Unit 1:
Tropical storm Laura kills at least 23 people in Haiti, Dominican Republic:
Tropical storm Laura kills at least 23 people in Haiti, Dominican Republic. The storm is now known as a category 4 hurricane. In the Dominican Republic, three people were pronounced dead. More than 1 million people have lost power after this traumatic encounter. It caused several landslides, which caused roads to close down. Several homes and property were extremely damaged due to the storm. Homes were swept off their foundations, roofs were ripped off and mobile homes were completely tipped over. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the country. The severity of the storm has risen to another level. It may take months for their country to get back on their feet. Its only a matter of time and patience that will help this country revive after this horrific experience.
Article Source: https://weatheweather.com/news/news/2020-08-24-tropical-storm-hurricane-laura-haiti-cuba-dominican-republic-puerto-rico#13%20%E2%80%8Br.com/news/news/2020-08-24-tropical-storm-hurricane-laura-haiti-cuba-dominican-republic-puerto-rico#13%20%E2%80%8B
Unit 2:
Arrivals of travelers to the Dominican Republic increase:
The past few weeks have consisted of a rise of passengers from countries such as the United States, Puerto Rico and Europe. According to reports from August and September to date, only through the Las Americas Airport, between 360 thousand and 378 thousand passengers of different nationalities arrive and depart. Most of these passengers are Dominicans returning from abroad. As we already know, airline operations from one country to another has been put on hold for more than five months due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, that still affects many cities today. Thousands of European tourists have been arriving the Dominican Republic weekly and tourism authorities has also increased due to the re-opening of hotels. With the continuing normalization of airports, between 2,500 and 2,800 international flights are being registered monthly.
Article Source: https://dominicantoday.com/dr/tourism/2020/10/28/arrivals-of-travelers-to-the-dominican-republic-increase/
Unit 3:
Dominican Congress Passes Law Banning Child Marriage
In the Dominican Republic, 36 percent of girls and teens are married before the age of 18, typically with a man twice her age. On Wednesday, Congress passed a bill that prohibits marriage under the age of 18. The Dominican Republic has been labelled as one of the Latin countries with the highest rate of child marriages. Congress says that child marriage leaves young women vulnerable to things such as teen pregnancy, sexual abuse and violence. If the law is violated, someone will be punished with marriage annulment, two to five years of prison, and fines ranging from US $8,600 to US $17,200. Women activists have also been protesting about the government decriminalizing abortions for teenage pregnancy. Just two weeks ago, over hundreds of women went to protest in front of Congress to demand the decriminalization of abortions.
Article Source: https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Dominican-Republic-Passes-Law-That-Prohibits-Child-Marriage-20201231-0005.html
Unit 4:
Government to tender the first lots of the Happy Family housing plan:
The government announced last January 15 the National Housing Plan “Happy Family” to obtain the first home at affordable prices and according to their income. The government is looking to build at least 11,000 houses on the first year of the program and 17,000 annually over the next three years that the program takes place. Last week, the ministry of the Presidency held a webinar to announce the launch of the housing plan. The government has already identified potential buyers so far. This program is intended for citizens who make up to RD $98,000, where the government would take care of part of the down payment and the citizen would complete the payment. The program will have an initial investment of US $32 million out of a total of US $200 million, projected at the end of four years.
Article Source: https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2021/03/03/government-to-tender-the-first-lots-of-the-happy-family-housing-plan/
Unit 5:
Climate change could be hobbling cocoa production:
The Dominican Republic exports about 80 thousand tons of cocoa each year and generates more than 300 thousand direct and indirect jobs, according to the commercial manager of the National Dominican Cocoa Farmers Confederation. Apparently, Abel Fernandez said that there are over 40 thousand of cocoa producers in the country, but recently cocoa productivity has been stagnant. As of now, they aren't sure if the low productivity has anything to do with climate change, but many efforts have been made. Changes such as promotions, the implementation of new farms, rehabilitation of cocoa plantations, renovations, etc has been attempted to balance cocoa production.
Article Source: https://dominicantoday.com/dr/economy/2021/03/26/climate-change-could-be-hobbling-cocoa-production/
Unit 6:
Santo Domingo residents nervously eye gentrification
Because of the rapid growth of tourism in Santo Domingo, the government has started pouring millions of dollars into repairing streets, renovating old buildings, and installing street lights in attempts to move tourism away from the beaches and closer to the historical city on Santo Domingo. Business owners accept the changes that will occur in their city due to the fact that it would bring them more income, but residents are nervous that they would be priced out by a surge of boutiques and new restaurants. “Bringing more tourists here can be traumatic for us,” said Pedro del Castillo, the 67-year-old president of the neighborhood’s residents’ association. “It seems like the aim is for us, the residents, to leave.” Gentrification in this area would cause rent to be increased at a higher price for homeowners. Other residents fail to believe that renovating the colonial city will benefit its working people.
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Article Source: https://www.chieftain.com/541db543-0bcf-5efe-8e9d-3f69e7bf8258.html
Unit 7:
Abinader says industrialization is a national priority:
President Luis Abindaer declared industrialization as a national priority in attempts to promote national development. He created something called the "President Table for Industrialization", an instrument that will serve as an articulator of the public policies aimed at making free zones and local industries more competitive. This national declaration seeks to achieve the economic integration of free zones and local industry as a single muscle to enhance their development as a fundamental step towards economic reactivation and job creation. "With the creation of the Presidential Table for Industrialization, we began to define a serious industrial policy, of the State, in the long term and that involves all sectors of society. We arrived late, but we will advance very quickly,” Abinader said.
Article Source: https://dominicantoday.com/dr/economy/2020/11/02/abinader-sys-industrialization-is-a-national-priority/