2009 – Page 164

The Ministry of Tourism has announced that the Santo Domingo Merengue Festival will be held on 23-26 July. This is a lively celebration of merengue music with free live performances by leading bands. See www.dr1.com/calendar for more upcoming events.  

The government’s economic team is optimistic that the measures adopted by the monetary authorities to try and diminish the impact of the financial downturn are already having a positive effect on the economy. The team said they are seeing signs of improved economic activity. The worldwide economic recession caused a marked economic slowdown in the …

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The Fernandez administration cabinet met yesterday at the Presidential Palace, amidst major criticisms for corruption scandals in government, most disclosed by TV journalists. The many government institutions that were created to combat corruption in government – Chamber of Accounts, Commision of Ethics, Department for the Persecution of Administrative Corruption (DPCA) have remained mute regarding the …

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Rafael Abreu, spokesperson for the National Council of Syndicate Unity (CNUS), said that if management and government impose a 15% increase in the minimum wage, retroactive to last 1 June, the labor sector would challenge it immediately. Labor wants the wage increase for minimum wage earners to be retroactive to 1April. Today at 9:30am, management, …

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John F. Kennedy Avenue will be closed this Wednesday between Nunez de Caceres and Dr. Defillo, and President Leonel Fernandez will head the ceremonies to start the US$163 million Duarte Corridor project. The project is slated to take 2 years. The Public Works Ministry reported that the roadway will be closed to traffic from 8am …

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The government of Japan will have up to US$3 million available through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for funding a sustainable development and training tourism project in Puerto Plata. The Project for Sustainable Tourism is a pilot program that unites the private sector with the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Economy (SEEPYD) and …

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Last week the DR took another step in the process of extending its diplomatic relations beyond the limits of the Caribbean and Latin America. Dominican ambassador to the UK Anibal de Castro presented his diplomatic credentials to Irish President Mary McAleese. De Castro is the first Dominican ambassador to Ireland. The ceremony was held at …

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Writing in Hoy, Miguel A. Paredes suggests the elimination of the standardized National Tests. The Ministry of Education obliges the exams for 8th and 12th grade students as a requisite for moving up to the next grade. They have been tested in language, social sciences, math and natural sciences since the 1990s. However, according to …

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Construction of the International Airport at La Isabela (AILI) is a casebook study on how improvisation, legal and contractual violations, as well as very serious financial irregularities can bring construction of a government project costs to run 229% over budget, according to the audit by the Chamber of Accounts (CC). One of the most scandalous …

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The State Sugar Council (CEA) leased 23,822 tareas (14,980,789 square meters) of the land outside the Los Haitises National Park to the Consorcio Minero Dominicano for cement plant operation for US$83,376 a year, or US$3.5 per tarea (tarea=629 square meters). The mining company is authorized to install its plant and extract material from the area, …

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