2009 – Page 97

Mariela Castro Espin, daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro arrived in the DR on an official visit yesterday. Castro is currently the director of the National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX) in Cuba. Hoy reports that while in the DR Castro received medical treatment for a cold at the Corazones Unidos clinic. She then met …

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It might be in Santo Domingo East. The Metropolitan Transport Authority (AMET) office in Santo Domingo East has been converted into a motorcycle warehouse. Many of the impounded bikes have been there for about a year without being claimed by their owners. Nearly 1,000 small bikes are being kept in the back yard. Alberto Rosa …

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The European Union has donated RD$15 million to the Dominican Red Cross. RD$4.3 million of the funds will be used for a water treatment plant in the border communities of Pedro-Santana-Banica and Sabana Cruz. Dominican Red Cross director Ligia Leroux said the project should be ready in four months. The Red Cross will also include …

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17 deaths have been directly attributed to the Ah1N1 virus, also known as the swine flu, out of 398 confirmed cases. Most flu victims have been under the age of 29. The National Epidemiology Department says that most (88%) of these deaths have occurred in women. Of the total amount of infected cases, only 172 …

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There are an estimated 436,000 child laborers in the DR. What is most alarming is that of the workers, 240,000 are between the ages of 5 and 13. The breakdown by age is: 191,840 – 10 and 14 years 152,600 – 15 and 17 years 91,560 – 5 and 9 years Of these 436,000 children, …

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The debate around Article 30 of the new Dominican Constitution has yet to be resolved in the DR and now even Amnesty International is throwing its two cents into the arena. The international human rights group has published a call to Dominican legislators on its website, asking them to reconsider passing certain parts of the …

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Friar Santiago Batista says what the statistics have been telling Dominican society for years: that the sex education currently being provided has not given children clear guidance on sex, which should provide them with the knowledge to prevent unwanted pregnancies and abortions. “There is a mea culpa and the Church needs to develop stronger relationships, …

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According to Listin Diario, when Hector Rodriguez Pimentel, a PRSC politician, was at the helm of the Dominican Hydraulic Resources Institute (INDRHI) the payroll increased by 78%, going from RD$32 million to RD$57 million during his tenure. As part of an effort to reduce INDRHI’s budget, new director Frank Rodriguez has dismissed many employees who …

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The seizure of US$4.6 million in cash from a Mercedes Benz SUV in a luxury apartment building in Santo Domingo last week is making waves. District Prosecutor Alejandro Moscoso Segarra says that Jose D. Figueroa Agosto, the man identified as the owner of the cash, must have been protected by high-ranking Dominicans. He said that …

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A gang of prisoners from San Francisco de Macoris jail is suspected of operating a scam that duped journalist Alicia Ortega’s maid into giving thieves an undisclosed amount of money and jewels. Hoy reports that Ernesto Alcantara, Jose Guzman Paulino and Garibaldy Nunez led the gang from jail and used Yudelka Hidalgo as their accomplice …

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