2009 – Page 92

Dominican citizens will not be able to sue the government for violation of the Constitution. The PLD and PRD political parties agreed to remove this prerogative from the Constitution. The political parties justified the decision on the grounds that “not every citizen enjoys this right. In order to try the action on unconstitutional issues, one …

Read more…

Community leaders in Cabarete are marveling at the pristine, empty beaches the Ministry of Tourism is featuring in its new advertising campaign. But they warn that the advertising is misleading, as the reality is quite different in many Dominican beaches, besieged by conflicting developer interests. Long-timers from Cabarete are concerned that President Leonel Fernandez may …

Read more…

Supermarket chain La Cadena is introducing biodegradable shopping bags to the Dominican market. Recently, Price Mart also announced their decision to stop providing customers with plastic bags. At Price Mart, shoppers now have to buy a reusable bag or just pack their goods into their vehicles. La Cadena says their bags can hold up to …

Read more…

Prominent cattle rancher and former president of the Dominican Association of Ranchers and Farmers, Cesareo Contreras, has complained that traders are selling “milk that is not milk and cheese that is not cheese.” He called on the authorities and the Consumer Protection Institute to act on the case, and demanded labels that describe the contents. …

Read more…

More than 2,600 police agents and 48 assistant prosecutors took to the streets over the weekend in a large swoop against crime and drug distribution in the National District and Santo Domingo province. They carried out over 200 searches looking for people accused of murder, armed robberies, swindles and drug trafficking. In one day, over …

Read more…

Two people have been arrested and charged with stealing thousands of pesos from the Banco Popular Dominicano (BPD) through fraudulent electronic manipulations. Alex Perez Castro and Jose Joaquin Rodriguez Ramirez were apprehended by agents from the National Police High Technology Crime Unit as they tried to withdraw RD$35,000 from the BPD branch located at the …

Read more…

The Dominican Republic overcame a 1-2 deficit and defeated Venezuela 3-2 in the Zonal Finals of the Group II Davis Cup eliminations. The victory allows the country to move to Group I competition. The matches took place at the Santo Domingo Tennis Club. This is the first time the DR team moves to Group I …

Read more…

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has appointed Dominican First Lady Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez as one of its Goodwill Ambassadors along with US Olympic champion Carl Lewis, French fashion designer Pierre Cardin, Colombian singer/songwriter Fanny Lu and Indonesian singer/songwriter Anggun. The FAO said that Dominican President Leonel Fernandez’s wife will receive the …

Read more…

Call in to gripe. President Leonel Fernandez inaugurated the government complaints line last night. Citizens can now report problems and make complaints by telephone or Internet 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Fernandez cut the symbolic ribbon and launched the 311 System in the Cariatides Hall of the Presidential Palace. Present were his …

Read more…

The executive vice-president of the State-owned Electricity Companies (CDEEE), Celso Marranzini, has announced a series of scheduled blackouts. He said by programming them, the blackouts would be fairer and more evenly distributed nationwide. He said blackouts will continue because there is just not enough money to pay the generators, which are thus supplying 80% of …

Read more…