2008 – Page 105

Dominican-American soldier Luis Felix Nieves, who was killed in Iraq on 28 August, will be buried at the Cristo Redentor Cemetery in Santo Domingo today. Nieves’s body arrived at the San Isidro Air Force Base and was handed over to his family. His mother Lorenza Retman commented that her son was only 27 years of …

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More than 4% of Dominicans suffer from glaucoma and according to Dr. Tomas Vargas, president of the Institute Against Blindness, 50% of those who have the disease are unaware they are affected. Vargas encouraged citizens, especially adults over 40, to get regular checkups. Listin Diario reports that a study carried out between 2003 and 2008 …

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The Weather Department predicts that rains will continue over the DR on Thursday and Friday. The Emergency Operations Center (COE) has maintained a red alert for 15 provinces due to the risk of rains and mudslides. COE director Juan Manuel Mendez says that the rains over the last few days resulted in 17,140 people evacuated, …

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The Dominican Olympic Committee (COD) will not file an official grievance on behalf of taekwondo fighter Gabriel Mercedes, who won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics. Nevertheless, the Dominican Taekwondo Federation said it would file a grievance with the international taekwondo ruling body. The decision was made despite reports in Mexican newspapers that Mexican …

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The Central Electoral Board announced the start of renewals for the identity and voting card (cedula) as of 3 November. 6.1 million citizens need to obtain the new “cedulas” in order to vote. The new IDs will contain digital fingerprints and other biometric information, a photograph and signature. The deadline for renewing the IDs is …

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The Dominican Republic has placed among the top Doing Business reformers, according to a report by the World Bank. Nevertheless, the DR is ranked 97th of 181 countries, including 32 in Latin America and the Caribbean, showing there is room for much more improvement. Data in the Doing Business 2009 report is current to 1 …

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The Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic proposes that the government make major changes in its focus on the electricity sector. The AIRD says that government intervention in the sector has failed. AIRD indicates that the electricity market now is a major source of losses for the state, has contributed to an increase in …

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President Leonel Fernandez met for three hours at the Presidential Palace with members of the National Council for Democratic Security and agreed to re-launch the Safe Barrio Program and support a reform to the Law on Drugs 50-88 that dates back 20 years. Present at the meeting were Secretary of the Presidency Cesar Pina Toribio, …

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Former Peravia police commander, General Hilario Gonzalez has sued Peravia Senator Wilton Guerrero for defamation. Gonzalez is asking for a year in prison sentence and RD$50 million in indemnity. Furthermore, General Gonzalez denies that he was a “compadre” to attorney general Radhames Jimenez (meaning he was the godfather of a child of Jimenez). The General …

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Senator Wilton Guerrero says that if the PLD Political Committee is going to meet to hear his claims against General Hilario Gonzalez, then attorney general Radhames Jimenez Pena should be present. He has accused Jimenez Pena of not investigating his earlier drug dealer claims in Bani and ignoring documentation he presented two years ago on …

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