2006 – Page 110

At a press conference at Apec University, Dean Denis Simo expressed his concern about the decay in the Dominican educational system and acknowledged that it is obsolete and ineffective. Simo commented that the public, as well as the private school systems, have failed, which has led to a low quality of teachers, fewer class hours, …

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Marine biologist Ruben Torres is returning to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in northeastern Tanzania, becoming the first Dominican to attempt the feat twice. Representing the Dominican Republic with pride, Torres is seeking to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s, and calls on other Latin American nations to pay greater attention to the disease. Torres is confident about his …

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The National Drug Control Department (DNCD) announced yesterday that they had arrested a woman, Francisca Antonia Torres and her brother Prudencio Torres, who had tried to enter the country with 11.5 kilos of illegal narcotics. The heroin, originating in Venezuela, was hidden in the soles of 15 pairs of tennis shoes in her luggage. The …

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Listin Diario reports that two Spaniards, Carlos Sanchez and Andres Leitor Martinez, who are involved in the multi-million euro scandal in Marbella, Spain, had leased the state-owned Cayacoa and Cayo Levantado hotels in Samana, but later passed on their operation rights to the Grupo Pinero, known for its Bahia Principe hotels. According to the director …

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Dominican jazz pianist Michel Camilo and Spanish flamenco guitarist Tomatito bring their fresh-sounding musical hybrid of flamenco guitar and piano to Dminican audiences with a benefit presentation, Spain Again, this coming Friday, 29 September at the National Theater at 8:30 pm in Santo Domingo and Saturday, 30 September at 8 pm at the Centro Espanol …

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The Central Bank’s Monetary Board has approved the regulations that will allow the use of state pension plan savings for property construction. The decision will enable banks to make long-term financing of up to 30 years available for real estate projects, both to developers and individual buyers. See http://www.bancentral.gov.do/notas_del_bc.asp?a=bc2006-09-11

The Central Bank reports that the Consumer Price Index for August increased by 0.19% compared to the previous month. The moderate increase is the result of the decline in fuel prices. The annual rate of inflation (August 2005 to August 2006) was 9.35%, while accumulated inflation for this year (January to August 2006) was 4.6%. …

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Andy Wolfe, the IMF chief of mission in the Dominican Republic, has told a government-sponsored energy seminar that the money being used to subsidize the cost of electricity and propane gas (LPG) would be better used in education and health care. According to Diario Libre, Wolfe said that education and public health are vital issues …

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Seventy-nine ministers of culture from African, Caribbean and Pacific countries will meet in Santo Domingo from the 11 to 21 October. The event is being held to coincide with the First Cultural Festival of ACP countries. The European Union’s cultural policies will be discussed during the meeting.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (AMET) has just announced the delivery of 300 hi-tech communication phones that will allow their officers to check on licenses and registrations. The officers who will be assigned this gear have been undergoing training at the ITLA technology park in Boca Chica. Experts from Spain are due to arrive this week …

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