2009 – Page 332

Dominican immigrant Elsa Mantilla will be sworn in as deputy-mayor of Paterson, New Jersey on Friday. She is a clothes boutique owner and will be the first Dominican ever to hold that post. Mantilla says she will use her roots to strengthen the links between the city office and the local Latino community. She is …

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Five Dominicans are listed in USA Today’s Sports Weekly 2008 25-man roster. The yearly list features some of the best talent in baseball, and includes perennial Dominican All-stars Albert Pujols and Manny Ramirez as well as young stars Hanley Ramirez, Ervin Santana and Carlos Marmol. According to USA Today, “this is not an all-star team …

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The Executive Branch has officially named 2009 as the Year of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Juan Bosch, the late poet, novelist and thinker who served as President of the Dominican Republic for seven months (Feb-Sept 1963) and founded the ruling PLD party. Decree 247-08 highlights that Bosch is an unsurpassable point of …

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President Leonel Fernandez traveled to Puerto Rico on Friday, 2 January to attend the inauguration ceremony for the new Governor of Puerto Rico Luis Fortuno in San Juan. Fernandez returned home the next day. He traveled with Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso, Presidency Minister Cesar Pina Toribio, legal advisor Abel Rodriguez del Orbe and …

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The free Metro rides program concluded yesterday, with officials labeling it a successful three-week test run during the holidays. Officials will now evaluate the three-week program and fine-tune the operation before officially opening the Metro to the public at a yet to be confirmed date. Transport Reorganization Office (OPRET) official Leonel Carrasco praised passengers’ good …

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As of Friday, 2 January, Central Bank announced cuts in the overnight deposit interest from 9.5% to 8.5%. The bank also announced a 2% drop in the so-called Lombarda interest rate, from 16 to 14%. In a press release, the Central Bank says the measure marks the start of a downward trend that will continue …

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The Central Bank reports that inflation during the last quarter of 2008 fell by 5.63% due to the decrease in international petroleum prices. Due to this decrease in quarterly inflation, the accumulated inflation for 2008 registered at 4.52%, which is the lowest in seven years and almost half of the 2008 inflation rate of 8.8%. …

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The headline is correct and Dominican metal exports are up, according to the Dominican Republic Center for Exports and Investment (CEI-RD). During the first 10 months of 2008 the DR exported US$44.6 million in metal for a 40.3% growth rate. In 2007 the DR only exported US$31.8 million worth of metals. Metal exports make up …

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The Department of Taxes (DGII) expects to collect upwards of RD$7 billion more in 2009 than in 2008, thanks to new programs that will be implemented this year. One of the new programs, involving the installation of cash registers directly linked to the DGII at leading stores nationwide will be fully in effect in July …

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The Dominican government continues to strengthen its position as the country’s leading employer. El Caribe reports that while in December 2004, six months into the change of administration from the PRD to the PLD, the number of paid posts in central government increased from 287,275 to 410,861. According to the Social Security Treasury Department, another …

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