2009 – Page 5

The National Drug Council’s (CND) budget for 2010 will be greatly reduced, according to Council director Mabel Feliz Baez. According to Baez the CND will receive RD$64 million in 2010. Baez made her comments during an event with Taiwanese ambassador to the DR, Isaac Tsaic. The ambassador presented the CND with a US$15 million donation. …

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Officials have confirmed they have uncovered a plot to murder Major General Rolando Rosado Mateo, chief of the National Drug Control Department (DNCD). Rumors that Rosado was in danger had been floating around for some time, but drug officials were reluctant to confirm or deny them. Listin Diario reports that the plot to kill Rosado …

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“I’ll die when I want and not when they want.” These were the words of Dominican actor, comedian and producer Luisito Marti, who is currently in a hospital in Tijuana, Mexico. Some reports claimed that Marti had died but his sons have emphatically denied the rumors, saying their father was alive. His son Luisin says …

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2009 was the year of the international financial crisis. In the DR, the Department of Taxes said there was a marked reduction in tax collections, reflecting a decline in sales in the formal sector. It was also a year when corruption in government scandals, drug trafficking and money laundering scandals also made frequent headlines. But …

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A Christmas artistic installation by Pedro Voight is on public display at the Columbus Palace (Alcazar de Colon) at Plaza Espana in the Colonial City. It can be viewed from Monday, 30 December through Sunday 10 January.

The Santo Domingo Cathedral Choir presents its Christmas Concert on Christmas Day. The caroling begins at 8pm sharp because it is a TV production. In order to get seats, be sure to arrive no later than 7pm because it is a very popular event. For more on events for Christmas and the New Year, see …

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The baseball season has come to an end with some surprises for baseball fans. After three years of futility, the Escogido have finally regained some of their championship swagger, while the Aguilas, a yearly favorite for a championship, were left out of the post-season round robin. Some things remained the same in this year’s tournament …

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Haitian President Rene Preval confirmed he would visit Santo Domingo in the first week of January. He made the announcement after an hour and a half meeting with Economy, Planning and Development Minister Temistocles Montas in Haiti. Preval accepted the invitation to come with Prime Minister Jean-Max Belerive. During the meeting, Montas was accompanied by …

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The Chamber of Deputies will review the 2010 National Budget this Tuesday. The Senate approved the budget proposal received from the Executive Branch on Thursday, after two consecutive readings, without changes. The Budget totals RD$378,997,500,000 after an agreement reached between Hacienda Minister Vicente Bengoa and Central Bank governor Hector Valdez Albizu on resources for the …

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Beginning today, the government will disburse RD$6 billion in salaries for the month of December through the Banco de Reservas. This follows the Christmas bonus or 13th salary that was paid starting 10 December, as reported in El Nuevo Diario. The newspaper reports that so far, all government employees except those who work at the …

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