2008 – Page 321

Competitors from Mexico, Venezuela, Switzerland, Chile, Colombia, Cuba and the DR are registered to compete in the Independence Day Cycling Tour, the longest and most important in the Caribbean. The tour covers a 1,200km route nationwide, divided into nine stretches. It starts on 22 February. This is the XXIXth edition of the tournament.

The British Chamber of Commerce has announced the celebration of its annual golf tournament this coming 1 March at the Santo Domingo Golf Club. Roberto Herrera, president of the Chamber of Commerce made the announcement. The event is held under the auspices of the Dominican Golf Federation and will be played with the stroke play …

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Speed racing begins at the Cibao Racing Track on 2 March in the former Cibao airport in Santiago, announced Maurice Viau of the Club Dominicano de Corredores de Circuito (CCCC). The event is organized by the CCCC with the endorsement of the Dominican Automobile Racing Federation. In addition to competitions at the Cibao Racing Track, …

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Dominican public debt has increased by 15.9% in the last three years, totaling US$8.6 billion in 2007, up from US$7.4 billion in 2004. This represents an absolute increase of US$1.2 billion. According to a report by the Ministry of Hacienda quoted by Listin Diario, 88.3% of the debt corresponds to external debt while 11.7% reflects …

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Following a meeting with chicken farmers last night, President Leonel Fernandez agreed to purchase 2.5 million chickens and one million hens and eggs from chicken producers at a cost of RD$270 million. This announcement has succeeded in easing tensions between the government and the chicken production sector, and producers have called off a planned march …

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Despite the fact that the DR’s energy distributors Cash Recovery Index (CRI) levels are up to 59.2% (up from 53.5%), Listin Diario is reporting that the distributors will end the year with a US$615.5 million deficit, 17.1% greater than last year’s figure. The deficit is more astounding considering that the deficit was 9.3% between 2005 …

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In 2007 the DR imported 59,354 vehicles, totaling RD$14 billion in tax revenue. The imports total is a 2% increase on 2006 when the DR imported 58,247 cars. Listin writes that the vehicles paid RD$3,425 billion in tariffs, RD$5.8 billion in VAT taxes and RD$5.6 billion in license plate taxes.

Education Minister Alejandrina German is giving investigative journalist Nuria Piera 72 hours to retract a story claiming that the minister owns a luxurious summer home in Junumuco, Jarabacoa and used public funds to build it. The story, which aired on two consecutive Saturdays this month on Nuria’s Channel 9 TV investigative journalism show, contrasted the …

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After the failure of Tuesday’s JCE political campaign summit, the predictable and now familiar mud slinging picked up where it left off. This time it was PLD campaign coordinator Francisco Javier Garcia’s turn, as he took a shot at PRD president Rafael Alburquerque, calling him ‘unpleasant’ and ‘insolent’. He added that the PRD showed a …

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The Central Electoral Board has tried to put the best spin possible on the failed summit convened on Tuesday. During the summit, which sought to bring about a consensus and stop the negative tone of this year’s campaigning, PRD and PRSC delegates walked out in protest. Hoy writes that the JCE judges had intended to …

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