DR1 - Ania Paz has coordinated an event for the Santo Domingo Book Fair that presents migrant musicians, singers, plastic artists and dancers in one show at the National Theater this Friday, 27 April at 7:30pm. The event is sponsored by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in the Dominican Republic. Free admission. Read original at DR1.
(Posted 09:31 Sunday by DRSol NewsHound. Viewed 343 times.)
Dominican Today -
Santo Domingo- The owners of the trendy bar “La Chismosa“ (gossipy woman) on Thursday delivered documents to the National District Office of the Prosecutor, which hundreds of photos posted by customers that show no racial discrimination or denied entry on skin color, as denounced in several media last week.
La Chismosa’s owners delivered the documents Monday morning at the Prosecutor’s Human Rights Unit, where they were questioned about the lawsuit filed by a man who said he barred from entering the club because of his skin color
Accompanied by the lawyers Tomas Hernandez and Marisol Vicens, the club’s owners denied allegations they discriminate against people.
Read original at Dominican Today.
(Posted 15:59 Wednesday by DRSol NewsHound. Viewed 242 times.)
Dominican Today -
Dominican Republic- La Romana province prosecutor José Polanco Ramírez said Monday drug traffickers and killers-for-hire plan attempts on his life and those of his family, for which he was assigned more bodyguards.
He said Justice minister Francisco Dominguez and Police chief Jose A. Polanco already provided increased protection for him and his family, from the threat by the so-called “Cartel of the East. “
“We decided to confront organized crime,“ the official said, who noted that the alleged threats were uncovered through third parties. “It has been determined by interrogation, according to police, that there’s a serious threat to my life and our family. The National Police has warned us. “
He said the intimidation increased after the arrest of “Cartel of the East“ members, linked to in heinous crimes in that on other eastern cities, such as the recent shooting death of two men and two others wounded in the Car Wash-Café Coton.
Polanco Ramirez said he’s aware of the job’s risks, but does it regardless fear, even if some authorities might be linked to organized crime.
Read original at Dominican Today.
(Posted 15:59 Wednesday by DRSol NewsHound. Viewed 246 times.)
Dominican Today -
Santo Domingo- The government yesterday said the control of coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix) on all farms in the country is of national interest, and named a commission to work to eradicate the disease that harms around 58% of the coffee bean crops.
Executive Order 101-13 3 sets aside RD$154. 0 million for programs to tackle the disease over the next eight months.
Agriculture minister Luis Ramon Rodriguez chairs the commission which also includes coffee mogul Rafael Perello, Jose Antonio Martinez, Jesus Portela and José Núñez Fermin.
In a National Palace press conference after meeting with president Danilo Medina, Rodriguez said the country has millions of hectares of coffee plantations, for which seeds of rust resistant plants will be brought from Brazil, Colombia and Costa Rica.
Read original at Dominican Today.
(Posted 15:59 Wednesday by DRSol NewsHound. Viewed 249 times.)
Dominican Today -
Santo Domingo- Brazil has sent dozens of Haitians back to the Dominican Republic after they failed to reach that South American nation through Bolivia’s and Peru’s Amazon jungle.
Immigration Agency figures reveal that 322 Haitians have been returned to the country from Brazil and other South American countries through Las Americas Airport in the last two months.
Ecuador meanwhile has been stopping other Haitian nationals who’ve traveled from Dominican Republic, despite having current visas and documents.
Some of the Haitians who traveled from Dominican Republic to those nations said “coyotes“ operate in Peru and Bolivia to take undocumented people through the Amazon to Brazil.
Luis Perez Pie, one of many sent back said he has tried to reach Brazil twice, but has been arrested in Bolivia while crossing the Amazon.
Quoted by listin. com. do, Perez said many of his compatriots have managed to penetrate the South American country to legalize their status to obtain work.
Read original at Dominican Today.
(Posted 15:59 Wednesday by DRSol NewsHound. Viewed 249 times.)
Dominican Today -
Santo Domingo. - As a wave of violent crimes plagues the country, president Danilo Medina on Monday asked that Dominicans not despair because the Public Safety Plan will bear fruit in the long term.
He said there’s still work to be done such as the installation of security cameras and the 911emergency phone service, measures he called critical to the Plan, but might not be possible until year end. “The people must wait, because this is an old problem, I’ve always said that the major problem of violence and crime is closely linked to an issue of social exclusion, recognized even by President Obama in the last summit in Costa Rica. “
Medina said the Government will call for tenders to buy the security cameras, which must be compatible with the planned control center, to better protect the population within a short time.
Read original at Dominican Today.
(Posted 15:59 Wednesday by DRSol NewsHound. Viewed 248 times.)
Dominican Today -
Santo Domingo- Former opposition candidate Hipolito Mejia tried to steal the May 20, 2012, presidential election from Dominican Republic’s ruling party (PLD) and its candidate Danilo Medina, despite the Organization of American States’ (OAS) confirmation that the polling was transparent.
Journalist Rafael Nuñez made the revelation recently in his book “Tramas ocultas de una campaña electoral” (hidden schemes of an election campaign), with details of Mejia’s complaint to the OAS after learning of his defeat.
The journalist, former head of the Presidency’s Press Office under Fernandez, said Mejia sought to cast doubts on the elections, despite the praise for the balloting by international observers and OAS delegation leader Tabaré Vasquez, former president of Uruguay.
Bungled strategy
In the book Nuñez says the strategists of the PRD candidate understood that with Fernandez out of the 2012 race “cleared the way for Mejia to don the presidential sash. “
He said Mejia ridiculed his internal opponents and challenged President Fernández, which in his view was a “mistake in choosing the adversary. “
Read original at Dominican Today.
(Posted 15:59 Wednesday by DRSol NewsHound. Viewed 250 times.)
Dominican Today -
Santo Domingo- The presidents of the Dominican Merchants Federation, the Wholesalers Association and the Santo Domingo Markets Organization denied Tuesday that food prices have jumped in recent weeks, particularly staples.
They said on the contrary, many products are stable and others have come down in price since January.
The business leaders say the situation stems from a glut of local farm products, resulting from what they affirm is president Danilo Medina’s sound agricultural policy and direct support for producers.
Speaking separately, Ivan de Jesus Garcia, Milida Santana and Julian Parra agree that rice, beans, oil, garlic, codfish, milk and chicken prices have fallen in recent weeks, while other highly consumed foods remain stable.
They also noted the credit facilities for productive sectors provided by the government, which have boosted production, especially farms.
Read original at Dominican Today.
(Posted 15:29 Wednesday by DRSol NewsHound. Viewed 458 times.)
Dominican Today -
Jakarta. – The fragile state of Indonesia’s oceans and forests are a clear reminder of how marine and forest life is at risk from industrial overfishing and relentless deforestation, Greenpeace International warned on International Day for Biological Diversity.
Coinciding with the UN-designated biodiversity day, the Greenpeace ship the Rainbow Warrior is currently visiting Indonesia, where it is documenting the country’s oceans and forests.
“Indonesia is home to some of the richest biodiversity spots on Earth, but continued land clearance to make way for industrial plantations and overfishing of our country’s oceans are putting this all at risk,“ said Greenpeace Indonesia’s Country Director, Longgena Ginting.
“The Rainbow Warrior is here to raise awareness of Indonesia’s rich yet fragile environment, and to support President SBY’s commitment to protect the country’s forests and to restore our living oceans back to health. ”
Approximately 10% of the world’s rainforests are located in Indonesia. Fifty years ago, 82% of Indonesia was covered with forests but in the last decade, this has dropped to 48% due to relentless deforestation for paper and palm oil plantations and mining.
Indonesia’s seas are also among the most diverse coastal and marine habitats. Areas like Raja Ampat, in West Papua, are claimed to be among the richest spots in biodiversity on Earth. The country’s coral reefs are considered to be among the world’s most threatened biodiversity hotspots, at risk from overfishing, pollution and climate change
Greenpeace is an independent, campaigning organisation which uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems and to force solutions essential to a green and peaceful future.
Read original at Dominican Today.
(Posted 13:59 Wednesday by DRSol NewsHound. Viewed 2233 times.)
The Dominican Sun - Across the Dominican Republic in the last 24 hours the highest observed temperature by DRSol was 88 at Santiago. The coolest reading came from La Isabella with an overnight low of 72. A few spotty moderate to heavy showers and thunderstorms were reported, the last in Punta Cana at 8PM last night. Skies were generally partly cloudy. Winds are averaging 11 mph from the SE, with a peak gust to 127 mph seen at 8PM last night at Punta Cana. By the Numbers DR cities reported rain 6% of the time, and thunderstorms 2%. Average reported rainfall intensity on a scale of 0 to 100 was 50. Cloud cover totaled 52%. Click above to view summaries for the last week or last month. Last updated at 7:28AM. Read original at The Dominican Sun.
(Posted 11:29 Wednesday by DRSol NewsHound. Viewed 7023 times.)
Dominican Today -
SANTO DOMINGO. – Economic growth that translates into poverty reduction and a stronger middle class in the Dominican Republic was at the center of a series of concrete actions presented Tuesday in a high-level national ceremony hosted by the country at the Presidential Palace. The presentation is part of the Caribbean Growth Forum (CGF), a two-year regional platform for dialogue to foster higher levels of economic growth with opportunities for all in the Caribbean.
The CGF is a partnership between the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and Compete Caribbean, with support from the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The CGF builds on existing partnerships and involves stakeholders from the public and private sectors, academia and civil society, as well as the Caribbean Diaspora.
Referring to Dominican Republic’s challenges in particular, Temístocles Montás, Minister of Economy and Planning, said: “the Dominican Government has taken on the improvement of national competitiveness and it is precisely in this framework that the CGF is being developed in the Dominican Republic. ”
The CGF complements the Government’s National Development Strategy - Vision 2030, which seeks to ensure the sustainability of ongoing electricity reforms, the achievement of quality education, and transparency in public expenditure. The Dominican Republic for the last decade has been one of the fastest growing economies in the region. Consequently, the CGF aimed at an action plan to foster inclusive growth, poverty and inequality reduction by means of implementing practical and well-identified policies and activities.
In this context, World Bank Country Representative in the Dominican Republic, McDonald Benjamin, suggested that: “The challenge for the Dominican Republic is to ensure that the country’s economic model allows shared prosperity and growth that benefits the poor. This forum is a clear effort that can bring policy reforms to allow broader opportunities for all. ”
The CGF action plan presented today includes concrete actions to strengthen the investment climate, improve logistics and connectivity, and upgrade education and develop skills that improve competitiveness and generate higher-paying jobs.
According to the plan, the investment climate could benefit from widening access to finance for small and medium sized enterprises, making it easier to start and operate a business, and strengthening laws to protect investments.
In terms of logistics and connectivity, key actions recommended include facilitating trade conditions at the DR-Haiti Border points, making key infrastructure services more affordable and efficient for exports, imports and tourism, and generating a greater transport and cultural link with the rest of the Caribbean.
When it comes to developing skills to improving competitiveness and productivity, key actions include upgrading education to better match skills with jobs, scaling innovation and technology, creating seed capital to support strategic projects, and fostering a greater interaction between enterprises to raise levels of competition.
About 100 participants from the public and private sectors, youth, academia, trade unions, media and civil society joined the action plan announcement ceremony in the Dominican Republic.
“This CGF phase gives us concrete steps because now there is a human face responsible for every action and every recommendation. The plan has a calendar and identifies the financial source from donors when needed. In addition, civil society will be able to closely monitor the completion of activities,” said Andrea Gallina, CGF Coordinator, World Bank.
Today’s launch ceremony in Santo Domingo included remarks by Temístocles Montás, Minister of Economy and Planning; McDonald Benjamin, World Bank Country Representative in the Dominican Republic; and Jorge Requena, Acting Country Representative for the Inter-American Development Bank. Also present were Rolando Guzman, President of INTEC University and CGF’s Advisory Board Member; and Andres Van Der Horst, Secretary of State, Founder and Executive Director of the National Competitiveness Council of the Dominican Republic.
Dominican Republic is the first country to launch its CGF action plan. Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Dominica, Jamaica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname, will also launch their action plans in the coming weeks. A regional forum will take place in Nassau, Bahamas on June 24-25 for each individual CGF Chapter to compare notes and find shared solutions.
Up to now over 2,000 people have attended the CGF dialogues and over 100 meetings have been organized by the various chapters in the region. Interested citizens have a continuous opportunity to learn more about and engage in the CGF via the social media channels.
Read original at Dominican Today.
(Posted 10:59 Wednesday by DRSol NewsHound. Viewed 8041 times.)
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Dominican Today -
Santo Domingo- The owners of the trendy bar “La Chismosa“ (gossipy woman) on Thursday delivered documents to the National District Office of the Prosecutor, which hundreds of photos posted by customers that show no racial discrimination or denied entry on skin color, as denounced in several media last week.
La Chismosa’s owners delivered the documents Monday morning at the Prosecutor’s Human Rights Unit, where they were questioned about the lawsuit filed by a man who said he barred from entering the club because of his skin color
Accompanied by the lawyers Tomas Hernandez and Marisol Vicens, the club’s owners denied allegations they discriminate against people.
Read original at 
Dominican Today -
Dominican Republic- La Romana province prosecutor José Polanco Ramírez said Monday drug traffickers and killers-for-hire plan attempts on his life and those of his family, for which he was assigned more bodyguards.
He said Justice minister Francisco Dominguez and Police chief Jose A. Polanco already provided increased protection for him and his family, from the threat by the so-called “Cartel of the East. “
“We decided to confront organized crime,“ the official said, who noted that the alleged threats were uncovered through third parties. “It has been determined by interrogation, according to police, that there’s a serious threat to my life and our family. The National Police has warned us. “
He said the intimidation increased after the arrest of “Cartel of the East“ members, linked to in heinous crimes in that on other eastern cities, such as the recent shooting death of two men and two others wounded in the Car Wash-Café Coton.
Polanco Ramirez said he’s aware of the job’s risks, but does it regardless fear, even if some authorities might be linked to organized crime.
Read original at 
Dominican Today -
Santo Domingo- The government yesterday said the control of coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix) on all farms in the country is of national interest, and named a commission to work to eradicate the disease that harms around 58% of the coffee bean crops.
Executive Order 101-13 3 sets aside RD$154. 0 million for programs to tackle the disease over the next eight months.
Agriculture minister Luis Ramon Rodriguez chairs the commission which also includes coffee mogul Rafael Perello, Jose Antonio Martinez, Jesus Portela and José Núñez Fermin.
In a National Palace press conference after meeting with president Danilo Medina, Rodriguez said the country has millions of hectares of coffee plantations, for which seeds of rust resistant plants will be brought from Brazil, Colombia and Costa Rica.
Read original at 
Dominican Today -
Santo Domingo- Brazil has sent dozens of Haitians back to the Dominican Republic after they failed to reach that South American nation through Bolivia’s and Peru’s Amazon jungle.
Immigration Agency figures reveal that 322 Haitians have been returned to the country from Brazil and other South American countries through Las Americas Airport in the last two months.
Ecuador meanwhile has been stopping other Haitian nationals who’ve traveled from Dominican Republic, despite having current visas and documents.
Some of the Haitians who traveled from Dominican Republic to those nations said “coyotes“ operate in Peru and Bolivia to take undocumented people through the Amazon to Brazil.
Luis Perez Pie, one of many sent back said he has tried to reach Brazil twice, but has been arrested in Bolivia while crossing the Amazon.
Quoted by listin. com. do, Perez said many of his compatriots have managed to penetrate the South American country to legalize their status to obtain work.
Read original at 
Dominican Today -
Santo Domingo. - As a wave of violent crimes plagues the country, president Danilo Medina on Monday asked that Dominicans not despair because the Public Safety Plan will bear fruit in the long term.
He said there’s still work to be done such as the installation of security cameras and the 911emergency phone service, measures he called critical to the Plan, but might not be possible until year end. “The people must wait, because this is an old problem, I’ve always said that the major problem of violence and crime is closely linked to an issue of social exclusion, recognized even by President Obama in the last summit in Costa Rica. “
Medina said the Government will call for tenders to buy the security cameras, which must be compatible with the planned control center, to better protect the population within a short time.
Read original at 
Dominican Today -
Santo Domingo- Former opposition candidate Hipolito Mejia tried to steal the May 20, 2012, presidential election from Dominican Republic’s ruling party (PLD) and its candidate Danilo Medina, despite the Organization of American States’ (OAS) confirmation that the polling was transparent.
Journalist Rafael Nuñez made the revelation recently in his book “Tramas ocultas de una campaña electoral” (hidden schemes of an election campaign), with details of Mejia’s complaint to the OAS after learning of his defeat.
The journalist, former head of the Presidency’s Press Office under Fernandez, said Mejia sought to cast doubts on the elections, despite the praise for the balloting by international observers and OAS delegation leader Tabaré Vasquez, former president of Uruguay.
Bungled strategy
In the book Nuñez says the strategists of the PRD candidate understood that with Fernandez out of the 2012 race “cleared the way for Mejia to don the presidential sash. “
He said Mejia ridiculed his internal opponents and challenged President Fernández, which in his view was a “mistake in choosing the adversary. “
Read original at 
Dominican Today -
Santo Domingo- The presidents of the Dominican Merchants Federation, the Wholesalers Association and the Santo Domingo Markets Organization denied Tuesday that food prices have jumped in recent weeks, particularly staples.
They said on the contrary, many products are stable and others have come down in price since January.
The business leaders say the situation stems from a glut of local farm products, resulting from what they affirm is president Danilo Medina’s sound agricultural policy and direct support for producers.
Speaking separately, Ivan de Jesus Garcia, Milida Santana and Julian Parra agree that rice, beans, oil, garlic, codfish, milk and chicken prices have fallen in recent weeks, while other highly consumed foods remain stable.
They also noted the credit facilities for productive sectors provided by the government, which have boosted production, especially farms.
Read original at 
Dominican Today -
Jakarta. – The fragile state of Indonesia’s oceans and forests are a clear reminder of how marine and forest life is at risk from industrial overfishing and relentless deforestation, Greenpeace International warned on International Day for Biological Diversity.
Coinciding with the UN-designated biodiversity day, the Greenpeace ship the Rainbow Warrior is currently visiting Indonesia, where it is documenting the country’s oceans and forests.
“Indonesia is home to some of the richest biodiversity spots on Earth, but continued land clearance to make way for industrial plantations and overfishing of our country’s oceans are putting this all at risk,“ said Greenpeace Indonesia’s Country Director, Longgena Ginting.
“The Rainbow Warrior is here to raise awareness of Indonesia’s rich yet fragile environment, and to support President SBY’s commitment to protect the country’s forests and to restore our living oceans back to health. ”
Approximately 10% of the world’s rainforests are located in Indonesia. Fifty years ago, 82% of Indonesia was covered with forests but in the last decade, this has dropped to 48% due to relentless deforestation for paper and palm oil plantations and mining.
Indonesia’s seas are also among the most diverse coastal and marine habitats. Areas like Raja Ampat, in West Papua, are claimed to be among the richest spots in biodiversity on Earth. The country’s coral reefs are considered to be among the world’s most threatened biodiversity hotspots, at risk from overfishing, pollution and climate change
Greenpeace is an independent, campaigning organisation which uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems and to force solutions essential to a green and peaceful future.
Read original at 
The Dominican Sun - Across the Dominican Republic in the last 24 hours the highest observed temperature by DRSol was 88 at Santiago. The coolest reading came from La Isabella with an overnight low of 72. A few spotty moderate to heavy showers and thunderstorms were reported, the last in Punta Cana at 8PM last night. Skies were generally partly cloudy. Winds are averaging 11 mph from the SE, with a peak gust to 127 mph seen at 8PM last night at Punta Cana. By the Numbers DR cities reported rain 6% of the time, and thunderstorms 2%. Average reported rainfall intensity on a scale of 0 to 100 was 50. Cloud cover totaled 52%. Click above to view summaries for the last week or last month. 
Dominican Today -
SANTO DOMINGO. – Economic growth that translates into poverty reduction and a stronger middle class in the Dominican Republic was at the center of a series of concrete actions presented Tuesday in a high-level national ceremony hosted by the country at the Presidential Palace. The presentation is part of the Caribbean Growth Forum (CGF), a two-year regional platform for dialogue to foster higher levels of economic growth with opportunities for all in the Caribbean.
The CGF is a partnership between the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and Compete Caribbean, with support from the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The CGF builds on existing partnerships and involves stakeholders from the public and private sectors, academia and civil society, as well as the Caribbean Diaspora.
Referring to Dominican Republic’s challenges in particular, Temístocles Montás, Minister of Economy and Planning, said: “the Dominican Government has taken on the improvement of national competitiveness and it is precisely in this framework that the CGF is being developed in the Dominican Republic. ”
The CGF complements the Government’s National Development Strategy - Vision 2030, which seeks to ensure the sustainability of ongoing electricity reforms, the achievement of quality education, and transparency in public expenditure. The Dominican Republic for the last decade has been one of the fastest growing economies in the region. Consequently, the CGF aimed at an action plan to foster inclusive growth, poverty and inequality reduction by means of implementing practical and well-identified policies and activities.
In this context, World Bank Country Representative in the Dominican Republic, McDonald Benjamin, suggested that: “The challenge for the Dominican Republic is to ensure that the country’s economic model allows shared prosperity and growth that benefits the poor. This forum is a clear effort that can bring policy reforms to allow broader opportunities for all. ”
The CGF action plan presented today includes concrete actions to strengthen the investment climate, improve logistics and connectivity, and upgrade education and develop skills that improve competitiveness and generate higher-paying jobs.
According to the plan, the investment climate could benefit from widening access to finance for small and medium sized enterprises, making it easier to start and operate a business, and strengthening laws to protect investments.
In terms of logistics and connectivity, key actions recommended include facilitating trade conditions at the DR-Haiti Border points, making key infrastructure services more affordable and efficient for exports, imports and tourism, and generating a greater transport and cultural link with the rest of the Caribbean.
When it comes to developing skills to improving competitiveness and productivity, key actions include upgrading education to better match skills with jobs, scaling innovation and technology, creating seed capital to support strategic projects, and fostering a greater interaction between enterprises to raise levels of competition.
About 100 participants from the public and private sectors, youth, academia, trade unions, media and civil society joined the action plan announcement ceremony in the Dominican Republic.
“This CGF phase gives us concrete steps because now there is a human face responsible for every action and every recommendation. The plan has a calendar and identifies the financial source from donors when needed. In addition, civil society will be able to closely monitor the completion of activities,” said Andrea Gallina, CGF Coordinator, World Bank.
Today’s launch ceremony in Santo Domingo included remarks by Temístocles Montás, Minister of Economy and Planning; McDonald Benjamin, World Bank Country Representative in the Dominican Republic; and Jorge Requena, Acting Country Representative for the Inter-American Development Bank. Also present were Rolando Guzman, President of INTEC University and CGF’s Advisory Board Member; and Andres Van Der Horst, Secretary of State, Founder and Executive Director of the National Competitiveness Council of the Dominican Republic.
Dominican Republic is the first country to launch its CGF action plan. Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Dominica, Jamaica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname, will also launch their action plans in the coming weeks. A regional forum will take place in Nassau, Bahamas on June 24-25 for each individual CGF Chapter to compare notes and find shared solutions.
Up to now over 2,000 people have attended the CGF dialogues and over 100 meetings have been organized by the various chapters in the region. Interested citizens have a continuous opportunity to learn more about and engage in the CGF via the social media channels.
Read original at 