2009 – Page 180

A 10-year old boy allegedly carrying 8.1 grams of cocaine and 2.7 grams of crack in his underwear was arrested by drug enforcement agents on Friday, 19 June. The DNCD reported the arrest in Hoyo de Gurabito, in Santiago. Also arrested for investigation were Jose Raul Felix Gomez and Rafael Rivas Urena. Hoy newspaper quoted …

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Despite continued efforts to reduce the number of violent deaths in the DR, the Attorney General’s Office has revealed that there have been 781 violent deaths so far this year, of which 295 were directly linked to violent crimes. This compares to 774 violent deaths for the same period in 2008. Nightclub disputes, family conflicts, …

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The DR has won the Pan Am Masters Judo Championship. Dominican judo athletes won 11 first places, 5 silvers and 2 bronzes. Haiti was second with three golds, three silvers and five bronzes, followed by Brazil with two golds, three silvers and five bronzes. Also competing were athletes from Bolivia, Venezuela, Chile, Nicaragua and Panama. …

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Dominican slugger Albert Pujols is continuing his incredible 2009 campaign. His performance for the year is hyping up talk of an MVP season and he could be in line for much more. “El Hombre” as he known in St. Louis, swatted two balls out of the park yesterday, during a 12-5 pounding of inter-city rivals …

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President Leonel Fernandez has inaugurated the second phase of a water treatment plant and other works connected to the Eastern Salinity Barrier aqueduct in the community of El Naranjo in the San Luis section of Santo Domingo East. The aqueduct is expected to provide water service for at least 100 sectors in eastern Santo Domingo. …

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During a meeting with members of the government’s ethics committees, President Leonel Fernandez admitted that public administration in the DR is lacking in the organization and discipline that would make public institutions more efficient in meeting the country’s needs. He added that public institutions are missing a uniform system, similar to that of the private …

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Government commercial bank BanReservas and the Import Export Bank of Taiwan have signed a financing agreement that will allow credit options for Dominican businesses that purchase goods or services from Taiwan. Importers will have up to five years in financing for the import of goods such as raw materials or finished products, during which the …

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The National Business Council (Conep) has described the purchase of 49% stock in the Dominican Oil Refinery (Refidomsa) by Venezuela’s PDVSA as “too risky”. Conep president Lisandro Macarulla expressed his concern that the deal could affect the nation’s petroleum supply and mentioned Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s track record against free enterprise in his own country. …

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Despite the growing clamors for transparency in the 49% sale of Refidomsa to Venezuela, supporters of the initiative say the sale could be extremely positive for the DR as the country could become a regional center for the production of petroleum derived products. Listin Diario reports that the refinery currently only processes 32,000 barrels of …

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The violence in the northern town of Navarrete continued as protestors and law enforcement faced off over the death of a young protestor earlier this week. The situation in Navarrete can only be described as tense with one unidentified protestor throwing a homemade bomb at a police station. The bomb hit a vehicle but did …

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