International

The president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, will assume his second term determined to reform the Constitution

The president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, will assume his second and last term of government next Friday after achieving re-election last May, and he will do so with a view to a constitutional reform, criticized by many, and a fiscal reform, which has been postponed for years.

Just hours before the results of the May elections were known, Abinader, of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM, liberal and progressive), announced his intention to change the Constitution, which would be the fourth reform of this century, and everything indicates that he will do so.

Trusting that this “is the last” reform, Abinader, a 57-year-old economist, should not have major inconveniences in bringing this proposal of changes in the Magna Carta to fruition, if it is taken into account that the PRM will mostly control the National Congress from Friday, after rising in the elections with 29 of the 32 senators and 146 of the 190 deputies.

The initiative, which will be presented to Congress coinciding with the investiture, has among its main objectives to prevent changes to the rules of the presidential election (limited to two consecutive terms), consolidate the independence of the Public Ministry (Public Prosecutor’s Office), reduce the number of deputies and unify the holding of elections, according to the proposal presented by Abinader a few days ago to the press.

It is not, he said then, “a conjunctural reform driven by partisan political needs or individual aspirations,” but it is “thought for the benefit of the community” and to consolidate the principles of democracy, transparency and institutionality, as “a shielding of democracy.”

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But, at the same time that the Government and the PRM defend the eventual reform, there is also a growing criticism from the opposition, which considers a change of the Magna Carta to be inopportune.

Among the critics is former president Leonel Fernández, who faced Abinader in the elections and who considers that the best way to protect the Constitution is not to touch it, although he already did it in 2010.

In return, the three-time president of the Dominican Republic, whose party, the People’s Force, is the second formation in the National Congress, proposes that the referendum law be approved, which is contemplated in the 2010 Constitution, but still without legislation in this regard.

The questions have also been joined by prosecutors, who fear that, through the reform, the Superior Council of the Public Ministry will be eliminated, which Abinader denies.

Along with the constitutional change, Abinader also has a tax reform in the sights.

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Dominican Republic – with an average annual growth rate of approximately 5% for decades and which, as reported on Tuesday by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), will lead the growth of the region with 5.2% in 2024 – has had a fiscal reform pending for years, a promise already of Abinader’s campaign for the 2020 elections.

In fact, just two months after assuming power for the first time and in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Abinader presented a plan with new taxes to face the crisis, but ended up withdrawing it due to criticism.

Representatives of the public sector, the private sector and even international organizations understand that the reform is urgent.
According to a recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), fiscal reform can help the Dominican Republic attract more investment.

However, “beyond the much-needed increase in tax revenues,” the comprehensive tax reform “should include the adoption of a tax rule that establishes limits on long-term public debt, which would increase certainty and help safeguard fiscal sustainability,” says the IMF.

Another “critically important” reform, according to the IMF, is to address the failures of the electricity sector, which come from far away and have generated significant losses, which average between 1% and 2% of annual GDP in the last decade.

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Apart from these issues, Abinader will also have to face long-standing social debts in the next four years, along with the deficient health system, labor informality or insecurity.

And at the same time it will have to face the increasingly chaotic traffic, which every year causes between 3,000 and 4,000 deaths, making the country one of the first places in the world in road deaths.

International

Child Found Malnourished in Van in France; Father Admits Confinement

French gendarmes discovered a child in a van in Hagenbach, in northeastern France, after a neighbor reported hearing what she described as “childlike noises” coming from the parked vehicle.

After unlocking the van, officers found the boy lying in a fetal position, unclothed and covered with a blanket, surrounded by garbage and near human waste, according to a statement from the Mulhouse prosecutor, Nicolas Heitz.

Authorities said the child appeared pale and severely malnourished. Due to prolonged confinement in a seated position, he was no longer able to walk. He was immediately taken to a hospital in Mulhouse for medical care.

The boy’s father, who lived with his partner and two daughters aged 10 and 12, admitted to keeping the child confined and depriving him of proper care.

According to the prosecutor, the man said he placed the child in the van in November 2024, claiming he wanted to “protect him” because his partner intended to have the boy admitted to a psychiatric facility.

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The suspect also stated that he allowed the child out of the vehicle in May 2025 and permitted him to enter the family apartment around mid-year, when the rest of the family was on vacation.

The man’s partner—who is not the child’s mother—also faces charges, including failure to report abuse. However, she has denied all accusations.

International

Europe Faces Jet Fuel Shortage Risk Amid Hormuz Disruption

The Airports Council International Europe has warned of a potential “systemic shortage” of jet fuel if maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is not restored within the next three weeks, according to a letter reviewed by AFP on Friday.

In the document, addressed to the European Commission and first reported by the Financial Times, the European airport lobby stated that a “systemic jet fuel shortage will become a reality” in the European Union unless stable and significant transit through the strait resumes soon.

The association, which represents around 600 airports across 50 countries, called on Brussels to implement “urgent monitoring of fuel availability and supply” over the next six months.

Jet fuel prices have surged amid the conflict in the Middle East and the ongoing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy transport.

The conflict escalated on February 28 following joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes against Iran.

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In response, Tehran imposed several countermeasures, including blocking maritime traffic through the strait, a route through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil, jet fuel, and gas supply passes.

International

Artemis II crew prepares for Earth return and splashdown recovery

Astronauts from the Artemis II mission are expected to be extracted from the Orion spacecraft approximately two hours after splashdown, scheduled for 20:07 UTC this Friday (6:07 p.m. in San Salvador), according to NASA.

Following recovery, a rescue team will transport the crew by aircraft to the USS John P. Murtha. Once onboard, they will undergo medical evaluations before boarding another flight to the Johnson Space Center.

On Thursday, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency, continued preparations for their return to Earth.

Their activities include stowing equipment used during the mission, securing cargo and storage compartments, and installing and adjusting crew seats to ensure all items are properly fastened. The crew will also review the latest weather updates, recovery operations status, and reentry timeline, while preparing for post-landing procedures.

At 21:53 UTC (9:53 p.m. in San Salvador), Orion’s thrusters are scheduled to perform a second trajectory correction maneuver, refining the spacecraft’s path back to Earth. During this operation, Hansen will monitor guidance, navigation, and propulsion systems.

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NASA explained that during Friday’s reentry, the service module will separate about 20 minutes before Orion reaches the upper atmosphere southeast of Hawaii. If necessary, a final trajectory adjustment will fine-tune the flight path before the capsule begins a series of roll maneuvers to safely distance itself from jettisoned components.

Just before atmospheric interface, Orion will reach a peak speed of approximately 3,800 km/h. As it descends to about 400,000 feet (around 121.9 km), communications will be interrupted for approximately six minutes due to plasma formation around the capsule during peak heating.

NASA expects the crew to experience up to 3.9 G during a nominal reentry profile. After exiting the blackout phase, the capsule will jettison its forward bay cover. Drogue parachutes will deploy at around 22,000 feet (6.7 km), followed by the three main parachutes at approximately 6,000 feet (1.8 km).

Artemis II marks NASA’s first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft around the Moon. The mission aims to validate capabilities for deep space human exploration and lay the groundwork for future long-term scientific missions on the lunar surface.