DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

President Luis Abinader issued Decree 601-26 on 26 August 2026, establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework to supervise professional and recreational baseball, academy operations, and player development programs across the Dominican Republic.

The decree establishes that the primary oversight authority is the National Baseball Commissioner’s Office (Dirección del Comisionado Nacional de Béisbol), a functionally decentralized entity attached to the Ministry of Sports. The office is structured under an Executive Directorate supported by two operational divisions: the Technical Directorate, which oversees infrastructure, safety, training, and anti-doping; and the Directorate of Baseball Regulation, tasked with administrative registry and supervision.

National registry and system architecture

National Baseball Registry: Introduces a centralized system to...

25.1% of all public students are Haitian students Dominican taxpayers have picked up the tab to educate Haitians. A report in El Nacional reveals that at the start of the 2026-2027 school year, 25.1% of those registered in public schools were Haitian children.

There are 205,369 Haitian students registered in Dominican public schools.

Read more in Spanish:

• El Nacional

The expansion of Chinese retail in the Dominican Republic has entered a transformative phase, shifting from modest storefronts in Santo Domingo’s urban corridors to massive “megastores” spanning provinces across the Cibao, East, South, and Northwest regions, Diario Libre reports.

These retail hubs operate on a sprawling scale: San Francisco de Macorís now hosts the Macorisano Gran Mall at 23,000 square meters, more than double the size of the Julián Javier baseball stadium, while La Vega’s El Exitazo spans nearly 16,000 square meters. By capitalizing on cheaper rural land, less saturated local markets, and robust national road and port infrastructure, these investments cater to provincial consumers who previously had to travel to the capital for variety.

This growth is driven by a highly aggressive positioning strategy and a high-volume business model. Asian investors...

Edgar Argeni Ramírez Alvarez / Noticias SIN

A street surveillance video has enabled the identifying of a man now accused of attempted robbery of the bag of a woman on a street in Evaristo Morales. The woman is the wife of Dominican ambassador Francisco Javier Matos Pujols, better known as Holi Matos.

The assailant is identified as 31-year old Edgar Argenis Ramirez Alvarez (Gafita). He turned himself in voluntarily to Noticias SIN news agency that had reported on the incident. He was transferred to the Naco police branch.

The Police now say the individual is linked to other assaults.

Matos Pujols is an ambassador attached to the Ministry of Foreign Relations. He is a former consul general of the DR in Orlando, Florida (May 2022 to June 2025), before transitioning to the Ministry of Foreign Relations headquarters in Santo Domingo in an internal capacity. He has also...

A minor magnitude 4.0 earthquake was recorded off the southeastern coast of the Dominican Republic near the resort town of Bayahíbe early Wednesday morning, 26 August 2026. According to seismic data, the earthquake struck at approximately 5:42am. The epicenter was pinpointed roughly eight kilometers off the coast of Bayahibe (approximately 23 kilometers south of Higüey city), occurring at an estimated depth of 128 kilometers. There were no damages reported and the deep down shake was barely felt.

The National Seismological Institute (UASD) logs hundreds of minor events annually along the North American-Caribbean plate boundary, but magnitude 4.0-4.9 events typically occur only a few times per year across the island and rarely result in structural damage.

The Dominican Republic sits along an active tectonic convergence zone where the North American plate slides westward...

The Dominican Weather Institute (Indomet) reported this Wednesday, 26 August 2026, that high temperatures were registered across several Dominican Republic communities in the afternoon, causing heat index values to reach up to 47°C (116.6°F) in some areas. According to the report issued at 6:00 PM, Barahona and Santo Domingo reached a heat index of 47°C (116.6°F), while Las Americas weather station reached 46°C (114.8°F). Meanwhile, Puerto Plata registered a heat index of 44°C (111.2°F) and Santiago reached 43°C (109.4°F).

Weatherman Jean Suriel writes on his Instagram of the high temperatures and high humidity in the Caribbean area.

But in general, Indomet reports that the temperatures will be in the range of lows of 24 and 26 °C in the early mornings and highs of 34 °C to 36 °C at noon.

Regardless, temperatures will remain hot, with high heat index values. Consequently, it is...

Canada won its first Norceca Continental Championship by defeating the United States 3-2 (25-23, 25-23, 20-25, 18-25, 15-10) in the game on 26 August 2026 at the volleyball pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center in Santo Domingo. The bad news of the host country was that its Reinas del Caribe lost the bronze medal to Cuba. The DR team had defeated Cuba in its two matches in the recently passed 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games. Cuba won the bronze in the tournament.

The emerging Cuban team, coached by a Brazilian as is the Dominican team, played a convincing 3-0 game showing their emerging talents. The Reinas del Caribe that evening did not find their rhythm, losing before the home crowd. Marcos Kwiek, coach of the Dominican Republic, said: “A total disaster. We played very, very poorly. We saw Brayelin’s frustration, as well as that of some other players...

The Dominican Republic’s Monthly Indicator of Economic Activity (IMAE) expanded by 4.6% year-on-year in July 2026, pushing cumulative average economic growth for the first seven months of the year to 4.5%.

According to data released on 25 August 2026 by the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD), performance throughout the January-July period was anchored by strong domestic activity in construction, the manufacturing of construction inputs, mining, and a broad expansion across the service sector —led primarily by financial services, hotels, bars, and restaurants.

Sector-by-sector breakdownJuly 2026 performance was driven by real value-added expansions across key productive and service sectors:

Construction: 8.1%

Financial Services: 8.4%

Education Services: 8.0%

Other Marketed Services: 6.1%

Hotels, Bars, and Restaurants: 5.6%

Free Zone...

The Dominican Ministry of Defense has doubled its budget during the Abinader administration. According to official documentation, the capital investments aim to enhance border security along the Haitian frontier, bolster anti-narcotics and irregular migration operations, and strengthen emergency response logistics.

A report in Diario Libre highlights the Ministry has executed a major expansion of its military inventory, showcasing newly acquired Israeli- and US-sourced weaponry during ceremonies led by Defense Minister Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre at the 27 de Febrero Naval Base and the San Isidro Air Base in Santo Domingo Este.

As reported by Diario Libre, the recent hardware displays featured IWI ARAD rifles, Negev machine guns, Barrett and Daniel Defense precision rifles, and 40mm MGL grenade launchers, though official sources did not disclose total...

A major bottleneck could be in the making for the delivery of the Dominican Republic’s new identification cards. In line with the classic cultural habit of leaving things until the very last minute, citizen demand for the new Cédula de Identidad y Electoral, which will be required to vote in the 2028 elections, has fallen significantly short of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) schedule, El Dia reports.

To date, the renewal rate is averaging roughly 500,000 ID cards per month, following the JCE’s last progress report in July indicating that two million cards were issued after four months of work. Maintaining this current pace poses a massive challenge to replacing the estimated 9.4 million documents within the set deadline. To hit the target over a 12-month period, the JCE must increase its output to an average of nearly 783,000 card deliveries per month, a required jump...

The Dominican Consulate General in New York has officially inaugurated its new satellite office in the Bronx, expanding services for one of the largest Dominican diaspora communities in the United States. Located on the second floor of 305 E. Fordham Road, the facility operates as an official consular annex.

The new office provides full consular services, including passport issuance and renewals, powers of attorney, legalizations, civil documentation, community assistance, and consular protection. The local presence is expected to significantly reduce travel time and transportation costs for thousands of families residing in the northern NYC area.

What is new is that the office is the first additional Dominican consulate location in the borough to receive formal authorization from the US Department of State.

Dominican Consul General in New York, Jesús Vásquez Martínez...

Greymer de Peña and Francisco Alejandro Campos Alvarez / El Día

The newly appointed Francisco Alejandro Campos Álvarez is a former army man with experience in port administration. He was appointed executive director of the Dominican Port Authority (Apordom) by President Luis Abinader through Decree 554-26 on 16 August 2026. He succeeds Jean Luis Rodríguez, who was named Minister of Housing, Habitat, and Buildings.

Campos Alvarez has a bachelor’s degree in Marketing with a concentration in General Administration from Universidad Iberoamericana (Unibe). He also has advanced studies in finance, business management, project development, risk management, insurance, and technological innovation.

Prior to his appointment he had served as president of Apordom’s board of directors from August 2020 to August 2026. He concurrently chaired the...

As part of his ongoing familiarization with the city’s transit infrastructure, the recently appointed executive director of the National Institute of Transit and Land Transport (Intrant), Juan Manuel Méndez, conducted a technical tour of Kilometer 9 of the Duarte Highway. As part of his learning the ropes, the former major general also held meetings with the top executives of leading transport companies.

Méndez toured the Metro and Km 9 area with Jhael Isa Tavárez, executive vice president of the Metropolitan Transport Company (EMT) and executive director of the Mass Transport Trust (Fitram), to coordinate the reorganization of public transport feeder routes. The EMT is in charge of the Metro mass transit systems in the Dominican Republic.

The planning phase is critical ahead of the upcoming integration of the Santo Domingo Metro Line 2C and the new Cable Car...

Jarabacoa-La Vega road is again impacted by sliding rocks and landslide. The landslide occurred in the El Puerto area.The landslide that was shared via social media did not cause personal or property damages but raises concerns. The alternate road to Jarabacoa is via the Constanza mountain road.

Read more in Spanish:

• Diario Libre

There are 82 Chinese business, compared to 151 of Dominicans now on Duarte Avenue, Mella and Jose Martí avenues, Diario Libre reports in its inquiry into the boom of Chinese businesses in the country. Chinese megastores have taken over shopping areas and towns and cities after the Danilo Medina administration signed relations with the Popular Republic of China in May 2018. Consumer good imports from China have soured.

Diario Libre reports that a survey conducted along iconic Duarte Avenue revealed the largest concentration of Chinese businesses: 49 establishments, compared to 25 Dominican businesses. The field survey covered the stretch between México Avenue and 27 de Febrero Avenue. Reporters also observed that in at least two vacant commercial spaces, work was already underway to prepare the locations for new Chinese businesses.

The takeover by Chinese...

The United States defeated the Dominican Republic in the semifinal in three sets ((25-19, 25-18, 25-10), advancing to the finals of the Continental Championship on Wednesday, 26 August 2026 at the Professor Ricardo Gioriver Arias Volleyball Pavilion in Santo Domingo. Likewise, Canada defeated Cuba to also reach the finals.

The US team is seeking its eighth Norceca Continental Championship title. Canada will be looking to capture its first-ever title in the competition.

The United States had needed an extra game, defeating Puerto Rico, after losing to Canada in the first phase. Canada defeated the United States with the first round game final score 3-2 (22–25, 26–24, 22–25, 25–23, 15–13) on 23 August 2026 in a dramatic five-set thriller during their final Pool A match.

Key performers in that game were Kiera Van Ryk led Canada with 21 points, while Alexa Gray added 20...

Fernando Tatis Jr. is turning Major League Baseball’s second half into a personal showcase, pairing relentless offensive power with breathtaking defense to pull the San Diego Padres firmly into the National League playoff race.

After starting the 2026 season in an unprecedented power drought and failing to homer in his first 55 games, the 27-year-old right fielder has mounted a mid-season resurgence. Tatis’s power drought ended on 30 May 2026, and with it, Tatis Jr.’s home run swing awakened.

Since the All-Star break, Tatis has crushed 12 home runs in 33 games while posting a 1.098 OPS, leading a surge that has helped San Diego win 14 of its last 18 contests and capture a share of the third NL Wild Card spot.

The turn of events was formally recognized on Monday, 24 August 2026, when Major League Baseball named Tatis both the National League Player of the Week and the MLB...

Minister Luis Miguel De Camps García / Diario Libre

During the inaugural session of “Agenda Semanal,” the new weekly accountability platform led by President Luis Abinader, the Dominican government outlined key advancements, logistical targets, and infrastructure challenges for the 2026–2027 school year.

Minister of Education Luis Miguel de Camps García and educational officials detailed the operational readiness of the public school system, which spans roughly 8,000 educational centers, 18 regional departments, 122 districts, and has a registration of more than two million public sector students.

The report categorized progress and pending objectives across four main pillars:

Preparations and student welfare

Instructional materials: Over eight million textbooks and workbooks were distributed to schools nationwide prior to the start of classes.

Direct...

The Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel), the National District Mayor’s Office, and the electrical sector have officially launched a project to remove and reorganize approximately 300 kilometers of unused overhead cables across several neighborhoods in Santo Domingo. The authorities did not share a date when the effort was expected to have concluded.

Guido Gómez Mazara, President of the Indotel Board of Directors, led the launch tour on Thursday, 20 August 2026, alongside National District Mayor Carolina Mejía and Joel Santos, the recently appointed president of the Unified Council of Electricity Distribution Companies (CUED). The clean-up operations are part of the “Removal, Relocation, and Reorganization of Telecommunications Wiring in Urban Areas of the National District” project, designed to eliminate visual pollution caused by tangled, abandoned wires and to organize...

It is a global phenomenon, and the Dominican Republic is not the exception. After the Danilo Medina administration signed diplomatic relations with China in 2019, Chinese imports have consistently been on the rise and the megastores with low cost goods have opened all around the country, most following the same commercial and infrastructure model. Diario Libre looks into the phenomenon and shares details for its readers.

For years, competing businesses in the Dominican Republic have denounced unfair competition. The traditional business complain that the Chinese have received import benefits authorized by the Customs Agency and labor and tax law violations, with the indifference of the authorities. The government has closed several of the establishments for constructions that put employees and customers at risk.

Read more in...

A report published by N Digital on 18 August 2026 highlights the critical vulnerabilities facing the Dominican Republic in the event of a major seismic event. Despite modern advancements in structural design codes, such as the national seismic design regulations enforced by the Ministry of Housing, Habitats and Edifications (Mivhed), urban planning and structural history present steep challenges.

High-density urban corridors in the Distrito Nacional, Santiago, Santo Domingo Oeste, Los Alcarrizos, and Santo Domingo Este feature informal settlements packed together with narrow access routes, high overcrowding, and little open public space. Experts warn that the core emergency response issue is not merely structural collapse, but whether rescue teams will be physically capable of reaching victims through blocked streets and unmanaged ruins.

The physical threat is amplified...

Firefighters and protected area personnel working with rangers of the Ministry of Environment were able to control a forest fire in the Las Cuevas area of Valle Nuevo National Park after 36 hours of continuous effort. While the blaze remains active, authorities have established security perimeters, temporarily closed the park to the public, and initiated the evacuation of campers. The official cause and total area damaged remain undetermined as investigations continue.

In an interview with Listín Diario, biologist and environmentalist Yohan Núñez emphasized the critical ecological role of Valle Nuevo, often referred to as the “mother of waters.” The high-altitude ecosystem features native mosses and pine vegetation that act as natural sponges, capturing rainfall and runoff to supply key water basins across the Dominican Republic.

Núñez noted that...

A 25-year old woman drowned and another 29-year old man, who almost drowned, is hospitalized as the tragic outcome of a catamaran overturn in the evening in the Salinas beach in Peravia province on Sunday, 23 August 2026 in the evening. The 12 passengers of the boat were not wearing life vests. As reported, the boat clashed when the captain of the boat missed the landing. The young woman drowned when she found herself under the capsized boat. The case is under investigation.

The event highlights the need for enforcing boat safety rules in the region that is gaining in popularity.

Minister of Tourism David Collado, together with the head of VialRD, the consortium that handles tolls programs, has launched a massive plan to provide easy-to-understand signage for tourists and locals alike along the major thoroughfares of the republic.

The signs will also direct people to major attractions all over the country, including beaches, points of interest and important places such as hospitals.

As is to be expected, this program will begin in La Altagracia province (Punta Cana), and then will be expanded to El Seibo (Miches) Puerto Plata (Playa Dorada, Sosua and Cabarete), Samana (Las Terrenas, Las Galeras), Pedernales (Bahia de las Aguilas and Cabo Rojo), Maria Trinidad Sanchez (Cabrera) and Santiago.

Read more in...

Arajet, the Dominican Republic-based airline, has just announced that it intends to expand its fleet of single-aisle 737 Boeing jets to 24 by the end of 2027 in response to passenger demand.

With the soon-to-open expansion of the Cibao International Airport (STI) in Santiago, Arajet is looking to open flights to Boston and New York in the coming year.

Arajet also operates flights from Santo Domingo’s Las Americas International Airport (SDQ) and Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ).

Among the destinations to be added are Guayaquil in Ecuador and Montevideo, in Uruguay, set to be serviced in 2027.

The airline also has underway negotiations in Venezuela to provide service there as the airline continues its push to serve more of South America. Regarding Venezuela, the airline is trying to get permission to provide direct flights from Santo Domingo and Punta Cana.

Arajet officially...

Simone Biles, the US Olympic gymnastics medal winner and sport advocate for women and girls, was in the Dominican Republic recently and from her posts enjoyed her stay. Hello reports that she was here “looking for a vacation home.” She visited for what is described as a last summer vacation before husband, football player Jonathan Owens, goes back to work.

Hello Magazine did not specify where the famous gymnast spent her vacation.

The getaway comes ahead of the start of football season in September, and a new chapter in Indiana, where her husband Jonathan Owens will begin playing with the Colts, following one season with the Chicago Bears.

Read More:

• Hello Magazine
• Simone Biles Instagram

FIFA President Gianni Infantino arrived at Punta Cana International Airport on Friday night, 21 August 2026, to attend the general assembly of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). The event put the Punta Cana area in the forefront of high sports politics.

Upon his arrival, Infantino was received by Dominican Minister of Sports Kelvin Cruz, following the separate arrival of CONCACAF president Víctor Montagliani. The reception committee included Dominican Olympic Committee (COD) president Garibaldi Bautista, Centro Caribe Sports president Luis Mejía Oviedo, the leadership of the Dominican Football Federation (Fedofutbol), and National Football Commissioner Benny Metz. During his stay, Minister Cruz facilitated a telephone call between Infantino and President Luis Abinader, during which the FIFA chief promised expanded support for the development of football in the...

Nature will provide a big show for the Dominican Republic this coming Thursday, 27 August 2026, as a nearly complete lunar eclipse will be visible throughout the country.

As the earth’s shadow begins to cover the moon at about 9:23pm, the event will be able to be seen with the naked eye, and no special equipment is needed.

The eclipse will begin at around 10:30pm, when the earth’s shadow really begins to cover the moon. The greatest portion of the moon will be covered at 12:12am and the shadow effect is expected to end at 3:01am.

According to the National Aeronautical and Space Agency (NASA), the lunar eclipse only happens when there is a full moon, and the moon travels through the earth’s shadow. The greatest part of the eclipse will blot out 93% of the lunar surface, and what can be seen will have a reddish glow about it. Folks with binoculars or a small telescope will be able to see...

Henk Rogers and Jesús Moreno / Instagram

73-year old entrepreneur Jesus Moreno, of the founding Helados Bon family, for the past decades has been dedicated to regenerate degraded lands in gorgeous places and create macadamia forests with other trees, such as lychee.

Now Moreno appears in an Instagram reel that has gone viral, as people observe him show off his fitness derived in part from consuming the macadamia he farms and markets as La Loma readily sold in food shops all around the country. He tells his story of how he is immersed in a business that is good for the country and for his own person. He stands on his head, the way normal people stand on their feet.

The reel includes commentary from Dutch-born video game designer, entrepreneur and Blue Planet environmental advocate Henk Rogers (famous for securing the global rights to Tetris), who visited the La Loma...

The nation’s public school system is starting today, but the Association of Dominican Professors (ADP) is calling for the government to pay them promised incentive bonuses and address infrastructure and other of the usual start of school issues.

President Luis Abinader will lead the official opening ceremony for the 2026-2027 academic year on Monday, 24 August 2026 at the Espejo La Milagrosa Basic School in Santo Domingo Este. The Ministry of Education has announced that the national enrollment for this school year stands at 2,612,882 students registered at 10,648 educational centers nationwide. This breaks down to 2,031,289 students in the public sector and 581,593 in the private sector. The Ministry says 1,200 new classrooms have been added to the public system.

More classrooms, remodeled infrastructure, more teachers and administrators are just a few of the demands that come...

According to data from Unesco’s Global Education Monitoring Report 2026, the Dominican Republic raised its upper secondary completion rate from 56% to 64% between 2015 and 2024. This eight-percentage-point gain marked the largest increase among four key educational metrics evaluated by the international agency over the past decade, Diario Libre reports.

The findings also highlight broad advances across early childhood, primary, and lower secondary education:

Early childhood participation: The proportion of children enrolled in structured educational programs in the year prior to entering primary school increased from 86% to 93%.

Primary school completion: The completion rate for primary education climbed from 90% to 96%.

Lower secondary completion: The completion rate for lower secondary school advanced from 83% to 89%.

Despite notable progress across all educational levels, more than one-third...

Vladimir Pimentel / PRODOMINICANA

Dominican exports hit really good numbers for January to July 2026. Nearly US$9.3 billion in the first seven months, a 12.5% increase over the same time frame last year, Pro Dominicana, the government export agency reports.

One of the interesting aspects of the news is the fact that medical device exports made up over a billion dollars of the historic figure. Of course, gold was the biggest contributor to the good news, but even removing the numbers of gold exports, the report still shows over a 5% increase year-to-year.

More traditional exports such as tobacco were also way up, with a US$100 million increase over the 2025 first half. The industrial free zones exported well over US$5.0 billion.

Other reports note that farm products, such as cacao, were seeing an important uptick in their numbers, and nearly unknown products, such as...

Héctor Valdez Albizu / Central Bank

The recently re-confirmed governor of the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, Hector Valdez Albizu, announced that he expects Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) to reach US$5.3 billion in 2026. This comes on the heels of the announcement by the Latin American Bank of Foreign Trade (Bladex) of a billion dollar increase in their portfolio for the Dominican Republic.

Valdez Albizu told reporters that since FDI had reached US$3.27 billion in the first half of the year, it was feasible that the US$5.3 billion mark be achieved by the end of the year. Valdez echoed previous reports of free zone growth and increased exports, especially gold, that is enjoying a long streak of high market prices.

The Central Bank chief said that the leading supports of the Dominican economy that are tourism, remittances, direct foreign investments and exports are...

Describing the situation as a mockery of authorities, a recent Listín Diario investigation revealed that heavy cargo trucks continue to openly defy traffic restrictions along Santo Domingo’s George Washington Avenue (El Malecón). The ongoing non-compliance was starkly highlighted by a fatal accident last Monday involving a tanker truck that claimed two lives, underscoring the urgent safety risks that originally prompted these regulatory measures.

The deputy director of Intrant has revealed that the automated fines system is ready, yet the approval of its rules is still pending. The system would levy fines on all infractors.

Meanwhile, traffic officers of the Digesett need to implement the law. The trucks should be transiting on the Santo Domingo bypass, not through the city.

During a brief 20-minute drive along the Malecón route, Listín Diario...

The Dominican government took a decisive step toward strengthening the legal protection of its protected areas by handing over the first six property land titles to the State for Montaña La Humeadora National Park and Loma Novillero Forest Reserve — adding to the country’s broader System of Protected Areas (Sinap), which includes roughly 30 national parks. This action consolidates state ownership of land designated for conservation and helps preserve the integrity of these natural spaces.

The measure, led by President Luis Abinader, is part of a national process aimed at identifying, clearing, regularizing, and titling land within the legally established boundaries of protected areas in favor of the Dominican State. The goal is to prevent illegal occupations, avoid ecosystem fragmentation, and ensure orderly environmental management.

Minister of...

Beginning 24 August 2026, President Luis Abinader will introduce a revised the format of the “LA Agenda Semanal” (The Weekly Agenda), transitioning away from the traditional in-person “LA Semanal con la Prensa” press conferences to one where it knows beforehand what is asked.

Scheduled for Mondays at 5pm, the Presidency announces the new platform focuses on structured evaluations of government management, tracking key indicators, reviewing administrative progress, and addressing pending commitments alongside cabinet ministers and directors.

Under the updated operational guidelines announced by Alberto Caminero, director of Information and Press of the Presidency, this initial stage will operate entirely via live streaming without physical access for journalists, media workers, opinion leaders, or influencers inside the Presidential Palace. Instead, reporters are invited...

Minister of Foreign Relations Victor Bisonó and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio / dr1

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a telephone conversation on Saturday, 22 August 2026, with the new Dominican Minister of Foreign Relations, Víctor “Ito” Bisonó. The high-level diplomatic exchange occurred just days after Bisonó assumed his position at the Ministry of Foreign Relations (Mirex) on 17 August 2026. He replaced Roberto Alvarez who had been in the position since August 2020.

As reported, during the call, Rubio congratulated Bisonó on his new role and reaffirmed the strong cooperative relationship between the United States and the Dominican Republic. Both officials discussed topics of mutual interest, including trade, investments, and strategic sectors, alongside joint initiatives aimed at fostering economic development in both nations. Bisonó reiterated the Dominican...

Civic activists and political committees in the Dominican Republic are stepping up outreach to ensure more US citizens living in the country participate in the upcoming US midterm elections. The US Embassy estimates that roughly 300,000 Americans and dual nationals reside across the Dominican Republic.

The next major US federal election is scheduled for Tuesday, 3 November 2026, serving as a key midterm before the 7 November 2028 presidential election.

In tight electoral contests, overseas ballots frequently determine the outcomes of narrow congressional, senatorial, and state-level races. David Ware, acting representative for Democrats Abroad Dominican Republic, the DR-based Democratic committee, urges citizens to exercise their right to vote.

David Ware says: “People usually only get excited about presidential elections and we have had a good turnout from the DR. This midterm election...

The US Embassy in Santo Domingo announced that representatives from the Regional Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) will hold three days of in-person service sessions at the U.S. Consular Agency in Puerto Plata, located at Plaza El Doral (Carretera Luperón KM 3.5).

US citizens, retirees, and health plan beneficiaries will have a direct opportunity to settle Social Security and federal benefits matters locally next month without taking the trip to Santo Domingo.

Service schedule The FBU team will serve the public during the following hours:

Wednesday, 2 September 2026: 1pm to 5pm

Thursday, 3 September 2026: 8am to 12pm and 1pm to 5pm

Friday, 4 September 2026: 8am to 12pm

Services will be managed on-site using a regulated ticket system distributed on a first-come, first-served basis each day. Applicants should plan to arrive early to secure a ticket.

Services covered & required...

International media report that the United States government deported over 160 Haitian nationals to Cap-Haïtien International Airport (CAP) in northern Haiti.

The flight landed in Cap-Haïtien rather than the nation’s primary hub, Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, due to severe security risks and gang violence controlling large areas around the capital.

According to reporting from CBS News and the Miami Herald, this was the first major deportation flight following legal decisions regarding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for Haitian nationals.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) charter flight originated out of Alexandria, Louisiana, making a stop in Miami before proceeding to Cap-Haïtien.

The USA government has said that there are 300,000 Haitian Temporary Protected Status beneficiaries that are ordered now to leave...

Argenis Contreras and Yuniol Ramirez / Diario Libre

The Supreme Court of Justice rejected the recourse presented by his defense and maintained the 20 year jail sentence to Argenis Contreras to be served at Najayo Jail in San Cristobal. He was sentenced for the murder of state university UASD law professor Yuniol Ramirez. The case has been in court for around nine years since the professor went missing on 20 October 2017 after giving a class at the UASD.

A call to Argenis Contreras was the last registered on the cell phone of Ramirez. The body of the professor would be found in a gully in Manoguayabo in northern Santo Domingo with a bullet wound, tied with chains to a cement blocks.

At the time of the murder, Argenis was director of Procurement at the governmental Metropolitan Bus Service Office (Oficina Metropolitana de Servicios de Autobuses – OMSA) under the...

The Superior Administrative Court (TSA) has terminated the nearly seven-decade-old mining concession held by Falconbridge Dominicana (Falcondo), ruling that the company breached essential contractual obligations while operations at the Quisqueya I site that closed on 17 November 2023. The concession had changed hands several times before the operation was shut down.

The Second Chamber of the TSA ruled in favor of an action brought by the Fund for the Reform of State Enterprises (Fonper) on behalf of the Dominican state. The decision orders the cancellation of the concession contracts signed in 1956 and 1969 covering Quisqueya I, a 22,392-hectare deposit stretching across La Vega and Monseñor Nouel provinces.

Under Ruling No. 0030-03-2026-SSEN-00332, issued on 12 August 2026, the court found Falcondo in breach of key legal and contractual terms governing resource...

In an interview with El Día, corporate law specialist Eduardo Tavárez Guerrero urged business pay attention to new provisions in the Penal Code. He highlighted clauses under Article 8 of the new Dominican Penal Code introduce criminal liability for companies and can alter business operations across the Dominican Republic.

Under this updated framework, companies can now be held criminally responsible for offenses committed by their employees. Tavárez Guerrero explained that in corporate law, the traditional concept of an “offender” (delincuente) is replaced with “infractor” (infractor) to reflect modern corporate justice standards.

Businesses must have their internal control systems fully aligned before the transition period ends on 5 November. Regardless of revenue size, all enterprises are required to maintain active compliance programs to avoid asset liability resulting from employee...

It has been very, very warm these past weeks, and the weather folks seem to think it is going to stay that way for some time. Part of the issue is the very noticeable presence of dust from the Sahara that can be see with the naked eye at dawn and at dusk.

The Ministry of Public Health is advising the population to take preventive measures, especially those persons with respiratory issues.

Typical as part of hurricane season, the dust is often removed from the atmosphere when the tropical cyclones deposit their huge loads of water. However, this year, there have been very few tropical disturbances and so the dust remains.

People are urged to be cautious and be on the look out for symptoms such as eye irritation or congestion of the nasal passages that are possible signs of too much exposure to the outside air.

Coughs, a tight chest, asthma flareups, throat...

Marileidy Paulino, de República Dominicana, compite en la final de relevos 4×400 metros mixto durante los XXV Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe Santo Domingo 2026 en Santo Domingo (República Dominicana). EFE/ Orlando Barría

Marileidy Paulino was the only runner in the Silesia, Poland Diamond 400m women’s race to go under 49 seconds. She clocked in at 48.87. The 400m race win was her fourth in the Wanda Diamond League 2026 competitions. Paulino’s season best is 48.48 and her personal best is 47.98.

The runner ups in the Poland race were Nickisha Pryce of Jamaica who turned in a season best of 49.49 and Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrein who clocked in at 49.57, also a season best time. The home runner, Polish Natalia Bukowiecka came in fourth with 49.60.

Paulino has not said if she will compete in the Diamond League 400m finals in Brussels. She has explained that she has plans to compete...

The Reinas del Caribe won their first games against Costa Rica and Cuba (3-0) and Puerto Rico (3-1) in the opening phase of the Norceca Continental Championship at the Professor Ricardo Gioriber Arias Volleyball Pavilion in the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.

The DR is the defending champion. The senior women’s volleyball team of the DR passes to the semi-finals. The Dominican team awaits the winner of Pool A (United States, Canada, Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago). The DR was the winner of Pool B (Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Costa Rica).

The finals and medal matches will take place on Wednesday, August 26, 2026.

Following the conclusion of the Continental Championship, the venue will host the follow-up Norceca Continental Olympic Qualifier on 28 and 29 August, where the final berth for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games will be contested.

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