2008 – Page 317

If you are looking for a hotel room in the DR, good luck! According to Hoy, hotels are experiencing record occupancy rates. Thelma Martinez from the National Hotel and Restaurant Association (ASONAHORES) says that hotel owners are having to perform juggling acts to meet the demand. Martinez added that in the last few years the …

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The Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM) held a workshop last week in Bridgetown, Barbados with regional media personnel to discuss in detail the recently agreed upon Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union. The CRNM, the Barbadian based negotiating arm of CARIFORUM (CARICOM plus the DR), was represented by Director General Richard Bernal, Senior …

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Los Guaricanos, an impoverished area of Santo Domingo, could lose an RD$400 million donation to build a new hospital because the government has failed to provide land for the hospital. The donation was made by Yale University Hospital to the Santo Domingo North Municipality, according to Evelio Fabio Mota and Cesar Valdez, country directors for …

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Yesterday Industry and Commerce Minister Melanio Paredes guaranteed the sale of fuel and has received the support of fuel distributors Shell, Texaco and Esso. Paredes’ comments came after Anadegas, the independent gas station owners association, threatened to shut down most of the country’s gasoline stations if the government did not provide a positive response to …

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The Dominican Medical Association (CMD) is again threatening to go on strike. This time the strike will be for 24 hours at 150 public medical centers around the country. The CMD explained that only emergency patients and patients in critical condition will be treated during the strike. Listin Diario writes that the strike will be …

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The deadline Education Minister Alejandrina German gave to journalist Nuria Piera came and went and there was nothing to show for it. Last week German threatened Piera that if she didn’t retract comments made about a house German owns in Jarabacoa, she would take legal action. During a press conference last week at the Hotel …

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National Police Chief Rafael Guillermo Guzman Fermin is lobbying for the Dominican Penal Code to be changed. The Police Chief wants minors who commit serious crimes to be tried as adults. Guzman, who is well known for his tough stance on crime, says that most violent crimes in the DR are committed by young people …

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Interior and Police Minister Franklyn Almeyda says that the crime rate declined by 20.2% between 2005 and 2007. In 2005 the crime rate was at 26.41%. Almeyda says that the implementation of Barrio Seguro has been a key factor in fighting crime, although the program has received its fare share of criticism. Almeyda highlights the …

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Dominican and Haitian cattle ranchers met yesterday in the Haitian municipality of Ferie to agree on policies aimed at preventing the theft of cattle and returning stolen cattle to their owners. Dajabon Cattle Ranchers Association president Pedro Jose Suero was at the meeting, as was Miguel Cruz from the Dominican embassy in Haiti. Listin Diario …

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The Dominican Republic team didn’t win the champions cup during the XXVII International Independent Boxing Cup tournament, but Dominican boxers Juan Carlos Payano and Claudio Marrero were able to obtain gold medals in individual events during the tournament, which was held in Santiago de los Caballeros. Still it was the Cuban team who stole the …

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