2006 – Page 54

Writing in Clave Digital, Ana Mitila Lora says that in the face of the fiscal reform that is about to take place, the government should instead look to cut costs by doing away with unnecessary bureaucracies that serve no real purpose. In her article Lora cites the example of how the Commission for Business Reform …

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In her column on 2 November in El Caribe, lawyer Marisol Vicens repeats her belief that politics continues to prevail before priorities in the DR. She points out that the electricity crisis and the quasi-fiscal deficit should have been the Fernandez government’s priorities, but that instead the government assigned priority to the construction of a …

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Engineer Leonel Carrasco, sub-director of evaluation and communications for OPRET (the government’s transport reorganization office in charge of the construction of the Metro) attributed geologist Osiris de Leon’s comments yesterday to a lack of information about the real reason why construction on the Metro has been stopped. In yesterday’s Diario Libre, de Leon said that …

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The Armed Forces Minister is denying reports that a US military base is being built in the DR, as was reported in many news and media outlets yesterday, and said that doing so would harm the country’s sovereignty. Rear Admiral Hector Lizardo Jorge told Listin Diario that the confusion probably arose when Lieutenant General Ramon …

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The former public works minister during the Hipolito Mejia administration, Miguel Vargas Maldonado continues to make news in Spain. This week’s edition of Dominican online news service, Clave Digital, carries the full text of Madrid newspaper El Mundo coverage on Vargas Maldonado’s business ties with arrested Marbella businessmen, Carlos Sanchez and Andres Leitor. Shared tourism …

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The National Drug Control Department (DNCD) announced the first arrest of a drug deliveryman. As reported in El Caribe, Jonathan Perez Acevedo was arrested at Calle Jose Maria Heredia corner Independencia, Gazcue when he was on his way to make the deliveries. The DNCD said they intercepted 124 calls on Thursday night and early morning …

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Diario Libre reports that Jose Esteban Martinez Pineda, accused of being part of a drug and human trafficking cartel connected to a Colombian ring, has been arrested and is being charged with killing three people and wounding army captain Lizandro Francisco Garcia on 6 August. Martinez didn’t go down easily and it is reported that …

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“Modern Marvels – Tobacco” will air on Wednesday, 8 November at 10pm with scenes and interviews filmed in the DR. “Modern Marvels” is the leading ratings winner for the History Channel and their longest-running show. “Modern Marvels: Tobacco” explores the rich history of the crop, which was first discovered around 18,000 years ago. It filmed …

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Milly Quezada and Michel Camilo proudly represented the Dominican Republic last night at the 7th annual Latin Grammy awards ceremony. Quezada won the award for Best Merengue Album with “MQ” and Camilo won the award for Best Classical Music Album with his recording of Rhapsody in Blue.” As well as winning her award, Quezada lit …

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Finance Minister Vicente Bengoa has announced a budget of RD$200 billion for 2007, RD$38 billion less than the RD$238 billion budgeted for 2006. Revenues for this year have not met the approved budget, and only RD$179 billion are expected by year’s end so the 2007 budget would be approximately RD$21 billion more than the actual …

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