2006 – Page 93

The contract that would hand over the inspection of all vehicles in the Dominican Republic to a Spanish company is not going to be approved, according to Public Works Minister Freddy Perez. According to Perez, the contract will be rejected because of clauses that will hurt the nation’s finances. The news comes after a series …

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The government body that coordinates the electricity system informed the media yesterday that the blackouts have not ceased, despite the increase in energy production. A total of 1,500 megawatts were produced, but reports from different parts of the country told of eight to ten-hour blackouts. According to the Superintendent of Electricity (SIE), the problem resides …

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After weeks of positive reports from the Police and security services, it appears that the effects of last July’s Presidential decrees are wearing off. Today’s newspapers are reporting a renewal of violence at pre-decree levels. Three people were killed on the Padre Castellanos Avenue in Santo Domingo, in a confusing incident that the police have …

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Official figures for the 2006 dengue outbreak are now pegged at 3,933 cases and 37 deaths, according to the National Epidemics Center (DNE). This is the most serious outbreak in recent years, far surpassing the 2003 epidemic. Even the country’s richer and more famous citizens are not immune to the virus carried by the Aedes …

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Despite the prosecutor’s request for an indefinite closure order for the Praia nightclub, the judge handling the case, Roman Berroa Hiciano, has ordered a three-month closure. The magistrate said that this should give the investigators enough time to make their case and to study the events surrounding the death of student Pura Nunez on 16 …

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Pressure from milk producers and from the milk industry is trying to adjust the assignment of the quotas for importing milk. Yesterday, the Dominican Dairy Producers Association (APROLECHE) and the National Cattle Farmers Association joined forces to urge the government to take over the import of powdered milk coming from Europe and to make the …

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The District Attorney for the National District, Jose Manuel Hernandez, has received the proof of malfeasance by the Ministry of Education under Milagros Ortiz Bosch from current minister Alejandrina German. Although Ortiz Bosch told Hoy reporters that the case would not “tarnish her reputation”, German and her staff are filing a complaint stating that over …

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The recent furor caused by the discovery of the allegedly forged signature of one of the magistrates involved in the Plan Renove fraud case on a letter purporting to express willingness to accept a bribe was further heightened yesterday as Pedro Franco Badia, one of the accused, explained at a press conference how he came …

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The National Department for the Control of Drugs (DNCD) has arrested 47 suspected drug dealers and removed 49 packets of cocaine, crack, and marijuana after several drug raids in Santo Domingo and other parts of the country. The DNCD’s raids spread all the way to the Samana province where the police were able to confiscate …

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According to the executive vice president of the Association for Health Risks Administrators (ADARS) Jose Cruz Pichardo, 25% of the Dominican population doesn’t have the proper identification, which translates into more than 2 million people. Two representatives for the National Social Security program said that the large number of undocumented Dominicans is a major hurdle …

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