2009 – Page 185

In El Mamey, Los Hidalgos, in the Septentrional (northern) Mountains, a farmer has been killed and four others suffered burns as a result of a lightning strike in Romerico in the municipality of Mamey, according to the National Police. The victim was identified as Romulo Brito, 60, who was killed by the massive electrical discharge. …

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All today’s newspapers feature dramatic photos showing the land sloughing away in the barrio of Los Guandules in Santiago de los Caballeros, built in a vulnerable area. The first major movement came at 4:14am, and caused 15 very humble homes to crumple to the ground or be seriously damaged. The Los Guandules barrio is on …

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Last week the Dominican national volleyball team won the right to compete in the World Volleyball Championship, scheduled for Japan in 2010. The DR team won the Norceca-D third-round tournament held in Santiago de los Caballeros. Milagros Cabral, Bethania de la Cruz and Priscila Rivera were praised for their excellent game. This is the sixth …

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The Santo Domingo International Marathon and the 14th Half Marathon Hispaniola, a 21 km race will be run on Sunday, 28 June at the Mirador. It is sponsored by Lowenbrau. More than RD$700,000 in cash prizes will be distributed to the winners. Runners have already registered from Kenya, Ethiopia, US, Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, Puerto Rico, …

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President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela will be visiting the DR to take part in the ceremonies to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dominican intellectual, writer and politician Juan Bosch, founder of the ruling PLD party. The celebrations are scheduled for 30 June 2009. Diario Libre reports on Chavez’s planned attendance and comments …

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News reports indicate that the Fernandez government has agreed to sell a 49% share in the Dominican Petroleum Refinery to Venezuela’s PDVSA. A commission to finalize the deal is expected in Santo Domingo this week. Earlier this year the government finalized the purchase of the Shell Company’s shares in the refinery. Speaking in Basseterre, St. …

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Economist Henri Hebrard says the government needs to revise the national budget now, due to the significant declines in revenue. He gave a talk on “The Seven Plagues of the Global Crisis – Challenges and Opportunities for the DR” at the Alliance Francaise. Hebrard suggests that priority should be given to small infrastructure works that …

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Hacienda Minister Vicente Bengoa announced last week that the government would be sending to Congress a request for authorization to issue US$1 billion in sovereign bonds to balance the National Budget. Bengoa sees this as the best solution to the deficit in the National Budget, due to falling tax revenues. Bengoa announced that the request …

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Pedro Perez, president of the National Organization of Commercial Stores (ONEC) has cautioned against the issuing of sovereign bonds, as reported in Diario Libre. He said more debt is not the solution, because it is not known if the money would be allocated to current spending or to productive infrastructure works that generate jobs and …

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Speaking at a meeting on Migration Policy and Experiences in Regularization Processes at the Ministry of Foreign Relations, Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso said that amnesty processes do not resolve the problem of illegal immigration. He stated that they do not address the fact that the situation that needs to be resolved then repeats itself …

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