2009 – Page 265

New Navy chief Vice Admiral Homero Lajara Sola has announced the arrest of a suspected smuggling ring in the eastern province of La Altagracia. The group was arrested after trying to bribe a member of the navy with RD$300,000 and a 2009 Mitsubishi Montero in return for being able to continue with their operations. Lajara …

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The career of choice for most Dominican students is still law, and Listin Diario reports that the Supreme Court of Justice (SPJ) has admitted 22,033 new lawyers since 1997. Around 20,000 students are currently studying law and 35,920 lawyers are registered with the Dominican Lawyers Association. The newspaper adds that since January 2008, 2,404 new …

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According to Marcos Polanco, director of the Dominican Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SODOPRECA) there are 250 street horses in Santo Domingo alone and over 300,000 stray dogs nationally, 60,000 of which are located in the capital. Polanco said that many street horses are forced to carry heavy loads and not given …

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Despite global concerns about a looming financial crisis, unemployment and other day-to-day worries, Dominicans are still drinking lots of beer. Listin Diario reports that beer sales grew 14% in February, citing statistics from the Tax Department (DGII). The DGII says that revenues produced by the selective tax on consumption (ISC) grew by 14.3%. The DGII …

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31 Puerto Plata cops who are being prosecuted for suspected ties with drug traffickers in the area were freed over the weekend by order of Penal Court judge Rosa Francia Liriano, who stated that state prosecutors had failed to comply fully with procedure laws. The commissions investigating the corruption scandals in Puerto Plata and Bonao …

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It’s the never-ending story with slugger Manny Ramirez who is now reportedly recovering from a sore left hamstring. Ramirez says he originally aggravated the hammy while playing in his first game in left field for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 36-old Ramirez joked that he might be getting old saying, “Maybe age is catching up …

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Dominican-American basketball player Edgar Sosa is leading the heavily favored Louisville Cardinals into this year’s NCAA Tournament, also known as March Madness. The Cardinals are the tournament’s number one overall seeded team and are heavy favorites to take this year’s championship trophy. Led by Sosa, the Cardinals posted a 28-5 record and won this year’s …

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The National Drama Festival opens today with performances at the Sala Ravelo at the National Theater, the Teatro Monina Sola at the Centro Cultural Narciso Gonzalez, Teatro Guloya, Teatro Luna and Palace of the Arts (Bellas Artes). Several leading drama groups, including Teatro Rodante Dominicano (Carlota Carretero), Teatro La Veladora (Radhames Polanco), Teatro Guloya, Giovanny …

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Legendary Puerto Rican balladeer Danny Rivera, who became a Dominican citizen in 2008, has been appointed director of the Sierra de Bahoruco National Park and godfather of the Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve (that includes Bahia de las Aguilas), declared by the UNESCO in 2002. He was sworn in yesterday by Enrivonment Minister Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal. …

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Yesterday, President Leonel Fernandez inaugurated the Dominican Aeronautical Complex, which was built at a cost of RD$676.4 million. The complex will house the offices of the Aeronautical Sciences Academy (ASCA) and the Air Navigation Department. The complex is located at Las Americas International Airport and was built with the cooperation of the Civil Aviation Institute, …

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