Trust and low-cost housing
Article 59 of the Constitution of the Dominican Republic establishes the right of every Dominican to housing. This article states that “The State must establish the necessary conditions to make this right effective and promote housing plans and human settlements of social interest. Legal access to titled real estate is a fundamental priority of public housing promotion policies.”.
A few days ago, President Luis Abinader mentioned it in his State of the Nation address. He stated that one of the rights “we are tirelessly promoting is housing. Every Dominican has the right to a home, and their government will help them achieve it. It's not just enshrined in the constitution; it's a principle that always guides the actions of this government.” The president added that the State is working tirelessly “so that every Dominican man and woman can have a decent home of their own.”.
Brent crude oil is nearing $140 a barrel, close to its record high
The price of Brent crude from the North Sea, one of the two benchmark crude oil varieties on the market, approached $140 a barrel on Sunday, near its record high, driven by the conflict in Ukraine and the near-complete paralysis of Russian oil exports. Shortly after the opening of electronic trading around 11:00 PM GMT, Brent for May delivery, the benchmark contract, rose to $139.13, close to the record of $147.50 reached in July 2008.
President Abinader will address the nation tonight
President Luis Abinader will address the nation tonight, the Presidency announced Sundayevening. The president's address will be at 9:00 p.m. The message will be broadcast through various media outlets, including radio and television networks, as well as the Presidency's social media channels, the office said.
Hotel occupancy has fallen in recent years in the country; it went from over 90% to about 70%
From 2015, and likely much earlier, until 2019, over 90% of tourists visiting the Dominican Republic preferred hotels. However, this trend has shifted in the last three years. During the period between 2015 and 2019, almost all non-resident foreigners stayed in hotels, but starting in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic began to impact the country, the number started to decline.
Last year the Dominican labor market registered 89,032 more unemployed than in 2020
Between 2020 and 2021, the number of unemployed people rose from 273,922 to 362,954, an increase of 89,032, according to the 2021 Official Statistics Bulletin on Monetary Poverty in the Dominican Republic, published by the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development (MEPyD) and the National Statistics Office (ONE). This caused the average annual open unemployment rate to rise from 5.8% to 7.4% in 2021, an increase of 1.6%.
Putin's War
Why has Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military intervention in Ukraine? What are his strategic objectives? What are the implications of this action for his relations with the Western world, that is, with the United States and the European Union?
Although the recent military occupation of Ukraine is merely the latest in a series of events that have been unfolding since 2004, the origins of this conflict, beyond the current situation, lie in the fall of the so-called people's democracies of Eastern Europe and the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1991. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, which occurred without a single shot being fired or a single bomb being dropped, 15 new sovereign and independent states emerged. Among them was the Russian Federation, presided over by Boris Yeltsin, which boasts the largest territory, population, economic capacity, and military power.
Ukrainian president asks US for more planes and to stop buying Russian oil
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met virtually with 280 members of the US Congress on Saturday to ask them to send more planes to Ukraine, ban the import of Russian oil, and exclude Russia from Visa and Mastercard payment systems.
This was Zelensky's first address to members of the US Congress since the outbreak of the war. The Ukrainian leader had already addressed the European Parliament and European leaders gathered at an emergency summit via videoconference in recent days.
Netflix suspends operations in Russia due to the war in Ukraine
Netflix will suspend all its operations in Russia due to the war in Ukraine, a company spokesperson told Variety magazine on Sunday. Netflix thus becomes the latest company to suspend its activity in Russia, joining other tech giants like Apple and Microsoft, as well as clothing companies Inditex and Tendam, and major credit card companies like Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. "Due to the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia," a Netflix spokesperson told Variety.
Gasoline prices in the US reach their highest levels since 2008
Gasoline prices in the United States reached their highest level since 2008 on Sunday, with an average price of $4.009 per gallon or $1.057 per liter, local media reported.
Sources: Listín Diario, Hoy, Diario Libre, El Día.
