<p>Some had come for the beach, some had come for the sun, others had picked it because, at the time, the COVID numbers seemed reasonable. Many had chosen it over resort destinations because getting there seemed easy. Still others liked the idea of not having to take a test to enter the country.</p>

<p>Together, they made up around 25 of the mostly American, Canadian and British guests enjoying the “Preferred Club” adults-only pool at Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana on a recent weekend, even as omicron drove coronavirus cases to record highs in the Dominican Republic.</p>

<p>The pool, which is roughly 10 lounge chairs wide, offered a peaceful retreat from the boisterous main pool, which snakes out from the buffet to the sandy stretch of coastline the resort shares with around 90 other all-inclusives.</p>

<p>In the Preferred area, a teacher from Chicago quietly read a book as new resort friends from Michigan and Ontario chatted about whether the woman hanging out on her room’s private terrace about three lounge chairs away, was quarantining. They were pretty certain she was, given that she had not left her room for days. This was a bummer. So, too, was the fact that at least three other Preferred guests had tested positive since they’d arrived.</p>

<p>Still, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.</p>

<p>They, along with all the other visitors who filled the majority of Punta Cana’s roughly 42,000 hotel rooms that January weekend, were part of what many consider a rare pandemic tourism success story. In December the Dominican Republic drew 700,000 visitors from abroad, more than it had attracted not only before the pandemic, but in any single month ever, according to the Ministry of Tourism. That pushed 2021 totals to nearly 5 million visitors, more than any other country in the Caribbean. In December, some financial analysts calculated that the country was having its best year economically in 30 years.</p>

<p>And Punta Cana isn’t the only getaway that’s booming in the Dominican Republic. Las Terrenas, a small seaside town that tends to attract a crowd that despises all-inclusives, has exploded in popularity during the pandemic.</p>

<p>The Dominican Republic’s visitor figures have to do, in part, with its unconventional strategy for gaining a competitive advantage. Unlike most Caribbean beach destinations, the country doesn’t require proof of vaccination, a COVID test or quarantine for most incoming travellers. Instead, authorities have chosen to manage COVID by pushing vaccination and mask wearing among those who interact with tourists. Nearly 100% of the 174,000 people who work in the tourism sector are vaccinated, according to the Ministry of Tourism. And though all-inclusive resorts require only a reservation to enter, many banks, government institutions and some shopping malls require proof of vaccination or a recent PCR test.</p>

<p>“We knew it was a risk and we wanted to take it,” Jacqueline Mora, the deputy minister of tourism, said in a recent phone interview. The strategy has worked, she added, noting that the country estimates that it earned around $5.7 billion from tourism last year while maintaining a COVID death rate lower not only than Mexico, the other major beach destination to take a similarly lax approach to entry, but also many far more restrictive countries, including the United States.</p>

<p>Until recently, few pushed back. But as omicron has driven COVID rates up by several hundred per cent in the Dominican Republic (now categorized as Level 4, or “very high” risk, on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s rating system), infecting many vaccinated people, long-simmering resentments about letting tourists get away with so much have surfaced among some doctors, politicians and resort employees.</p>

<p>In early January, more than a dozen lawmakers endorsed a proposal, supported by the president of the Colegio Médico, the Dominican Republic’s largest association of doctors, urging President Luis Abinader to require recent tests and proof of vaccination from visitors. The resolution calls the current policy “discriminatory,” given that “Dominican residents have to carry a vaccination card or recent negative PCR test, while visitors don’t face the same requirements to enter Dominican territory.” On Jan. 31, the government is requiring banks, shopping centres, restaurants and other public transport to ask for proof that customers have been boosted. Airports and all-inclusive resorts will not be affected.</p>

<p><b>In Punta Cana, Off With the Masks</b></p>

<p>Australia had been their first pick, but the borders there were still closed to visitors, said Michael Rogers, 28, an event planner from London, who was celebrating a belated honeymoon in Punta Cana.</p>

<p>“We’re the guinea pigs for our family. If we don’t get it,” he said, referring to omicron, “they’ll all go on holidays.”</p>

<p>Behind him, people were checking into Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana. In 2021, nearly half of the foreign tourists who went to the Dominican Republic stayed in Punta Cana, at places like Dreams or the Iberostar Grand Bávaro on popular Playa Bávaro. Each one of the area’s 90 or so all-inclusive resorts is a bit different: Some are fratty party hubs, others are minimalist wonders. Some serve stale rolls. Some serve towers of fresh ceviche. Some cater to Americans, who made up nearly 60% of all visitors to the Dominican Republic last year. Others court Europeans, Latin Americans and Canadians who made up most of the other 40%.</p>

<p>The 500-room Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana falls somewhere in the middle in terms of price and TripAdvisor ratings. On a recent Friday, staff members scanned visitors’ temperatures upon arrival and offered spritzes of hand sanitiser along with a glass of Champagne. By check-in, many guests were no longer wearing their plane masks, but it was nearly impossible to find a staff member who was letting their nose peek out. This was the first hint that guests and employees follow different rules.</p>

<p>This generally works for the guests.</p>

<p>“We’ve been dealing with it for two years straight and sometimes you just want to throw in the towel and live a little,” said Cara McQueeney, 27, a mental health worker from Concord, New Hampshire, as she and her boyfriend awaited their final beachside dinner. She was not trying to be careless; she’d been avoiding buffets. But she was glad that she didn’t have to wear a mask.</p>

<p>Dealing with COVID feels more reasonable in the Dominican Republic, said Gaelle Berthault, 45, later that weekend. She, her husband and 9-year-old son had moved to Santo Domingo from Brittany early in the pandemic because they were so fed up with the restrictions they faced at the time in France, she said while sitting on the porch of a turquoise cabana in Las Terrenas on the country’s northern coast. She resented having to carry a government-issued permission slip on her walks, which she had to limit to one a day.</p>

<p>“It felt like wartime,” she said.</p>

<p>Since she found a new job in Santo Domingo, she feels freer. On the weekends, her family explores coastal towns like Las Terrenas, where her son might spend the morning splashing in the pool of a boutique hotel before venturing to a beach. In Santo Domingo, public buses sometimes require proof of vaccination, but she has never taken one.</p>

<p><b>A Challenging Time</b></p>

<p>The arrival of the virus had come at a terrible time for the Dominican Republic’s tourism industry. In March 2020, when the World Health Organization upgraded the epidemic to a pandemic, the country had just recovered from a different crisis. In 2019, 10 American tourists had died there, several mysteriously passing away in their sleep. Ultimately, the FBI deemed that the incidents weren’t connected, but it was not good publicity. Visitor numbers fell by 9%, according to Mora. And then, just as they bounced back, the pandemic shuttered its borders.</p>

<p>For the 174,000 people who work directly in the tourism sector it was a challenging time. Though the government gave them money, a number of workers, including a maid, butler, server and concierge, calculated that they took home one-quarter to one-half of what they normally made.</p>

<p>When the country opened back up to tourists in July 2020, authorities briefly required visitors to show the results of a recent test. Then in August, Abinader, who has a long history in the tourism industry, took office. The strategy began to revolve around making entry as easy as possible. Through last April, the country offered to cover the costs of medical care, lodging and flight changes, should guests fall sick with COVID. The airport did continue testing some visitors randomly, a policy that continues, according to the Ministry of Tourism.</p>

<p>To this day, most other Caribbean nations require proof of vaccination, test results and, in some cases, quarantine, and they also may restrict hotel bookings to 30% or 50% capacity to mitigate viral spread, according to Michael Lowery, the executive vice president of consumer business for Apple Leisure Group, which owns Dreams resorts and CheapCaribbean.com, a vacation booking platform used by millions. He said that the Dominican Republic has been one of the two most popular destinations for his company during the pandemic — behind Mexico — because travellers don’t want to deal with restrictions and because resorts fill up their rooms, keeping prices reasonable.</p>

<p>“They’ve done a good job of keeping their borders open and allowing 100% occupancy in all the resorts,” he said.</p>

<p>Large groups, even bigger than before, began to flock to the Dominican Republic, said TJ Murray, the owner of Punta Cana Tours, a booking site.</p>

<p>Couples who might not have considered the Dominican Republic previously for a destination wedding began to see it as a sure thing for guests travelling from across the world, said Jennifer Collado, the owner of a wedding and events agency based in Punta Cana.</p>

<p><b>The Turnaround</b></p>

<p>By August 2021, about a year after the Dominican Republic reopened to tourism, you might have noticed something intriguing if you happened to be looking at Kayak.com’s flight trends. For more than a month, destinations in just one country consistently displayed green, meaning they had generated more search interest than they had two years earlier: the Dominican Republic.</p>

<p>September, November and December were good months for the country. Tourism numbers surpassed pre-pandemic levels, and coronavirus case counts stayed low, typically hovering between 100 and 300 daily. But then omicron hit. On Jan. 12, a record 7,439 people tested positive in the Dominican Republic, far more than any other day during the pandemic. On Dec. 29, the country also reported eight COVID-related deaths, more than it had seen in a single day in months.</p>

<p>“The hospitals are full; children, old people, everyone, sick with COVID,” said Dr. Senén Caba, the president of the Colegio Médico.</p>

<p>He blamed the government’s lax entry policy for the suffering. Though people who work in the tourism sector may be largely young, healthy and vaccinated, they can still transmit the virus to family members and others. (Only 54% of the population overall is fully vaccinated.)</p>

<p>According to the tourism ministry the spike is not a reason to adjust the country’s approach.</p>

<p>“Omicron is everywhere,” and testing requirements offer countries little more than the illusion of security, Mora said. Willie Walsh, the director-general of the International Air Transport Association, a trade organization representing nearly 300 airlines, echoed this argument in a recent statement.</p>

<p>Asked if interacting with potentially contagious visitors all day made him nervous, Maiken Mercedes, a server at Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana, said, “What gives me fear is not the virus, it’s not making money for my family.”</p>

<p>Other employees in the hospitality industry also expressed concerns that more restrictions would mean fewer guests.</p>

<p>But there has to be a way to encourage responsible tourism, said Ivan Lorenzo, a senator for the Dominican province of Elías Piña, which shares a border with Haiti.</p>

<p>“We cannot rationalize the human losses with what we generate economically,” he said.</p>

<p>Neither he nor several hospitality workers interviewed were convinced that requiring tests would derail the country’s growth. In fact, some found the suggestion that the lax policy is what’s drawing people to the Dominican Republic insulting.</p>

<p><b>The Dreaded End-of-Vacation Test</b></p>

<p>No matter how much they try not to think about the coronavirus, at the end of the day, visitors have to think about it because the United States, Canada and many other countries require a test to reenter.</p>

<p>For Kelly Lynn Gasper, 57, a behavioural health nurse from Oakley, Michigan, the possibility was particularly nerve-wracking because early in her one-week visit with her 18-year-old daughter to Punta Cana, she’d started to feel like she was coming down with something. She took two rapid tests she’d brought and tested positive twice, she said.</p>

<p>Gasper was conflicted about how to proceed, but ultimately opted not to spend her whole vacation in her room, instead upping her mask wearing and avoiding indoor spaces. As her daughter, Caitlyn Gasper, who’d already had omicron back home, pointed out, other people were probably positive around her, but didn’t know it, so why should she be penalized for testing positive?</p>

<p>Much to her relief, Kelly Lynn Gasper tested negative that morning at the resort clinic. The results had come so fast — within a couple of minutes, instead of the 15 that is more typical — she had wondered about their accuracy.</p>

<p>Kris Milavec, 59, of Concord Township, Ohio, did not share Gasper’s skepticism, because earlier that day her husband and one other member of her group of nearly 20 had quickly tested positive and were now stuck in their rooms.</p>

<p>As to whether it was worth it, given that her husband, an anesthesiologist who was expected back at the hospital, was apparently stuck abroad, Milavec paused.</p>

<p>“I don’t think it was worth it,” she said as the rest of the group posed for poolside photos in their matching white outfits.</p>

<p>Enzo Conte, the owner of a software company in Quebec, would also prefer not to get omicron. But if he’s going to get it, he said, it might as well be while he’s staying at a beachside villa in the Dominican Republic. Since early December, he has been alternately vacationing and working remotely from Las Terrenas.</p>

<p>Should he test positive, he said, “I’ll just stay a little longer.”</p>


Some had come for the beach, some had come for the sun, others had picked it because, at the time, the COVID numbers seemed reasonable. Many had chosen it over resort destinations because getting there seemed easy.

Some had come for the beach, some had come for the sun, others had picked it because, at the time, the COVID numbers seemed reasonable. Many had chosen it over resort destinations because getting there seemed easy. Still others liked the idea of not having to take a test to enter the country. Together, they made up around 25 of the mostly American, Canadian and British guests enjoying the “Preferred Club” adults-only pool at Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana on a recent weekend, even as omicron drove coronavirus cases to record highs in the Dominican Republic. The pool, which is roughly 10 lounge chairs wide, offered a peaceful retreat from the boisterous main pool, which snakes out from the buffet to the sandy stretch of coastline the resort shares with around 90 other all-inclusives. In the Preferred area, a teacher from Chicago quietly read a book as new resort friends from Michigan and Ontario chatted about whether the woman hanging out on her room’s private terrace about three lounge chairs away, was quarantining. They were pretty certain she was, given that she had not left her room for days. This was a bummer. So, too, was the fact that at least three other Preferred guests had tested positive since they’d arrived. Still, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. They, along with all the other visitors who filled the majority of Punta Cana’s roughly 42,000 hotel rooms that January weekend, were part of what many consider a rare pandemic tourism success story. In December the Dominican Republic drew 700,000 visitors from abroad, more than it had attracted not only before the pandemic, but in any single month ever, according to the Ministry of Tourism. That pushed 2021 totals to nearly 5 million visitors, more than any other country in the Caribbean. In December, some financial analysts calculated that the country was having its best year economically in 30 years. And Punta Cana isn’t the only getaway that’s booming in the Dominican Republic. Las Terrenas, a small seaside town that tends to attract a crowd that despises all-inclusives, has exploded in popularity during the pandemic. The Dominican Republic’s visitor figures have to do, in part, with its unconventional strategy for gaining a competitive advantage. Unlike most Caribbean beach destinations, the country doesn’t require proof of vaccination, a COVID test or quarantine for most incoming travellers. Instead, authorities have chosen to manage COVID by pushing vaccination and mask wearing among those who interact with tourists. Nearly 100% of the 174,000 people who work in the tourism sector are vaccinated, according to the Ministry of Tourism. And though all-inclusive resorts require only a reservation to enter, many banks, government institutions and some shopping malls require proof of vaccination or a recent PCR test. “We knew it was a risk and we wanted to take it,” Jacqueline Mora, the deputy minister of tourism, said in a recent phone interview. The strategy has worked, she added, noting that the country estimates that it earned around $5.7 billion from tourism last year while maintaining a COVID death rate lower not only than Mexico, the other major beach destination to take a similarly lax approach to entry, but also many far more restrictive countries, including the United States. Until recently, few pushed back. But as omicron has driven COVID rates up by several hundred per cent in the Dominican Republic (now categorized as Level 4, or “very high” risk, on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s rating system), infecting many vaccinated people, long-simmering resentments about letting tourists get away with so much have surfaced among some doctors, politicians and resort employees. In early January, more than a dozen lawmakers endorsed a proposal, supported by the president of the Colegio Médico, the Dominican Republic’s largest association of doctors, urging President Luis Abinader to require recent tests and proof of vaccination from visitors. The resolution calls the current policy “discriminatory,” given that “Dominican residents have to carry a vaccination card or recent negative PCR test, while visitors don’t face the same requirements to enter Dominican territory.” On Jan. 31, the government is requiring banks, shopping centres, restaurants and other public transport to ask for proof that customers have been boosted. Airports and all-inclusive resorts will not be affected. In Punta Cana, Off With the Masks Australia had been their first pick, but the borders there were still closed to visitors, said Michael Rogers, 28, an event planner from London, who was celebrating a belated honeymoon in Punta Cana. “We’re the guinea pigs for our family. If we don’t get it,” he said, referring to omicron, “they’ll all go on holidays.” Behind him, people were checking into Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana. In 2021, nearly half of the foreign tourists who went to the Dominican Republic stayed in Punta Cana, at places like Dreams or the Iberostar Grand Bávaro on popular Playa Bávaro. Each one of the area’s 90 or so all-inclusive resorts is a bit different: Some are fratty party hubs, others are minimalist wonders. Some serve stale rolls. Some serve towers of fresh ceviche. Some cater to Americans, who made up nearly 60% of all visitors to the Dominican Republic last year. Others court Europeans, Latin Americans and Canadians who made up most of the other 40%. The 500-room Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana falls somewhere in the middle in terms of price and TripAdvisor ratings. On a recent Friday, staff members scanned visitors’ temperatures upon arrival and offered spritzes of hand sanitiser along with a glass of Champagne. By check-in, many guests were no longer wearing their plane masks, but it was nearly impossible to find a staff member who was letting their nose peek out. This was the first hint that guests and employees follow different rules. This generally works for the guests. “We’ve been dealing with it for two years straight and sometimes you just want to throw in the towel and live a little,” said Cara McQueeney, 27, a mental health worker from Concord, New Hampshire, as she and her boyfriend awaited their final beachside dinner. She was not trying to be careless; she’d been avoiding buffets. But she was glad that she didn’t have to wear a mask. Dealing with COVID feels more reasonable in the Dominican Republic, said Gaelle Berthault, 45, later that weekend. She, her husband and 9-year-old son had moved to Santo Domingo from Brittany early in the pandemic because they were so fed up with the restrictions they faced at the time in France, she said while sitting on the porch of a turquoise cabana in Las Terrenas on the country’s northern coast. She resented having to carry a government-issued permission slip on her walks, which she had to limit to one a day. “It felt like wartime,” she said. Since she found a new job in Santo Domingo, she feels freer. On the weekends, her family explores coastal towns like Las Terrenas, where her son might spend the morning splashing in the pool of a boutique hotel before venturing to a beach. In Santo Domingo, public buses sometimes require proof of vaccination, but she has never taken one. A Challenging Time The arrival of the virus had come at a terrible time for the Dominican Republic’s tourism industry. In March 2020, when the World Health Organization upgraded the epidemic to a pandemic, the country had just recovered from a different crisis. In 2019, 10 American tourists had died there, several mysteriously passing away in their sleep. Ultimately, the FBI deemed that the incidents weren’t connected, but it was not good publicity. Visitor numbers fell by 9%, according to Mora. And then, just as they bounced back, the pandemic shuttered its borders. For the 174,000 people who work directly in the tourism sector it was a challenging time. Though the government gave them money, a number of workers, including a maid, butler, server and concierge, calculated that they took home one-quarter to one-half of what they normally made. When the country opened back up to tourists in July 2020, authorities briefly required visitors to show the results of a recent test. Then in August, Abinader, who has a long history in the tourism industry, took office. The strategy began to revolve around making entry as easy as possible. Through last April, the country offered to cover the costs of medical care, lodging and flight changes, should guests fall sick with COVID. The airport did continue testing some visitors randomly, a policy that continues, according to the Ministry of Tourism. To this day, most other Caribbean nations require proof of vaccination, test results and, in some cases, quarantine, and they also may restrict hotel bookings to 30% or 50% capacity to mitigate viral spread, according to Michael Lowery, the executive vice president of consumer business for Apple Leisure Group, which owns Dreams resorts and CheapCaribbean.com, a vacation booking platform used by millions. He said that the Dominican Republic has been one of the two most popular destinations for his company during the pandemic — behind Mexico — because travellers don’t want to deal with restrictions and because resorts fill up their rooms, keeping prices reasonable. “They’ve done a good job of keeping their borders open and allowing 100% occupancy in all the resorts,” he said. Large groups, even bigger than before, began to flock to the Dominican Republic, said TJ Murray, the owner of Punta Cana Tours, a booking site. Couples who might not have considered the Dominican Republic previously for a destination wedding began to see it as a sure thing for guests travelling from across the world, said Jennifer Collado, the owner of a wedding and events agency based in Punta Cana. The Turnaround By August 2021, about a year after the Dominican Republic reopened to tourism, you might have noticed something intriguing if you happened to be looking at Kayak.com’s flight trends. For more than a month, destinations in just one country consistently displayed green, meaning they had generated more search interest than they had two years earlier: the Dominican Republic. September, November and December were good months for the country. Tourism numbers surpassed pre-pandemic levels, and coronavirus case counts stayed low, typically hovering between 100 and 300 daily. But then omicron hit. On Jan. 12, a record 7,439 people tested positive in the Dominican Republic, far more than any other day during the pandemic. On Dec. 29, the country also reported eight COVID-related deaths, more than it had seen in a single day in months. “The hospitals are full; children, old people, everyone, sick with COVID,” said Dr. Senén Caba, the president of the Colegio Médico. He blamed the government’s lax entry policy for the suffering. Though people who work in the tourism sector may be largely young, healthy and vaccinated, they can still transmit the virus to family members and others. (Only 54% of the population overall is fully vaccinated.) According to the tourism ministry the spike is not a reason to adjust the country’s approach. “Omicron is everywhere,” and testing requirements offer countries little more than the illusion of security, Mora said. Willie Walsh, the director-general of the International Air Transport Association, a trade organization representing nearly 300 airlines, echoed this argument in a recent statement. Asked if interacting with potentially contagious visitors all day made him nervous, Maiken Mercedes, a server at Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana, said, “What gives me fear is not the virus, it’s not making money for my family.” Other employees in the hospitality industry also expressed concerns that more restrictions would mean fewer guests. But there has to be a way to encourage responsible tourism, said Ivan Lorenzo, a senator for the Dominican province of Elías Piña, which shares a border with Haiti. “We cannot rationalize the human losses with what we generate economically,” he said. Neither he nor several hospitality workers interviewed were convinced that requiring tests would derail the country’s growth. In fact, some found the suggestion that the lax policy is what’s drawing people to the Dominican Republic insulting. The Dreaded End-of-Vacation Test No matter how much they try not to think about the coronavirus, at the end of the day, visitors have to think about it because the United States, Canada and many other countries require a test to reenter. For Kelly Lynn Gasper, 57, a behavioural health nurse from Oakley, Michigan, the possibility was particularly nerve-wracking because early in her one-week visit with her 18-year-old daughter to Punta Cana, she’d started to feel like she was coming down with something. She took two rapid tests she’d brought and tested positive twice, she said. Gasper was conflicted about how to proceed, but ultimately opted not to spend her whole vacation in her room, instead upping her mask wearing and avoiding indoor spaces. As her daughter, Caitlyn Gasper, who’d already had omicron back home, pointed out, other people were probably positive around her, but didn’t know it, so why should she be penalized for testing positive? Much to her relief, Kelly Lynn Gasper tested negative that morning at the resort clinic. The results had come so fast — within a couple of minutes, instead of the 15 that is more typical — she had wondered about their accuracy. Kris Milavec, 59, of Concord Township, Ohio, did not share Gasper’s skepticism, because earlier that day her husband and one other member of her group of nearly 20 had quickly tested positive and were now stuck in their rooms. As to whether it was worth it, given that her husband, an anesthesiologist who was expected back at the hospital, was apparently stuck abroad, Milavec paused. “I don’t think it was worth it,” she said as the rest of the group posed for poolside photos in their matching white outfits. Enzo Conte, the owner of a software company in Quebec, would also prefer not to get omicron. But if he’s going to get it, he said, it might as well be while he’s staying at a beachside villa in the Dominican Republic. Since early December, he has been alternately vacationing and working remotely from Las Terrenas. Should he test positive, he said, “I’ll just stay a little longer.”

Why is everyone going to the Dominican Republic?

<p>Nine people, including Puerto Rican music producer "Flow La Movie" died Wednesday when a private plane crashed at the Las Americas airport in the Dominican Republic capital Santo Domingo, the aircraft's owner Helidosa said.</p>

<p>Helidosa "regrets the tragic accident on one of its planes at Las Americas airport... in which tragically all of the crew and passengers died," the company said in a statement.</p>

<p>Music producer Jose Angel Hernandez, who went by "Flow La Movie" and was known for hits like "Te bote," was listed in the Helidosa statement among the victims.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/painkiller-epidemic-us-targets-chinese-firms-for-addiction-that-claimed-100000-lives-last-year-437262" hreflang="en">'Painkiller epidemic': US targets Chinese firms for addiction that claimed 100,000 lives last year</a></strong></p>

<p>The 38-year-old had become a well-known figure in the reggaetton, a music genre popular in the Caribbean that has also gained followers in the United States and around the world. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Local media said Hernandez's partner and his son were among the dead, and that two of the dead were minors aged four and 13.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Jose Angel, THANK YOU FOR YOUR GOOD VIBES ALWAYS," Colombian reggaeton musician J Balvin posted on Instagram.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Rest in peace," he said.</p>

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<p>And fellow Puerto Rican reggaeton musician Don Omar also posted to Instagram.</p>

<p>"Sad, the loss of you and your family. Thank you for the opportunity to collaborate," he said.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Security officials said the six passengers on board were American citizens, and that the crew was made up of two pilots and a flight steward.</p>

<p>The State Department said it was aware of reports that six Americans had died. "Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment on specific cases," an official said.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-19-possibly-an-engineered-virus-and-leaked-from-wuhan-lab-harvard-scientist-437263" hreflang="en">COVID-19 possibly an engineered virus and leaked from Wuhan lab: Harvard scientist</a></strong></p>

<p>The Gulfstream plane crashed when it attempted to make an emergency landing due to a malfunction after taking off for the US state of Florida from another airport near the Dominican Republic capital, local media reported.</p>

<p>The Las Americas airport suspended activity for two hours following the crash but had since resumed normal operations.</p>


Nine people, including Puerto Rican music producer "Flow La Movie" died Wednesday when a private plane crashed at the Las Americas airport in the Dominican Republic capital Santo Domingo, the aircraft's owner Helidosa said.

Nine people, including Puerto Rican music producer "Flow La Movie" died Wednesday when a private plane crashed at the Las Americas airport in the Dominican Republic capital Santo Domingo, the aircraft's owner Helidosa said. Helidosa "regrets the tragic accident on one of its planes at Las Americas airport... in which tragically all of the crew and passengers died," the company said in a statement. Music producer Jose Angel Hernandez, who went by "Flow La Movie" and was known for hits like "Te bote," was listed in the Helidosa statement among the victims. Also read | 'Painkiller epidemic': US targets Chinese firms for addiction that claimed 100,000 lives last year The 38-year-old had become a well-known figure in the reggaetton, a music genre popular in the Caribbean that has also gained followers in the United States and around the world. Local media said Hernandez's partner and his son were among the dead, and that two of the dead were minors aged four and 13. "Jose Angel, THANK YOU FOR YOUR GOOD VIBES ALWAYS," Colombian reggaeton musician J Balvin posted on Instagram. "Rest in peace," he said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by J Balvin (@jbalvin) × And fellow Puerto Rican reggaeton musician Don Omar also posted to Instagram. "Sad, the loss of you and your family. Thank you for the opportunity to collaborate," he said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by DON OMAR (@donomar) × Security officials said the six passengers on board were American citizens, and that the crew was made up of two pilots and a flight steward. The State Department said it was aware of reports that six Americans had died. "Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment on specific cases," an official said. Also read | COVID-19 possibly an engineered virus and leaked from Wuhan lab: Harvard scientist The Gulfstream plane crashed when it attempted to make an emergency landing due to a malfunction after taking off for the US state of Florida from another airport near the Dominican Republic capital, local media reported. The Las Americas airport suspended activity for two hours following the crash but had since resumed normal operations.

Nine killed in private jet crash in Dominican Republic, two minors among the causalities

<p>A third dose of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">Covid vaccine</a> was administered to Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader on Wednesday, as he urged the population to follow his example.</p>

<p>The 54-year-old had previously received the Sinovac vaccine from Sinopharm, but this time received a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/pfizer">Pfizer</a> vaccine at a vaccination centre near the National Palace in Santo Domingo.</p>

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<p>The country intends to achieve normalisation by vaccinating the entire population with the first and second dose, followed by the third to reinforce the first two, he told journalists present at the vaccination.</p>

<p>According to official figures, the Dominican Republic, which has a population of 10.5 million, has reported nearly 340,000 infections and 4,000 deaths since the outbreak began.</p>

<p>Over half of the population, or 5.4 million people, have received the first shot while more than 3.8 million have received a second.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-vaccination-burnout-delta-variant-spurs-countries-to-speed-up-shots-398602">After vaccination burnout, Delta variant spurs countries to speed up shots</a></strong></p>

<p>In July, health authorities in the Caribbean nation, citing the proliferation of new variants&nbsp;launched a campaign for a third dose.</p>

<p>According to official figures, in total, the Dominican Republic has ordered around 34 million shots, of which 14 million are from Chinese firm Sinovac, 10 million are from British-Swedish company AstraZeneca, and 10 million from American firm Pfizer.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Tourist arrivals returned to 80 per cent of their pre-pandemic levels in early July, a tourism-dependent nation said.</p>

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<p>The Dominican Republic, known for its beaches, particularly the seaside resort of Punta Cana, welcomed 6.5 million tourists in 2019. A total of 7.5 per cent of the country's workforce is employed in the tourism industry, which accounts for 8.4 per cent of the GDP.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


A third dose of the Covid vaccine was administered to Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader on Wednesday, as he urged the population to follow his example. The 54-year-old had previously received the Sinovac vaccine from Sinopharm, but this time received a Pfizer vaccine at a vaccination centre near the National Palace in Santo Domingo.

A third dose of the Covid vaccine was administered to Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader on Wednesday, as he urged the population to follow his example. The 54-year-old had previously received the Sinovac vaccine from Sinopharm, but this time received a Pfizer vaccine at a vaccination centre near the National Palace in Santo Domingo. The country intends to achieve normalisation by vaccinating the entire population with the first and second dose, followed by the third to reinforce the first two, he told journalists present at the vaccination. According to official figures, the Dominican Republic, which has a population of 10.5 million, has reported nearly 340,000 infections and 4,000 deaths since the outbreak began. Over half of the population, or 5.4 million people, have received the first shot while more than 3.8 million have received a second. Also read | After vaccination burnout, Delta variant spurs countries to speed up shots In July, health authorities in the Caribbean nation, citing the proliferation of new variants launched a campaign for a third dose. According to official figures, in total, the Dominican Republic has ordered around 34 million shots, of which 14 million are from Chinese firm Sinovac, 10 million are from British-Swedish company AstraZeneca, and 10 million from American firm Pfizer. Tourist arrivals returned to 80 per cent of their pre-pandemic levels in early July, a tourism-dependent nation said. The Dominican Republic, known for its beaches, particularly the seaside resort of Punta Cana, welcomed 6.5 million tourists in 2019. A total of 7.5 per cent of the country's workforce is employed in the tourism industry, which accounts for 8.4 per cent of the GDP. (With inputs from agencies)

Dominican Republic president gets third jab of Covid vaccine, urges people to follow suit

<p>An appeals court in France on Thursday acquitted two French pilots who were found guilty of involvement in a major drugs bust in the Dominican Republic in 2013.</p>

<p>In what has become known as the "Air Cocaine" case, two men had been sentenced to six years in prison for attempting to smuggle 600 kilograms (1,500 pounds) of drug out of the country.</p>

<p><strong>Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/honduras-police-unearth-15-tonnes-of-buried-cocaine-383450">Honduras police unearth 1.5 tonnes of buried cocaine</a></strong></p>

<p>It has long been alleged that Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos were aware of the cocaine being carried on board, something that they continue to deny.</p>

<p>During the trial, a key figure who has not appealed his own conviction claimed that the two pilots were "conned".&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>Both pilots were freed, but the court upheld the sentences of&nbsp;Ali Bouchareb, the man accused of masterminding the drug trafficking ring and&nbsp;the&nbsp;aviation company's&nbsp;directors.</p>

<p>The drugs were discovered by Dominican police at the&nbsp;Dominican beach resort of Punta Cana&nbsp;as a Falcon 50 jet was preparing to fly to Saint-Tropez in the south of France. The drugs were packed into 26 suitcases on board the jet.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-woman-arrested-after-cocaine-hidden-in-sole-of-shoes-found-in-airport-382864">US: Woman arrested after cocaine hidden in sole of shoes found in airport</a></strong></p>

<p>The two pilots while out on bail, fled from the Dominican Republic under mysterious circumstances and fled to French territory in the Caribbean. They were arrested on their return to Paris after returning to the French mainland in November 2015.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


An appeals court in France on Thursday acquitted two French pilots who were found guilty of involvement in a major drugs bust in the Dominican Republic in 2013. In what has become known as the "Air Cocaine" case, two men had been sentenced to six years in prison for attempting to smuggle 600 kilograms (1,500 pounds) of drug out of the country.

An appeals court in France on Thursday acquitted two French pilots who were found guilty of involvement in a major drugs bust in the Dominican Republic in 2013. In what has become known as the "Air Cocaine" case, two men had been sentenced to six years in prison for attempting to smuggle 600 kilograms (1,500 pounds) of drug out of the country. Also read | Honduras police unearth 1.5 tonnes of buried cocaine It has long been alleged that Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos were aware of the cocaine being carried on board, something that they continue to deny. During the trial, a key figure who has not appealed his own conviction claimed that the two pilots were "conned". Both pilots were freed, but the court upheld the sentences of Ali Bouchareb, the man accused of masterminding the drug trafficking ring and the aviation company's directors. The drugs were discovered by Dominican police at the Dominican beach resort of Punta Cana as a Falcon 50 jet was preparing to fly to Saint-Tropez in the south of France. The drugs were packed into 26 suitcases on board the jet. Also read | US: Woman arrested after cocaine hidden in sole of shoes found in airport The two pilots while out on bail, fled from the Dominican Republic under mysterious circumstances and fled to French territory in the Caribbean. They were arrested on their return to Paris after returning to the French mainland in November 2015. (With inputs from agencies)

Air cocaine case: 8 years later, accused pilots acquitted of all charges

<p>High waves hit the coast of Dominican Republic's capital Santo Domingo on Saturday (July 3) as Storm Elsa lashed the country, leaving two people dead.</p>

<p>Videos shot in the waterfront boulevard of Malecon showed strong winds blowing through trees and debris on the road.</p>

<p>The two deaths occurred in southwest Bahoruco province, according to the director for the Dominican Republic's centre for emergency operations. Some flooding was also reported in San Cristobal province, prompting about 100 evacuations, while waves of 12 to 14 feet (3.5 to 4.2 metres) washed debris ashore in Santo Domingo.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-hit-ship-thinking-its-owned-by-israeli-who-had-already-sold-stake-395914"><strong>Also read |&nbsp;Iran hit ship thinking it's owned by Israeli who had already sold stake</strong></a></p>

<p>Elsa was clocking maximum sustained winds at 110 kph (70 mph), but was slowing as it passed between Haiti and Jamaica, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Elsa has been downgraded to a tropical storm from a hurricane.</p>

<p>Early on Saturday, Dominican officials evacuated people living near rivers and creeks in coastal Barahona province severe flood warnings.</p>


High waves hit the coast of Dominican Republic's capital Santo Domingo on Saturday (July 3) as Storm Elsa lashed the country, leaving two people dead. Videos shot in the waterfront boulevard of Malecon showed strong winds blowing through trees and debris on the road.

High waves hit the coast of Dominican Republic's capital Santo Domingo on Saturday (July 3) as Storm Elsa lashed the country, leaving two people dead. Videos shot in the waterfront boulevard of Malecon showed strong winds blowing through trees and debris on the road. The two deaths occurred in southwest Bahoruco province, according to the director for the Dominican Republic's centre for emergency operations. Some flooding was also reported in San Cristobal province, prompting about 100 evacuations, while waves of 12 to 14 feet (3.5 to 4.2 metres) washed debris ashore in Santo Domingo. Also read | Iran hit ship thinking it's owned by Israeli who had already sold stake Elsa was clocking maximum sustained winds at 110 kph (70 mph), but was slowing as it passed between Haiti and Jamaica, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Elsa has been downgraded to a tropical storm from a hurricane. Early on Saturday, Dominican officials evacuated people living near rivers and creeks in coastal Barahona province severe flood warnings.

Two killed as tropical storm Elsa lashes Dominican Republic

Heavy rain, floods: Dominican Republic and Haiti affected as twin storms threaten US

<p>Juan Carlos, the former king of Spain is reportedly in the Dominican Republic after leaving his country due to a corruption scandal, according to Spanish newspapers.</p>

<p>The royal palace said that Carlos was leaving the country to allow his son Felipe to act as king, devoid of his interference, especially due to the corruption scandal. At the same time, the palace hadn’t announced where the 82-year-old former king was headed.</p>

<p><strong>Bribe allegations</strong></p>

<p>Recently, Spanish and Swiss authorities started looking at allegations of bribing involved in a high-speed railway project’s contract.</p>

<p>According to La Vanguardia, a Spanish publication, the King Emeritus left the palace on Sunday, after which he travelled to Portugal in a car. From there, he flew to the Dominican Republic. ABC newspaper also claimed that the ex-king had flown to the country.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="/world/spains-ex-king-juan-carlos-heads-for-exile-under-corruption-cloud-317966" hreflang="en">Spain's ex-king Juan Carlos heads for exile under corruption cloud</a></p>

<p>He is slated to live with a family with sugar plantations, before he will head to a new destination.&nbsp;According to Carlos’ lawyer, he “would remain at the disposal of the prosecutors’ office”.&nbsp;No official comment has come in from the current whereabouts of the former from the Royal House.</p>

<p>In terms of the bribing allegations, the ex-king has rejected all such allegations.&nbsp;Carlos was an important player in Spain’s transition to democracy, after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.</p>

<p><strong>Protests have erupted</strong></p>

<p>Protests have erupted over the sudden exit of Carlos, one protester told Reuters it was a “rash decision”. "I think it is a bit of a rash decision because he should be judged like any other Spanish citizen," Pablo Lopez said outside the Royal Palace.</p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://wionews.com/videos/former-king-juan-carlos-to-leave-spain-amid-graft-probe-318036/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>More speculations have been flowing in about the king’s whereabouts, with a Portuguese channel TVI24 and Correio da Manha tabloid running stories of him being in a resort near Lisbon, in Cascais, where he spent his childhood.</p>

<p>Currently, prosecutors in Switzerland and Spain are investigating cases of potential bribes covering offshore accounts.</p>

<p>Even though there are allegations against him, no formal investigation has been launched which implies that he is not technically a fugitive.</p>


Juan Carlos, the former king of Spain is reportedly in the Dominican Republic after leaving his country due to a corruption scandal, according to Spanish newspapers.

Juan Carlos, the former king of Spain is reportedly in the Dominican Republic after leaving his country due to a corruption scandal, according to Spanish newspapers. The royal palace said that Carlos was leaving the country to allow his son Felipe to act as king, devoid of his interference, especially due to the corruption scandal. At the same time, the palace hadn’t announced where the 82-year-old former king was headed. Bribe allegations Recently, Spanish and Swiss authorities started looking at allegations of bribing involved in a high-speed railway project’s contract. According to La Vanguardia, a Spanish publication, the King Emeritus left the palace on Sunday, after which he travelled to Portugal in a car. From there, he flew to the Dominican Republic. ABC newspaper also claimed that the ex-king had flown to the country. Also read: Spain's ex-king Juan Carlos heads for exile under corruption cloud He is slated to live with a family with sugar plantations, before he will head to a new destination. According to Carlos’ lawyer, he “would remain at the disposal of the prosecutors’ office”. No official comment has come in from the current whereabouts of the former from the Royal House. In terms of the bribing allegations, the ex-king has rejected all such allegations. Carlos was an important player in Spain’s transition to democracy, after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. Protests have erupted Protests have erupted over the sudden exit of Carlos, one protester told Reuters it was a “rash decision”. "I think it is a bit of a rash decision because he should be judged like any other Spanish citizen," Pablo Lopez said outside the Royal Palace. More speculations have been flowing in about the king’s whereabouts, with a Portuguese channel TVI24 and Correio da Manha tabloid running stories of him being in a resort near Lisbon, in Cascais, where he spent his childhood. Currently, prosecutors in Switzerland and Spain are investigating cases of potential bribes covering offshore accounts. Even though there are allegations against him, no formal investigation has been launched which implies that he is not technically a fugitive.

Spain's former king Juan Carlos is currently in Dominican Republic: Reports

The President of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the ambassador of the Dominican Republic, José Singer told WION that an urgent global response is needed to tackle the global coronavirus crisis. He added that the UNSC has an important role to play. The Dominican Republic is the chair of the council for the current month and decides the agenda of the top United Nations body. Speaking from New York, Ambassador Singer said, "COVID-19 is racing its way around the world. There’s growing concern about the unprecedented magnitude of its outbreak globally and its impact on international peace and security."

WION Exclusive conversation with UNSC President José Singer

<p>Facing acute&nbsp;fuel&nbsp;shortages&nbsp;in their own country,&nbsp;Haitians&nbsp;took a chance to cross the border into the&nbsp;Dominican&nbsp;Republic&nbsp;in search of&nbsp;petrol&nbsp;on Monday.</p>

<p>Dozens were seen crossing the border and gathering around a&nbsp;petrol&nbsp;station in Dajabon, the capital city of the Dajabon province in the&nbsp;Dominican&nbsp;Republic, on the border with Haiti.</p>

<p>Haitians&nbsp;complained they need&nbsp;fuel&nbsp;to survive, while police in the&nbsp;Dominican&nbsp;Republic&nbsp;tighten their grip on security.</p>

<p>A dispute between Haiti and a US&nbsp;energy trading firm has to lead to long blackouts and&nbsp;fuel&nbsp;shortages&nbsp;in the Caribbean nation, feeding anger at President Jovenel Moise's government following the collapse of a supply deal with Venezuela last year.</p>

<p>The Western Hemisphere's poorest nation, Haiti long relied on&nbsp;fuel&nbsp;shipments from nearby OPEC member Venezuela, which offered cheap financing to several Caribbean nations to buy its gasoline, diesel and other products through a program called Petrocaribe.</p>

<p>But the scheme fell apart last year due to economic turmoil in Venezuela, forcing Haiti, a nation of 11 million people to return to international markets.</p>

<p>The result has put upward pressure on the prices of goods.</p>


Facing acute fuel shortages in their own country, Haitians took a chance to cross the border into the Dominican Republic in search of petrol on Monday. Dozens were seen crossing the border and gathering around a petrol station in Dajabon, the capital city of the Dajabon province in the Dominican Republic, on the border with Haiti.

Facing acute fuel shortages in their own country, Haitians took a chance to cross the border into the Dominican Republic in search of petrol on Monday. Dozens were seen crossing the border and gathering around a petrol station in Dajabon, the capital city of the Dajabon province in the Dominican Republic, on the border with Haiti. Haitians complained they need fuel to survive, while police in the Dominican Republic tighten their grip on security. A dispute between Haiti and a US energy trading firm has to lead to long blackouts and fuel shortages in the Caribbean nation, feeding anger at President Jovenel Moise's government following the collapse of a supply deal with Venezuela last year. The Western Hemisphere's poorest nation, Haiti long relied on fuel shipments from nearby OPEC member Venezuela, which offered cheap financing to several Caribbean nations to buy its gasoline, diesel and other products through a program called Petrocaribe. But the scheme fell apart last year due to economic turmoil in Venezuela, forcing Haiti, a nation of 11 million people to return to international markets. The result has put upward pressure on the prices of goods.

Fuel shortages drive Haitians into the Dominican Republic for petrol

The Dominican Republic recently launched a stamp commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. To know more about the historic and current ties that India has with the Caribbean nation, WION spoke to the ambassador of Dominican Republic to India, Frank Hans Dannenberg Castellanos. Former Indian diplomat and show host Arun K. Singh talks to Mr. Castellanos about his 13-year-long tenure in India, and the role that his home country can play in India's strategy for the Latin American & Caribbean region.

The Diplomacy Show with the Ambassador of Dominican Republic to India

<p>US authorities are scrambling to get to the bottom of a rash of deaths of US tourists in the Dominican Republic, with the number of reported fatalities over the past year now rising to six.</p>

<p>Three people whose deaths have been confirmed all arrived on May 25 in San Pedro de Macoris, a seaside resort in the south of the Caribbean country, Dominican authorities said.</p>

<p>Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, booked a room with her husband at the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville hotel. She lost consciousness on the day of her arrival after going out on the balcony. She could not be revived by her husband or hotel medical staff.</p>

<p>Cynthia Day, 49, and Edward Holmes, 63, stayed in an adjacent hotel, Grand Bahia Principe La Romana. The couple from Maryland was found dead on May 30 in their room by hotel staff.</p>

<p>According to the Dominican Prosecutor's Office, the three victims died of respiratory failure and pulmonary edema. Schaup-Werner also had a heart attack.</p>

<p>News of the deaths has drawn attention to earlier deaths of American tourists at island resorts that received no publicity at the time -- some now suspect -- may have been part of a pattern.</p>

<p>The sister of Yvette Monique Short told a Philadelphia television station that the 51-year-old died last June at the Bahia Principe after having a drink from the minibar in her room.</p>

<p>Two other deaths that have recently come to light occurred more than a year apart at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in the resort town of Punta Cana.</p>

<p>Robert Wallace, a 67-year-old from California, died there April 14, after drinking a Scotch from his minibar and falling ill, his niece Chloe Arnold told Fox News.</p>

<p>"He started feeling very sick, he had blood in his urine and stool right afterward," she said.</p>

<p>David Harrison, 45, had died at the same hotel in July 2018. His widow, Dawn McCoy, initially accepted that he succumbed to a heart attack, as she was told, but now questions it.</p>

<p>"When all these people started passing, I stopped and thought to myself, 'How can all these people have the same cause of death as David?' " she told The Washington Post.</p>

<p>Steven Bullock, a lawyer for Day's family, said autopsies and tests will be performed on Day and Holmes in the US.</p>

<p>Asked about contacts with Dominican police and authorities, Bullock said "it has been very, very difficult. We haven't heard enough and that's part of the problem.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We don't seem to be getting anything (from police). We have some reporters on the ground that are assisting us in gathering information that might be available," he told AFP.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Colorado couple Kaylynn Knull and Tom Schwander told CNN that they suffered from headaches, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea after encountering a strong smell of chemicals in the La Romana hotel in June 2018.</p>

<p>According to tests done on their return home, they could have been exposed to pesticides used against ants and cockroaches.</p>

<p>The couple, who lodged a complaint, believes that the product has spread through the air conditioning system.</p>


US authorities are scrambling to get to the bottom of a rash of deaths of US tourists in the Dominican Republic, with the number of reported fatalities over the past year now rising to six.

US authorities are scrambling to get to the bottom of a rash of deaths of US tourists in the Dominican Republic, with the number of reported fatalities over the past year now rising to six. Three people whose deaths have been confirmed all arrived on May 25 in San Pedro de Macoris, a seaside resort in the south of the Caribbean country, Dominican authorities said. Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, booked a room with her husband at the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville hotel. She lost consciousness on the day of her arrival after going out on the balcony. She could not be revived by her husband or hotel medical staff. Cynthia Day, 49, and Edward Holmes, 63, stayed in an adjacent hotel, Grand Bahia Principe La Romana. The couple from Maryland was found dead on May 30 in their room by hotel staff. According to the Dominican Prosecutor's Office, the three victims died of respiratory failure and pulmonary edema. Schaup-Werner also had a heart attack. News of the deaths has drawn attention to earlier deaths of American tourists at island resorts that received no publicity at the time -- some now suspect -- may have been part of a pattern. The sister of Yvette Monique Short told a Philadelphia television station that the 51-year-old died last June at the Bahia Principe after having a drink from the minibar in her room. Two other deaths that have recently come to light occurred more than a year apart at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in the resort town of Punta Cana. Robert Wallace, a 67-year-old from California, died there April 14, after drinking a Scotch from his minibar and falling ill, his niece Chloe Arnold told Fox News. "He started feeling very sick, he had blood in his urine and stool right afterward," she said. David Harrison, 45, had died at the same hotel in July 2018. His widow, Dawn McCoy, initially accepted that he succumbed to a heart attack, as she was told, but now questions it. "When all these people started passing, I stopped and thought to myself, 'How can all these people have the same cause of death as David?' " she told The Washington Post. Steven Bullock, a lawyer for Day's family, said autopsies and tests will be performed on Day and Holmes in the US. Asked about contacts with Dominican police and authorities, Bullock said "it has been very, very difficult. We haven't heard enough and that's part of the problem. "We don't seem to be getting anything (from police). We have some reporters on the ground that are assisting us in gathering information that might be available," he told AFP. Meanwhile, Colorado couple Kaylynn Knull and Tom Schwander told CNN that they suffered from headaches, abdominal cramps and diarrhoea after encountering a strong smell of chemicals in the La Romana hotel in June 2018. According to tests done on their return home, they could have been exposed to pesticides used against ants and cockroaches. The couple, who lodged a complaint, believes that the product has spread through the air conditioning system.

Probe underway over mysterious deaths of US tourists in Dominican Republic

<p>Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said today that the Dominican Republic has signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties with the Communist state.</p>

<p>"We have taken the decision to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, with the conviction that this decision will be extraordinarily positive for the future of our country," an official statement from the Dominican Republic said.</p>

<p>The Dominican Republic added that it was breaking relations with Taiwan.</p>

<p>Taiwan's foreign minister, Joseph Wu, condemned the Dominican Republic for establishing official links with China.</p>

<p>"Its decision to switch allegiance was because of financial incentives from China," Wu said.</p>

<p>Taiwan has decided to recall all its officials after the announcement of Dominican Republic to establish relations with China.</p>

<p>"President Danilo Medina of the Dominican Republic has ignored our long-term partnership, the wishes of the people of the Dominican Republic, and the years of development assistance provided by Taiwan, to accept false promises of investment and aid by China," Wu said.</p>

<p>The Caribbean nation had established relations with Taiwan in the 1940s.</p>

<p>Taiwan "strongly condemns China's objectionable decision to use dollar diplomacy to convert Taiwan's diplomatic allies. Beijing's attempts at foreign policy have only served to drive a wedge between the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, erode mutual trust and further harm the feelings of the people of Taiwan", he added.</p>


The Dominican Republic added that it was breaking relations with Taiwan

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said today that the Dominican Republic has signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties with the Communist state. "We have taken the decision to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, with the conviction that this decision will be extraordinarily positive for the future of our country," an official statement from the Dominican Republic said. The Dominican Republic added that it was breaking relations with Taiwan. Taiwan's foreign minister, Joseph Wu, condemned the Dominican Republic for establishing official links with China. "Its decision to switch allegiance was because of financial incentives from China," Wu said. Taiwan has decided to recall all its officials after the announcement of Dominican Republic to establish relations with China. "President Danilo Medina of the Dominican Republic has ignored our long-term partnership, the wishes of the people of the Dominican Republic, and the years of development assistance provided by Taiwan, to accept false promises of investment and aid by China," Wu said. The Caribbean nation had established relations with Taiwan in the 1940s. Taiwan "strongly condemns China's objectionable decision to use dollar diplomacy to convert Taiwan's diplomatic allies. Beijing's attempts at foreign policy have only served to drive a wedge between the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, erode mutual trust and further harm the feelings of the people of Taiwan", he added.

Dominican Republic establishes ties with China, to break relations with Taiwan

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/nuclear-accord-trump-hints-at-real-agreement-with-iran-133873">Nuclear accord: Trump hints at 'real agreement' with Iran</a></p>

<p>Amid speculation US president will pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, Trump said doing so will send the right message ahead of talks with North Korea. "I think it sends the right message," Trump told reporters on whether it would send a wrong message to Kim's regime as the two nations get ready for summit talks.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-postpones-steel-tariff-decision-for-canada-eu-mexico-133863">Trump postpones steel tariff decision for Canada, EU, Mexico</a></p>

<p>US&nbsp;President Donald Trump has postponed a decision on imposing steel and aluminium tariffs on Canada, the European Union and Mexico until June 1, and has reached an agreement in principle with Argentina, Australia and Brazil, a source familiar with the decision said on Monday.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/dominican-republic-establishes-ties-with-china-to-break-relations-with-taiwan-133869">Dominican</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/dominican-republic-establishes-ties-with-china-to-break-relations-with-taiwan-133869"> Republic establishes ties with China, to break relations with Taiwan</a></p>

<p>Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said today that the Dominican Republic has signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties with the Communist state.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/un-envoys-meet-with-myanmar-leader-over-refugee-crisis-133870">UN envoys meet with Myanmar leader over </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/un-envoys-meet-with-myanmar-leader-over-refugee-crisis-133870">refugee</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/un-envoys-meet-with-myanmar-leader-over-refugee-crisis-133870"> crisis</a></p>

<p>Myanmar's government leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with United Nations Security Council envoys on Monday over the plight of nearly 700,000 mainly Rohingya Muslims who fled to Bangladesh amid a military crackdown, pledging to investigate any credible accusations of abuse, said diplomats who attended the meeting.</p>

<p><a href="Netanyahu says Iran lied on nuclear arms, pressures US to scrap deal">Netanyahu says Iran lied on nuclear arms, pressures </a><a href="Netanyahu says Iran lied on nuclear arms, pressures US to scrap deal">US</a><a href="Netanyahu says Iran lied on nuclear arms, pressures US to scrap deal"> to scrap </a><a href="Netanyahu says Iran lied on nuclear arms, pressures US to scrap deal">deal</a></p>

<p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday stepped up pressure on the United States to pull out of a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, presenting what he called evidence of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons programme in a prime-time address on Israeli TV.</p>


Nuclear accord: Trump hints at 'real agreement' with Iran Amid speculation US president will pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, Trump said doing so will send the right message ahead of talks with North Korea. "I think it sends the right message," Trump told reporters on whether it would send a wrong message to Kim's regime as the two nations get ready for summit talks. Trump postpones steel tariff decision for Canada, EU, Mexico US President Donald Trump has postponed a decision on imposing steel and aluminium tariffs on Canada, the European Union and Mexico until June 1, and has reached an agreement in principle with Argentina, Australia and Brazil, a source familiar with the decision said on Monday. Dominican Republic establishes ties with China, to break relations with Taiwan Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said today that the Dominican Republic has signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties with the Communist state. UN envoys meet with Myanmar leader over refugee crisis Myanmar's government leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with United Nations Security Council envoys on Monday over the plight of nearly 700,000 mainly Rohingya Muslims who fled to Bangladesh amid a military crackdown, pledging to investigate any credible accusations of abuse, said diplomats who attended the meeting. Netanyahu says Iran lied on nuclear arms, pressures US to scrap deal Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday stepped up pressure on the United States to pull out of a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, presenting what he called evidence of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons programme in a prime-time address on Israeli TV.

News brief: Big stories of the day

<p>Venezuela&#39;s opposition said on Tuesday that this week&#39;s planned political dialogue in the Dominican Republic with President Nicolas Maduro&#39;s government was being postponed because regional guarantors were not going.</p>

<p>&quot;The international negotiation process cannot go ahead until the foreign ministers are invited,&quot; opposition negotiator Luis Florido said, referring to the potential presence of Latin American foreign ministers at the talks.</p>

<p>Negotiations to ease a bitter and long-running political crisis in the OPEC nation had been scheduled for Wednesday. Previous dialogue efforts have ended in recriminations between the two sides with no concrete progress.</p>

<p>The opposition coalition had previously accused the Maduro government of blocking the presence of foreign ministers at this week&#39;s talks, but on Tuesday said it appeared to be more a scheduling problem.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/preview/article/24168">Also read:&nbsp;S&amp;P declares Venezuela in &#39;selective default&#39;</a></p>

<p>There was no immediate response from officials.</p>

<p>The opposition&#39;s principal demand is for free and fair conditions for the 2018 presidential election.</p>

<p>It also wants freedom for jailed activists, autonomy for the opposition-led Congress, and a foreign humanitarian aid corridor to help alleviate&nbsp;Venezuela&#39;s unprecedented economic crisis.</p>

<p>Maduro accuses his opponents of conspiring with the United States and a right-wing international campaign to oust his socialist government via a coup. The government is seeking guarantees against violence and recognition of the pro-Maduro Constituent Assembly that has overridden Congress.</p>

<p>At least 125 people died in four months of often violent protests against Maduro earlier this year. Foes say he is a dictator who has wrecked a once-prosperous economy.</p>

<p>Maduro and his allies have accused the opposition of preferring violence to dialogue.</p>

<p>Debt refinancing talks with international investors had begun successfully in Caracas on Monday, the government said, though creditors said the discussions were fruitless.</p>


The opposition coalition had previously accused the Maduro government of blocking the presence of foreign ministers at this week's talks, but on Tuesday said it appeared to be more a scheduling problem.

Venezuela's opposition said on Tuesday that this week's planned political dialogue in the Dominican Republic with President Nicolas Maduro's government was being postponed because regional guarantors were not going. "The international negotiation process cannot go ahead until the foreign ministers are invited," opposition negotiator Luis Florido said, referring to the potential presence of Latin American foreign ministers at the talks. Negotiations to ease a bitter and long-running political crisis in the OPEC nation had been scheduled for Wednesday. Previous dialogue efforts have ended in recriminations between the two sides with no concrete progress. The opposition coalition had previously accused the Maduro government of blocking the presence of foreign ministers at this week's talks, but on Tuesday said it appeared to be more a scheduling problem. Also read: S&P declares Venezuela in 'selective default' There was no immediate response from officials. The opposition's principal demand is for free and fair conditions for the 2018 presidential election. It also wants freedom for jailed activists, autonomy for the opposition-led Congress, and a foreign humanitarian aid corridor to help alleviate Venezuela's unprecedented economic crisis. Maduro accuses his opponents of conspiring with the United States and a right-wing international campaign to oust his socialist government via a coup. The government is seeking guarantees against violence and recognition of the pro-Maduro Constituent Assembly that has overridden Congress. At least 125 people died in four months of often violent protests against Maduro earlier this year. Foes say he is a dictator who has wrecked a once-prosperous economy. Maduro and his allies have accused the opposition of preferring violence to dialogue. Debt refinancing talks with international investors had begun successfully in Caracas on Monday, the government said, though creditors said the discussions were fruitless.

Venezuela opposition says talks with government delayed

<p>River flooding&nbsp;continued to&nbsp;cause&nbsp;damage&nbsp;as of Sunday in the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/hurricane-maria-lashes-dominican-republic-after-direct-hit-on-puerto-rico-20479">Dominican&nbsp;Republic&nbsp;days after Hurricane Maria</a> lashed the eastern and northeastern coast of the country.</p>

<p>Thousands of people were still out of their homes, almost 1 million had no water, and 57 communities were experiencing communication outage, a report from the Emergency Operations Center (COE) said on Sunday.</p>

<p>The most recent river to overflow was Yuna, the largest in&nbsp;Dominican&nbsp;territory, isolating 15 communities from the provinces of Duarte and Sanchez Ramirez in the northeast, and paralyzing a stretch of road that connects the tourist city Samana in the northeast with the capital of Santo Domingo, according to Agencia EFE sources.</p>

<p>A total of 15,076 people had to stay in homes of relatives or friends, and another 941 were in official shelters after the disaster destroyed 188 homes, affected 861 and flooded 4,588.</p>

<p>Because&nbsp;of the hurricane, 942,185 people had no drinking water, while thousands&nbsp;continued to live in the dark due to power cut.</p>

<p>The&nbsp;Dominican&nbsp;Air Force&nbsp;continued its rescue operations in flooded areas.</p>

<p>Hurricane Maria landed in Dominica on Sept. 18 at a speed of 260 kilometres per hour, killing at least 15 people and leaving at least another 20 missing.</p>

<p>Although Maria has moved away toward North Carolina of the United States, the&nbsp;Dominican national l Office of Meteorology&nbsp;continued to maintain flood warnings for 12 provinces as rains would&nbsp;continue&nbsp;to pour in some areas of the country.</p>


Thousands of people were still out of their homes, almost 1 million had no water, and 57 communities were experiencing communication outage, a report from the Emergency Operations Center (COE) said on Sunday.

River flooding continued to cause damage as of Sunday in the Dominican Republic days after Hurricane Maria lashed the eastern and northeastern coast of the country. Thousands of people were still out of their homes, almost 1 million had no water, and 57 communities were experiencing communication outage, a report from the Emergency Operations Center (COE) said on Sunday. The most recent river to overflow was Yuna, the largest in Dominican territory, isolating 15 communities from the provinces of Duarte and Sanchez Ramirez in the northeast, and paralyzing a stretch of road that connects the tourist city Samana in the northeast with the capital of Santo Domingo, according to Agencia EFE sources. A total of 15,076 people had to stay in homes of relatives or friends, and another 941 were in official shelters after the disaster destroyed 188 homes, affected 861 and flooded 4,588. Because of the hurricane, 942,185 people had no drinking water, while thousands continued to live in the dark due to power cut. The Dominican Air Force continued its rescue operations in flooded areas. Hurricane Maria landed in Dominica on Sept. 18 at a speed of 260 kilometres per hour, killing at least 15 people and leaving at least another 20 missing. Although Maria has moved away toward North Carolina of the United States, the Dominican national l Office of Meteorology continued to maintain flood warnings for 12 provinces as rains would continue to pour in some areas of the country.

Hurricane-triggered floods continue to cause damage in the Dominican Republic

<p>Hurricane Maria thrashed parts of the Dominican Republic with heavy rain and high winds as it passed near its east and north coasts on Thursday after making a direct hit on Puerto Rico that caused severe flooding and cut power to the entire island.</p>

<p>Maria has killed at least 10 people as it raged through the Caribbean, the second major hurricane to do so this month, and the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said it was headed toward the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas, bringing dangerous storm surges and torrential rain.</p>

<p>It ripped roofs off almost all structures on the island country of Dominica, where seven people were confirmed dead. The toll is expected to climb when searches resume at daybreak.</p>

<p>Maria was ranked a Category 4 storm, near the top end of the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, with sustained winds of up to 155 miles per hour (250 km per hour), when it hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday as the strongest storm to hit the U.S. territory in nearly 90 years.</p>

<p>It ripped apart homes, snapped power lines and turned roadways into torrents laden with debris as it cut a diagonal swath across the island.</p>

<p>The entire island of 3.4 million people was under a flash flood warning early on Thursday as the storm was forecast to dump 20 to 30 inches (50 to 76 cm) of rain on much of Puerto Rico through Friday, according to the NHC.</p>

<p>The island&#39;s governor, Ricardo Rossello, said the only fatality immediately reported was a man struck by a piece of lumber hurled by high winds.</p>

<p>&quot;It&#39;s nothing short of a major disaster,&quot; Rossello said in a CNN interview, adding it may take months for the island&#39;s electricity to be completely restored. Earlier he imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew for the island.</p>

<p>The streets of Puerto Rico&#39;s historic Old Town in the capital, San Juan, were strewn with broken balconies, air conditioning units, shattered lamp posts, fallen power lines and dead birds. Few trees escaped unscathed.</p>

<p>The island&#39;s recovery could be complicated by its financial woes as it faces the largest municipal debt crisis in U.S. history. Both its government and the public utility have filed for bankruptcy protection amid disputes with creditors.</p>

<p>Maria weakened as it went over land in Puerto Rico and picked up strength early on Thursday as it passed over warm Caribbean waters.</p>

<p>It was a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph) about 70 miles (110 kms) north of Punta Cana, on the east coast of the Dominican Republic, at 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT), the NHC said.</p>

<p>Punta Cana, a popular tourist area, was hit with wind gusts of 58 mph (93 kph) and Maria was forecast to bring storm surges, when hurricanes push ocean water dangerously over normal levels, of up to 6 feet (1.83 m) in the Dominican Republic, it said.</p>

<p>Maria was expected to pick up strength as it churns toward the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas. Storm surges on the islands could be as high as 12 feet (3.66 m), it said.</p>

<p>Maria would then move north in the Atlantic Ocean over the weekend and there was no indication as to whether it would hit the continental United States.</p>

<p>It was classified a Category 5 storm when it struck Dominica on Monday night with devastating force.</p>

<p>Based on an aerial survey, about 95 percent of roofs in Dominica, one of the poorest countries in the Caribbean with a population of about 73,000, were damaged or destroyed by Maria, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. It added damage to the island could be in the billions of dollars.</p>

<p>Hartley Henry, principal adviser to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, said on Wednesday: &quot;The country is in a daze.&quot;</p>

<p>Passing early Wednesday just west of St. Croix, home to about 55,000 people, Maria damaged an estimated 65 percent to 70 percent of the island&#39;s buildings, said Holland Redfield, who served six terms in the U.S. Virgin Islands Senate.</p>

<p>President Donald Trump declared a major disaster in the U.S. Virgin Islands and ordered federal aid to supplement recovery efforts, the White House said.</p>

<p>The U.S. and British Virgin Islands were also hit this month by Hurricane Irma, which ranked as one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record. It left a trail of destruction in several Caribbean islands and Florida this month, killing at least 84 people.</p>

<p>Photos posted on Facebook from St. Croix by Virgin Islands&#39; local public television station, WTJX-TV, showed fallen utility and telephone poles, tangled wires, uprooted trees and storm shutters ripped from buildings.</p>

<p>In the French territory of Guadeloupe, many roads were blocked and 40 percent of the population was without power, France&#39;s overseas territories ministry said.</p>


Maria has killed at least 10 people as it raged through the Caribbean, the second major hurricane to do so this month.

Hurricane Maria thrashed parts of the Dominican Republic with heavy rain and high winds as it passed near its east and north coasts on Thursday after making a direct hit on Puerto Rico that caused severe flooding and cut power to the entire island. Maria has killed at least 10 people as it raged through the Caribbean, the second major hurricane to do so this month, and the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said it was headed toward the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas, bringing dangerous storm surges and torrential rain. It ripped roofs off almost all structures on the island country of Dominica, where seven people were confirmed dead. The toll is expected to climb when searches resume at daybreak. Maria was ranked a Category 4 storm, near the top end of the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, with sustained winds of up to 155 miles per hour (250 km per hour), when it hit Puerto Rico on Wednesday as the strongest storm to hit the U.S. territory in nearly 90 years. It ripped apart homes, snapped power lines and turned roadways into torrents laden with debris as it cut a diagonal swath across the island. The entire island of 3.4 million people was under a flash flood warning early on Thursday as the storm was forecast to dump 20 to 30 inches (50 to 76 cm) of rain on much of Puerto Rico through Friday, according to the NHC. The island's governor, Ricardo Rossello, said the only fatality immediately reported was a man struck by a piece of lumber hurled by high winds. "It's nothing short of a major disaster," Rossello said in a CNN interview, adding it may take months for the island's electricity to be completely restored. Earlier he imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew for the island. The streets of Puerto Rico's historic Old Town in the capital, San Juan, were strewn with broken balconies, air conditioning units, shattered lamp posts, fallen power lines and dead birds. Few trees escaped unscathed. The island's recovery could be complicated by its financial woes as it faces the largest municipal debt crisis in U.S. history. Both its government and the public utility have filed for bankruptcy protection amid disputes with creditors. Maria weakened as it went over land in Puerto Rico and picked up strength early on Thursday as it passed over warm Caribbean waters. It was a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph) about 70 miles (110 kms) north of Punta Cana, on the east coast of the Dominican Republic, at 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT), the NHC said. Punta Cana, a popular tourist area, was hit with wind gusts of 58 mph (93 kph) and Maria was forecast to bring storm surges, when hurricanes push ocean water dangerously over normal levels, of up to 6 feet (1.83 m) in the Dominican Republic, it said. Maria was expected to pick up strength as it churns toward the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas. Storm surges on the islands could be as high as 12 feet (3.66 m), it said. Maria would then move north in the Atlantic Ocean over the weekend and there was no indication as to whether it would hit the continental United States. It was classified a Category 5 storm when it struck Dominica on Monday night with devastating force. Based on an aerial survey, about 95 percent of roofs in Dominica, one of the poorest countries in the Caribbean with a population of about 73,000, were damaged or destroyed by Maria, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. It added damage to the island could be in the billions of dollars. Hartley Henry, principal adviser to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, said on Wednesday: "The country is in a daze." Passing early Wednesday just west of St. Croix, home to about 55,000 people, Maria damaged an estimated 65 percent to 70 percent of the island's buildings, said Holland Redfield, who served six terms in the U.S. Virgin Islands Senate. President Donald Trump declared a major disaster in the U.S. Virgin Islands and ordered federal aid to supplement recovery efforts, the White House said. The U.S. and British Virgin Islands were also hit this month by Hurricane Irma, which ranked as one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record. It left a trail of destruction in several Caribbean islands and Florida this month, killing at least 84 people. Photos posted on Facebook from St. Croix by Virgin Islands' local public television station, WTJX-TV, showed fallen utility and telephone poles, tangled wires, uprooted trees and storm shutters ripped from buildings. In the French territory of Guadeloupe, many roads were blocked and 40 percent of the population was without power, France's overseas territories ministry said.

Hurricane Maria lashes Dominican Republic after Puerto Rico

<p>In a shocking development from the Dominican Republic, two radio journalists were shot after gunmen opened fire during a news bulletin which was being broadcast on Facebook Live.</p>

<p>According to the Guardian, Lu&iacute;s Manuel Medina, the presenter of the news programme Milenio Caliente, was killed while on air on Tuesday morning, while producer and director Leo Mart&iacute;nez was shot dead in an adjacent office at the radio station FM 103.5.</p>

<p>Gunfire could be heard during the Facebook Live video, along with a woman yelling &quot;Shots! Shots! Shots!&quot; before the transmission abruptly cuts off.</p>

<p>Police said the shooting occurred in San Pedro de Macor&iacute;s. Three men have been arrested, but none have been charged, as the Police says they do not have a motive yet.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(ANI)&nbsp;</p>


Two radio journalists were shot after gunmen opened fire during a news bulletin which was being broadcast on Facebook Live

In a shocking development from the Dominican Republic, two radio journalists were shot after gunmen opened fire during a news bulletin which was being broadcast on Facebook Live. According to the Guardian, Luís Manuel Medina, the presenter of the news programme Milenio Caliente, was killed while on air on Tuesday morning, while producer and director Leo Martínez was shot dead in an adjacent office at the radio station FM 103.5. Gunfire could be heard during the Facebook Live video, along with a woman yelling "Shots! Shots! Shots!" before the transmission abruptly cuts off. Police said the shooting occurred in San Pedro de Macorís. Three men have been arrested, but none have been charged, as the Police says they do not have a motive yet. (ANI)

Journalists shot dead during Facebook Live in Dominican Republic

More than 130,000 people of Haitian origin living in the Dominican Republic risk deportation because it is nearly impossible for them to renew their temporary residency permits, a migrant aid group official said.<br />
<br />
From June 2015 to May 2016, 106,000 Haitians were deported or left the Dominican Republic, according to the latest statistics from Amnesty International.<br />
<br />
The Intentional Organization for Migration found that 1,516 unaccompanied minors were expelled from the Dominican Republic during that time, in violation of an agreement with Haiti in 1999.<br />
<br />
A 2013 Dominican Republic court ruling said people born there to parents without legal residency would no longer be considered Dominican. Most are of Haitian origin.<br />
<br />
The Dominican Republic began enforcing the policy last summer. Some of those deported had never lived in Haiti.<br />
<br />
The decision has hurt ties between the two countries that share the island of Hispaniola.<br />
<br />
For many Haitians, the treatment amounts to racism against black people by Dominicans, most of whom are lighter skinned and of mixed heritage.<br />
<br />
More than 250,000 people - mostly those born to Haitian parents - became stateless under the court ruling.<br />
<br />
A Dominican program allowed more than 130,000 people of Haitian origin to obtain a residency permit, but it is only valid for a year.<br />
<br />
Those who aren&#39;t able to renew their permits by July 18 face deportation.<br />
<br />
&quot;The Dominican authorities did not want to solve this problem once and for all,&quot; said Lissaint Antoine of the Jesuit Refugee and Migrant Organization.<br />
<br />
&quot;The majority of these 130,000 people don&#39;t have the financial means or the documents that would allow them to renew their permits.&quot;<br />
<br />
Migrant rights groups have denounced the specifics of the residency program.<br />
<br />
&quot;To qualify, people were asked to present proof of employment, but the residency permit doesn&#39;t give them the right to work,&quot; Antoine said.<br />
<br />
Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, crippled by long-term political instability and a devastating quake in 2010.<br />
(AFP)

The residency permit to over 130,000 Haitians was valid only for a year. People who aren't able to renew them by July 18 face deportation

More than 130,000 people of Haitian origin living in the Dominican Republic risk deportation because it is nearly impossible for them to renew their temporary residency permits, a migrant aid group official said. From June 2015 to May 2016, 106,000 Haitians were deported or left the Dominican Republic, according to the latest statistics from Amnesty International. The Intentional Organization for Migration found that 1,516 unaccompanied minors were expelled from the Dominican Republic during that time, in violation of an agreement with Haiti in 1999. A 2013 Dominican Republic court ruling said people born there to parents without legal residency would no longer be considered Dominican. Most are of Haitian origin. The Dominican Republic began enforcing the policy last summer. Some of those deported had never lived in Haiti. The decision has hurt ties between the two countries that share the island of Hispaniola. For many Haitians, the treatment amounts to racism against black people by Dominicans, most of whom are lighter skinned and of mixed heritage. More than 250,000 people - mostly those born to Haitian parents - became stateless under the court ruling. A Dominican program allowed more than 130,000 people of Haitian origin to obtain a residency permit, but it is only valid for a year. Those who aren't able to renew their permits by July 18 face deportation. "The Dominican authorities did not want to solve this problem once and for all," said Lissaint Antoine of the Jesuit Refugee and Migrant Organization. "The majority of these 130,000 people don't have the financial means or the documents that would allow them to renew their permits." Migrant rights groups have denounced the specifics of the residency program. "To qualify, people were asked to present proof of employment, but the residency permit doesn't give them the right to work," Antoine said. Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, crippled by long-term political instability and a devastating quake in 2010. (AFP)

130,000 Haitians face deportation from Dominican Republic

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