2008 – Page 317

President Leonel Fernandez and the Ministry of Youth awarded the National Youth Award to 30-year old Roosevelt Montas, a Dominican who lives in New York City. Born in San Cristobal, Roosevelt Montas moved to the US as a young teenager and learned English at the age of 12. He is currently a lecturer at the …

Read more…

The DR has seen a 54% reduction in the infant mortality rate in children under five years old. The DR is now sixth on the list of 18 underdeveloped countries in this category. Malnutrition is blamed for at least 50% of infant deaths, while pneumonia was the cause in 19% of deaths and childhood illnesses …

Read more…

The Dominican mission that went to Haiti earlier this week was unsuccessful in convincing the Haitian government to lift the ban on Dominican chicken and egg imports. Haiti announced it would be sending a second mission of technicians to study the situation in the DR. Agriculture Minister Salvador Jimenez was accompanied in Haiti by Dominican …

Read more…

The Social Security Treasury (TSS) has begun the process of giving the Health Risk Administrators (ARS) RD$933,393,000 for services rendered in January. The payment was made to 1,511,121 affiliates for a sum of RD$620 per affiliate. El Caribe writes that RD$18,826,000 was paid to the National Traffic Accident Fund. ARS vice president Jose Cruz confirmed …

Read more…

The European Union, under the newly signed Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) will guarantee preferential treatment for the DR for 30,000 metric tons of its sugar. EU country spokesman Jonathan Pitts said that the DR has become extremely competitive in the area of sugar. The CARICOM block, as part of the agreement, will have preferential treatment …

Read more…

The president of the Dominican Medical Association says that physicians working at the country’s public hospitals plan to campaign for the authorities to increase their wages to RD$58,400, up from the maximum RD$24,000 that a specialist currently earns. The campaign comes on the tails of complaints of high wages for legislative, municipal and central government …

Read more…

In true political fashion PLD officials answered a question with a question. At a press conference yesterday leading party members, including Senate president Reinado Pared Perez and Fernandez campaign manager Francisco Javier Garcia asked the PRD presidential candidate Miguel Vargas Maldonado to explain his connection with a money laundering and drug trafficking case currently being …

Read more…

Eight of the police officers who were injured earlier this week when an elevator at the Malecon Center dropped seven floors have been sent home from the hospital. El Caribe reports that the officers with the more serious injuries were two officers who are being treated for fractures in their legs. Malecon Center administrator Porfirio …

Read more…

Business owners are defending the use of signs that absolve establishments from liability in case of damage or theft of a vehicle, on the grounds that there would be an increase in car theft without them. Malecon Center administrator Porfirio Rodriguez, quoted in Listin Diario, said that if businesses didn’t put up these signs people …

Read more…

Super Pola is advertising sales in its fish and seafood department and super-sales in its poultry products, with a pound of frozen chicken reduced to RD$16.95, and chicken breasts down to RD$39.95lb. La Isla is advertising 35% off towels, sheets, lamps and accessories and 50% off select textiles for upholstery on Friday 1, Saturday 2 …

Read more…