2011 – Page 261

Education Minister Melanio Paredes urged students and teachers at the country’s 5,578 schools to return to classes on Tuesday. In the DR, 1.3 million children attend public schools and a further 1.2 million are in private schools. Classes resume on Tuesday and Wednesday after the long Christmas holidays that ended with the celebration of Three …

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The Ministry of Public Health says that epidemiologists believe that most of the cases of cholera registered in the DR were caused by people consuming contaminated water. The Ministry is advising everyone to make sure that the water they use has been treated or is from a safe source. The Ministry study showed that of …

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A recent decision by the National District Municipality to tag on a new tax on real estate in Santo Domingo is being dubbed illegal. El Caribe interviewed tax advisor Jose Segura who says that the creation of new taxes on constructions and on empty lots, condominiums and single-family homes violates the Constitution that establishes that …

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Today’s Listin Diario editorial focuses on the increasing pressures on Haitians seeking to cross the border. Following the 12 January 2010 earthquake, reports are that only 10% of the 1.6 billion dollars pledged in aid has entered. Meanwhile, the pressures on Haitians desperate to seek jobs in the DR continue. The Department of Migration does …

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A quarter of all patients seeking medical attention at the Robert Reid Cabral Children’s Hospital in Santo Domingo are Haitians. El Caribe reports that last year the hospital treated 400,000 patients, carried out 5,000 surgical procedures and admitted 14,280 sick children. In 2010 there were 763 deaths at the hospital, or 6%. This is down …

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As people gradually got back into working mode after the long holiday break, the reality of price hikes has begun to sink in, mainly a consequence of the fuel price increase. El Caribe reports that public transport fares are up 15% (from RD$15 to RD$20 for short routes), 11% increase in electricity rates, increases in …

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Helicopter specialists have arrived in the DR to investigate a crash involving a helicopter manned by Air Force pilots that was at the service of PRD presidential pre-candidate Miguel Vargas Maldonado. As reported in Listin Diario, the helicopter, which was on its way to pick up Vargas from La Romana to take him to a …

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The new International Queen of Coffee (Reina Internacional del Cafe) is Sofinel Baez Santos from the Dominican Republic, who was crowned during a ceremony in Manizales, Colombia on 9 January. She will represent Colombian coffee worldwide. The contest is one of the world’s oldest and more traditional beauty pageants and is part of the Manizales’ …

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Writing over the Three Kings holiday, Diario Libre editor Ines Aizpun highlighted the way in which several leading Dominican companies have become involved in campaigns to save the country. “Some care for beaches and corals, promote recycling, and others sponsor hills and forests, those that are concerned about water resources,” she writes. “On of the …

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The Toros won three games over the Three Kings holiday to continue to lead in the Winter Baseball Professional League Championship that is coming to an end. The Gigantes and the Estrellas are the contenders for the second slot in the playoffs. Standings Team W-L Avg. Diff. AZUCAREROS 9 – 4 0.692 — ESTRELLAS 6 …

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