2009 – Page 301

The Santo Domingo Classical Music Festival will take place 4-14 March, providing a taster for excellence in classical music to the National Theater. This is the sixth time the Santo Domingo Music Festival is being held, already a tradition in the country. On this occasion, the artistic director of the event, Maestro Philippe Entremont and …

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The government is moving fast on the second line of the metro. According to the Metro Office (OPRET), three companies filed proposals of 20 that had been pre-selected to participate in the tender. The tender was called on 2 December and closed on 30 January, as reported in Diario Libre. As reported, the bidding also …

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The Central Electoral Board (JCE) has authorized that birth certificates and other civil documents be issued regardless of whether there are minor mistakes in the registry books. The interested parties need now only to bring other documents with the correct information. Until this announcement, those needing a document had to obtain corrections through a lengthy …

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The Ministry of Environment has ordered the confiscating of thousands of turtle shell crafts being sold to tourists. There is a ban on the sale of these crafts locally, but the authorities for years have looked the other way. Last week the Ministry of Environment began to confiscate goods at hotel shops, malls and gift …

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Environment Minister Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal swore in leading Santiago businessman Manuel Estrella as the new director of the Pico Diego de Ocampo natural monument. Shortly after being sworn in, Estrella announced his plan for the management and development of the park. Estrella also announced the construction of a roadway from the monument to the …

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The Ministry of Public Health was aware of the marketing of counterfeit anti-tetanus medicines in Dominican pharmacies, a report in El Caribe on Saturday says. The company Farmacuba, Importadora y Exportadora had alerted the Ministry in a letter that counterfeit product with their company name was circulating. El Caribe reports that Andres Montes Perea of …

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Jose Rafael Vargas, president of the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (INDOTEL), has announced that beginning in the second semester of 2009 customers will be able to take their phone numbers with them, if they decide to change service providers. Vargas said the number portability will foster competition that should bring better service.

The Economist Intelligence Unit believes economic growth in the Dominican Republic will be well below the 3% expected by the Central Bank. Anna Szterenfeld, Americas editor for the Economist Intelligence Unit, said that in January they had estimated the Gross Domestic Product would grow 1.8%, but now they have revised this downward. Growth for 2010 …

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Ferries del Caribe has announced it will participate in the construction of its own terminal at the Port of Santo Domingo. The company travels between Mayaguez, Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo, transporting goods and passengers. Nestor Gonzalez, spokesman for Ferries del Caribe, told Hoy newspaper that they would invest US$7 million in the terminal, located …

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An increase in British tourist arrivals and direct investment is strengthening relations between the UK and the DR. According to the British Embassy and the British Chamber of Commerce, Great Britain is the fourth leading direct investor in the DR with a total of US$1 billion. Roberto Herrera, president of the British Chamber of Commerce, …

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