2008 – Page 326

The Dominican government spent a little more in 2007 than in 2006, oh just a little bit: Like RD$33 billion more. This represented a 17% increase in its expenditure, according to the Department of Economic Studies at the Ministry of Hacienda. Most of the new spending was centered in running or current expenses rather than …

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The Dominican government is giving away RD$3,000 per month to more than 100,000 people, according to statements made by the Vice President Rafael Alburquerque. According to Alburquerque, the government launched a program called “vamo’ arriba” (properly: Vamos arriba – Let’s go!) in June 2007, and to date, more than 100,000 people have benefited from it. …

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The Central Electoral Board (JCE) is looking for a way out of the mess that started in Punta Cana where “marriages” were celebrated by unscrupulous JCE employees who are not legally authorized to perform such ceremonies. The JCE is looking for a way to legalize these marriages, despite the irregularity, so as not to affect …

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Specialists are listing the negative effects that the Sun Land affair is projecting around the world. While President Fernandez has declared the case “closed”, echoes from leading brokerage firms indicate the contrary. Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said today that it placed its ‘B+’ long- and ‘B’ short-term sovereign credit ratings on the Dominican Republic …

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The executive vice-president of the Dominican Corporation of State-owned Electricity Companies (CDEEE), Radhames Segura, shushed comments on the recent report from the Santiago Commission, saying that it was politically-motivated since many of the commission’s members are linked to the PRD. The report sharply criticized the handling of the dam floodgates during the 48-hour period in …

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The city of Santo Domingo de Guzman, the capital of the Dominican Republic, will be the site of the XX Summit Meeting of Heads of State and heads of Governments next 4-7 March. The summit will deal with issues concerning energy, development and disaster relief. The meeting will be held at the Ministry of Foreign …

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As overseas prices for raw materials go up, so do the prices for locally produced goods. According to the economic section of Hoy newspaper, the sudden increase in price for a series of raw materials has affected many of the Dominican Republic’s items of mass consumption. The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) points …

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Dominican poultry producers have announced that they will be holding more dramatic protests to draw attention to their plight as a result of Haiti’s import ban on chicken and eggs. The president of the Moca and Licey Poultry Producers Association, Ambiorix Cabrera, announced a march on the Presidential Palace on 13 March unless the government …

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With 134 container loads still awaiting clearance on the docks, the Dominican Republic still saw a 258% increase in metal exports last year. The Center for Exports and Investments (CEI-RD) has a commission currently working on the cases of all of those containers. Lead exports rose by over US$400,000; aluminum went up slightly; and copper …

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The United States has withdrawn extradition requests for 19 people who were being sought by the courts for cases involving drug trafficking, robbery and murder, among other crimes. According to a report in El Caribe, the withdrawal comes as a result of changes in the circumstances in the judicial process. The news will be sent …

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