2008 – Page 178

The Institutional Program for Regional Integration (ISPRI) was officially launched during a ceremony at the Hotel Santo Domingo yesterday. The ISPRI will work for the next two years to help the DR transition into the recently signed EPA signed between CARIFORUM and the EU. The ISPRI will have a EUR6 million budget. Of the EUR6 …

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The European Union (EU) will support development in the DR by donating EUR91 million to the fight against poverty and strengthening the health and education sectors. The EU will also donate EUR25 million which will help in the decentralization and reform of the Dominican state. EU economic advisor Jean Marc Ruiz said that eventually the …

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During a 40-minute ceremony at the Presidential Palace, President Leonel Fernandez welcomed four new ambassadors to the DR. Fernandez accepted credentials from Kang Sung-Su from South Korea, Juan Jose Chaux Mosquera from Colombia, Giovanni Rene Castillo Polanco from Guatemala and Tchavdar Miladenov Nikolov from Bulgaria. Fernandez was accompanied by Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso. …

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The recently announced “monitoring” agreement with the IMF will be the DR’s ninth agreement with the international financial institution since 1959 and it is receiving support from the DR’s private sector. According to Diario Libre, the agreement will not entail the disbursement of funds, nor will it involve a revision of the goals as set …

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The DR could be fined heavily for failing to purchase 300 buses that were ordered from Brazil, with a Dominican company, Autozama as its intermediary. The buses were purchased for use by the Metropolitan Bus Service Office (OMSA). Hoy reports that one of the issues holding up the purchase is that the government has yet …

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Last night, after a marathon five-hour meeting, Deputies unanimously recommended that judges Andres Terrero, Henry Mejia, Jose Altagracia Maceo, Julio de Bera, Jose Gregorio, Freddy Almonte Brito, Alcides Benjamin Decena, Luis Yepez Suncar and Juan Adalberto Lora should be put on trial for irregularities at the Chamber of Accounts (CA). The chamber is the government …

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The National Federation of Commercial Retailers that says that 95% of the nation’s small grocery stores, known as colmados, aren’t receiving the subsidized foods that were promised by the government after the 16 May presidential elections, as reported in the Listin Diario. Retail officials say that this is just a question of bad distribution policy …

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Different sectors in the DR are complaining about the lack of change in circulation, making the simple purchase of juice from a street vendor an uncomfortable ordeal. El Caribe writes that representatives from large, medium and small businesses as well as street vendors have all voiced concern about the lack of change. Citizens are also …

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Luis Alberto Solano and Geraldo Nicolas Beltre have been sentenced to 30 years in jail for the 2007 murder of journalist Victor Gulias Vicioso. Manuel Ferran de Paula was sentenced to 20 years for his role in the murders. Gulias was found dead with 42 stab wounds and according to reports, the killers tied Gulias’s …

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Summer is here and it looks to be a hot one. The following tips could be useful as you try to stay cool and save some money: 1) Keep yourself hydrated and drink as much water or sport juice as you can. 2) Stay in the shade as too much sun can be dangerous 3) …

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