2007 – Page 336

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce will set up an advisory office for DR-CAFTA tofor businesspeople and government so that new legislation and ventures comply with DR-CAFTA rules and regulations. Industry and Commerce Minister Francisco Javier Garcia specified that this office would be responsible for reviewing all bills prior to these being sent to Congress …

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Industry and Commerce Minister Francisco Javier Garcia has announced that the announced increase in the price of gasoline will be phased in over a four-week period so that consumers don’t feel the burden of the increases immediately. The price increase is part of the government’s new fiscal reform plan and will raise the price of …

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The Chamber of Deputies will be reviewing the latest proposed loans for the Santo Domingo Metro. The loans, which were ratified by the Senate last week are for EUR53,841,261. These funds will be used for the purchase of electro-mechanical equipment for line 1 of the Metro and were secured with the cooperation of the French …

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Amidst complaints and scenes of patients waiting in hospital hallways, some in bed, sometimes not, it has been announced that the remodeling and amplification of the emergency room and intensive care units at the Dario Contreras hospital will be resumed. The Department of Health made the announcement through sub-director of Personnel Hector Otero and hospital …

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The Spanish Attorney general Candido Conde called in on President Leonel Fernandez yesterday and discussed plans to strengthen cooperation between the Dominican and Spanish justice systems. Conde also discussed his willingness to share information and expertise about the advances the Spanish have made in fighting corruption, drug trafficking and organized crime with Dominican prosecutors. Conde …

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Eight new ambassadors presented their credentials in December. These are: Patricia Fortier (Canada), Ian Alan Worthington (United Kingdom), Herman Portocarero (Belgium), Luis Emilio Sierra Grajales (Colombia), George B. Reyes (Philippines), Olexandr Gnyedykh (Ukraine), and Olufolajimi Modupe Akintola (Nigeria) and Maria Eugenia Nunez Madriz (Costa Rica). The new United Kingdom ambassador, Ian Alan Worthington was born …

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US President George Bush has chosen Paul Robert Fannin to replace Hans Hertell, who served as ambassador to the Dominican Republic since 2001. The appointment is pending approval by the US Senate. Fannin, who has served as chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, would be a political appointee like his predecessor Hans Hertell. Furthermore, Fannin …

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Diario Libre reports that two Dominican registered planes en route from Cancun, Mexico landed without permission in the northern Guatemalan province of Peten. The illegal landings were recorded at 1pm (07:00 GMT) and just the pilots were on board. No reason for the landings has been released.

Immigration officials are reporting the arrest of 280 Haitians who tried to cross over to the Dominican Republic at the northwestern border town of Manzanillo. This brings the total number of illegal immigrants detained to 1,700 in the last few days. Of the 280 intercepted, 175 were men.

Three of the people involved in the theft of US$759,000 worth of jewelry and cash from George’s jewelry store in Santo Domingo’s Piantini district on 9 December last year have been sent to the Victoria prison on a temporary basis. The trio, named as Julio Cesar Diaz Caridad, Juan Manuel Diaz Carrasco and Cesar Michel …

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