2007 – Page 318

Yesterday, Microsoft Dominicana announced that they would be donating US$1.9 million (RD$64 million) in order to buy licensed software for the computer centers that the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel) is building throughout the country. The donation was made through the Esperanza Internacional foundation. Ex-Major League Baseball player Dave Valle is the foundation’s president. The …

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Miguel Vargas Maldonado and Milagros Ortiz Bosch have spent a total of RD$87.6 million on their campaigns for the PRD presidential nominations. Ortiz has spent RD$35.3 million so far while Vargas Maldonado has spent RD$52.2 million on his campaign. This unlimited spending has forced Central Electoral Board (JCE) President Julio Cesar Castanos Guzman to call …

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Yesterday drivers gave the public a taste of what could happen next Tuesday if the government doesn’t give in to the transport unions’ demand for a fare subsidy. Many Santo Domingo drivers suspended their services for four hours between 6am and 10pm, leaving many commuters frustrated and looking for alternative ways to get to their …

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Members of a supposed mafia that swindled 270 people out of over RD$30 million have been sent to a pre-trial hearing to determine the date and place for their court case. The mafia had promised the group a trip to Spain at a cost of EUR3,000 per person. When the day came for the group …

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Over 4,000 Haitians were repatriated in the first 20 days of the new year. Reports from the National Police and the J-2 intelligence unit indicate that between 150 and 225 Haitians are repatriated daily. Most illegal Haitians entering the country cross the border at Dajabon, Pedernales and Jimani. Diario Libre writes that this increase in …

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Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez could be going home either today or early Wednesday morning. The Cardinal has been satisfactorily recovering after having triple bypass surgery at the capital’s CEDIMAT health center last Wednesday. Doctors explained that once the Cardinal returns home he shouldn’t drive or life heavy objects so that the sternum can …

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A report released by Columbia University Medical Center shows that more Dominicans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease than any other ethnic group in New York City’s Washington Heights area. The study included 350 families and a total of 1,800 people, half of whom suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. The preliminary report studied family members in New York …

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Things are getting mighty ugly mighty quick for Licey as the baseball finals roll on. Yesterday Licey lost to the Aguilas 7-2, giving the Aguilas a 3-1 series lead, and putting Licey in a must-win situation tonight. The Aguilas only need two more victories in this best of nine series to clinch this year’s crown. …

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The Forum for Dominican Educational Excellence ended last Friday, and among its conclusions was a unanimous request that the current constitutional reform process should include education as a national priority and that the percentage of the GDP that is allocated to education be consecrated in the country’s constitution. According to Diario Libre, the forum’s fourteen-point …

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Major farm items showed a marked increase in production during 2006, according the latest information published by the Ministry of Agriculture. Marked by a near seven-point jump in its contribution to the national GDP, going from 7.3% to 14%, the farming sector was assisted by financing from both public and private sources. Some of the …

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