata province is a major pineapple-producing area.
Benítez said the company will be exporting organic pineapples online on Amazon. He estimated production of around 10 million pineapples in the farm’s two annual harvests. He said the farm will employ 500 permanent workers. The company is making a US$6.9 million investment that includes the construction of a packaging plant. He said the packaging plant will have capacity to fill a freight container per hour. He estimated 12 containers per week will be shipped during harvest time. The company expects to expand to production of 40 freight containers per week in the future.
Benítez said the company’s main market is northern Europe, but there are plans to market the pineapple in the United States and other countries.
The leader for the operation is Alfredo Ruiz, who is operations director for pineapples for Shared Ximpact, says he has 100 hectares planted of the fruit. He wants to add another 44 hectares.
Source: DR1, Hoy
Jan 25, 2019
Auditions for the reality show Dominicana’s Got Talent begin this month in the National District. The show seeks to discover hidden talents in musicians, singers, actors, magicians among other performers. The local version of the leading international reality is conducted by Nashla Bogaert, and the producers are her husband David Maler and Gilberto Morillo and Tuto Guerrero.
The program will be televised over four month period, with 16 episodes of 120 minutes each airing from September to December 2019 on Channel 9, Color Vision.
As reported, the auditions start on Wednesday, 23 January 2019 at 8:30pm at the Haz Tu Vida Bar, located on Av. Gustavo Mejía Ricart. The second audition will be on Wednesday, 30 January at 8:30pm at Casa de Teatro, a third on Wednesday, 6 February at Studio Theater of Acropolis Mall at 6pm. Other auditions are set for 1, 8, 15 and 22 February at Comedy Club from 7 to 9pm.
Source: DR1, Listindiario
Jan 25, 2019
Non-resident mothers in the Dominican Republic, who have given birth in Dominican Hospitals, and who have registered the babies in the Libro de Extranjeria in the Civil Registry offices, come from at least 36 countries, with the majority coming from Haiti.
Records from the Civil Registry show that between 2017 and 2018, there were 34,947 children registered of which 34,188 were Haitian. In 2018 alone, of the 19,227 registered foreign births, some 18,892 were Haitian.
The second highest number both in 2017 and 2018 were from Venezuela with 241 in 2017 and 334 in 2018. This is followed by the United States with 30 in 2017 and 22 in 2018; China, 11 in 2017 and 12 in 2018; Mexico, 6 in 2017 and 12 in 2018 and Spain with 7 in 2017 and 10 in 2018.
In 2018, foreign births from 4 to 9 per country were registered to women from Colombia, Chile, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, France, Holland and India. Between one and three births were registered to non-resident women from Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Canada, South Korea, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Great Britain, Guatemala, Guyana, Hungary, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Peru, and others.
Source: DR1, Listindiario
Jan 25, 2019
The treasurer of the Central Bank, Yamileth García has announced that in March 2019, the Central Bank will begin the testing of a new automated platform for the sale of foreign currency. The automated system is being implemented to avoid duplicate requests for dollars along with other situations that create distortions in the currency exchange market, and which have obliged commercial banks to restrict the amount of currency available from their bank cashiers. García expects the platform to be operational by mid-year.
On the same topic, the deputy manager of the Central Bank, Frank Montaño shared that the Central Bank is looking for ways to improve the sale of dollars as some clients have expressed concerns some financial institutions limit the sale of dollars to a maximum of US$1,000 to US$2,000 per day per client from the bank tellers. He reiterated that there was no scarcity of dollars. Montaño explained that the Central Bank had around US$1.6 billion available in cash for sale, but that the problem was that certain agencies and foreigners would send different people, even their employees to buy US$10,000 per person. The ploy is to avoid having to pay the premium charged by banks for amounts larger than US$2,000 per day per client.
Source: DR1, DiarioLibre
Jan 25, 2019
The 2019 World Report by the Human Rights Watch does not even have a separate report on the Dominican Republic. In fact the Dominican Republic is only mentioned in regards to the handling of Haitian immigration and migratory status.
The report says that at least 250,000 Dominicans of Haitian descent and Haitian migrants working in the Dominican Republic re-entered Haiti between June 2015 and March 2018, after Dominican officials began deportations in accordance with a controversial 2015 Plan for the Regularization of Foreigners in the Dominican Republic. Many deportations did not meet international standards and many people have been swept up in arbitrary, summary deportations without any sort of hearing.
In addition to those deported, many people left the Dominican Republic under pressure or threat. Of more than 6,000 under investigation, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has verified legitimate Dominican nationality for more than 2,800 individuals now in Haiti. During the first six months of 2018 alone, nearly 70,000 Haitians were returned to their country. After being renewed three times, the Plan for the Regularization of Foreigners ended in August 2018, leaving more than 200,000 Haitians who remain in the Dominican Republic without valid paperwork at continued risk of deportation.
Source: DR1, DiarioLibre
Jan 25, 2019
The Transit and Transport Security Agency (Digesett) reported that more than 260 cargo vehicles drivers were penalized on the first day of the implementation of Resolution No. 1-2019 that regulates cargo transport on roadways. The drivers were issued fines for driving in left lanes of multi lane highways, excessive cargo loads, or speeding.
Source: DR1, Elnacional
Jan 25, 2019
Some 20 kilometers of the border with Haiti are populated by avocado trees, as part of a huge agricultural venture that reaches into the shelves of Walmart. Over 70,000 tareas (422,000,000 m2) of land in the area of El Calimete in the impoverished province of Elias Piña has been planted with highly selected varieties of avocado (mostly Hass), and the company has another 30,000 tareas in in San Jose de Ocoa.
As reported in El Dia, the farm belongs to Manuel Castillo Pimentel and has become the largest employer along the border with some 1,600 workers, which allows both Dominicans and Haitians to remain in the area. Castillo Pimentel told reporters from El Dia that the trees begin life as seeds in nurseries in San Jose de Ocoa, and at a very early age they are grafted by experts with the Hass variety of avocados that is what Walmart and BJ’s request. There are 300 persons employed in Ocoa for this purpose.
The MACAPI nursery produces some 300,000 plants a year, mostly for the farm in Elias Piña. Every avocado harvested is sold. According to the report, the climate in El Calimete is similar to that of Constanza, at 1,700 meters above sea level.
The project has not been easy and the company has had to construct some 300 kilometers of roads, including parts of the International Highway. Given the size of the production and the very strict demands of their customers, the company had to open a packing facility in Mexico in order to keep up with the demand. Castillo Pimentel called this move “one of the most important decisions to achieve the market we now have.”
Source: DR1, Elcaribe
Jan 25, 2019
The US$125 million cost of the complete restructuring of Puerto Plata bay for multiple usage will be covered by the concessionaire, Puerto Plata Post Investment, which won the public tender for the project. The basic idea is to convert the old Puerto Plata city port area into a center for import-export commerce.
The commercial name of the cruiseship port is Taino Bay. The company is supposed to build and repair three wharves: one for cruise ships; one for freight and one for fishermen.
Victor Gomez Casanova, the executive director for the Dominican Port Authority, emphasized the economic impact of the project. The public-private alliance covers the construction of a special wharf for commercial fishermen together with a series of collateral projects for the development of the port area.
According to Gomez Casanova, just in the first year, the project is supposed to serve some 600,000 cruise line passengers. According to the press release, the Taino Bay people have already sealed deals with four of the major cruise lines, and, again according to the Port Authority director, in the second year, the number of visitors is expected to reach one million. In the more immediate future, the construction project is expected to create some 6,500 jobs.
Source: DR1, Elcaribe
Jan 25, 2019
