2011 – Page 248

Family members of murdered police lieutenant Virgilio Casilla Minaya, who died on 21 January in Los Alcarrizos, are challenging the official police report that says his assailants sought to rob him. His wife Mercedes Lugo Espinosa and his sister Leoncio Casilla Minaya dispute that the motive of the crime was to steal his gold chain …

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In its second year, the Major League Baseball-Dominican Development Alliance held an event attended by Dominican MLB players, US Embassy staff, the participating civic organizations and community groups. The Alliance brings together the USAID, Batey Relief Alliance (BRA), Esperanza International, IDDI, Plan International DR and Save the Children (FUDECO) to carry out community projects. Also …

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The Embassy of France reports that as of Monday, 1 February all applicants for visas to travel to France (Schengen visa) need to make an appointment in advance by calling 809 976-2444. The cost of the appointment is RD$350, which will be charged to the caller’s telephone bill. For information in French and Spanish on …

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The latest Dominican-made comedy film, Lotoman, starring Raymond Pozo and Miguel Cespedes has been seen by 150,000 moviegoers in its first week. The film is now expected to be seen by over half a million viewers in the DR. The new comedy did not receive good reviews from local critics, but feedback from viewers has …

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Now in its eighth version, the Santo Domingo Music Festival opens at the National Theater on 2 March with a 10-day program of events. The festival, which is organized by renowned French orchestra conductor and pianist, maestro Phillippe Entremont, has taken place every two years since 1995. This year’s program includes Michel Camilo, with the …

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In an address to the UNCTAD in Geneva yesterday, President Leonel Fernandez spoke of the negative effects of speculation on commodity prices worldwide. President Fernandez is on a two-week tour abroad, with stops in Switzerland and India. Fernandez focused on the volatility of commodity prices in his speech. He said that behind the increase in …

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Writing in Diario Libre’s page two editorial, director Adriano Miguel Tejada comments on the latest scandal involving the Dominican Municipal League, an organization created in the 1930s to provide advisory services to municipal authorities, but whose usefulness is said to have long expired. Tejada writes that the private sector can supply these advisory services with …

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Prostate cancer sufferers can now be treated with medical ultrasound techniques at the Center for Diagnostics and Advanced Medicine and Telemedicine (Cedimat). Doctors at Cedimat have been trained by Dr. Stefan Thuroff in his robotic HIFU Ablaterm n High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for treatment of prostate cancer, which follows procedures that use the power …

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The National Business Council (Conep) has expressed its opposition to the government’s planned legislation aimed at introducing a RD$1 tax on fuel to benefit select unionized transport business owners, and the announcement by unionized truckers under the National Federation of Dominican Transporters (Fenatrado) of a 30% increase in cargo freight charges. Conep president Manuel Diez …

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If you have a local credit card, watch out. If you need to finance purchases, you could be paying up to 95% in interest rates, writes Alejandro Fernandez in today’s Diario Libre. He says that local banks do not openly share the interest rate they are charging for financing with their clients, and this information …

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