2011 – Page 75

Pension funds increased by 13% in the first semester of this year, as reported by the Superintendence of Pensions (Sipen). As of 30 June, the funds in the pension plans reached RD$136.05 billion, an increase of RD$15.7 billion over the 31 December level. Some 2,464,711 people contribute to the fund. This includes 46% under the …

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Ignacio Mendez, president of the Federation of Industrial Associations, complains that everyone talks about small business, but little has been actually done to maximize their potential as job-creating entities. He says all has just been talk and the country lacks a concrete plan for developing small business. “Small business has a law, but the ruling …

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On Sunday, 7 August former district attorney Guillermo Moreno was proclaimed presidential candidate for the Alianza Pais (Country Alliance) minority political party in the 20 May 2012 presidential election. During the ceremony, he called for a national unity government to rid the DR of those responsible for the crisis currently affecting the nation. Moreno said …

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On her Saturday evening TV show, investigative journalist Nuria Piera revealed that the Superintendent of Insurance, 73-year old Euclides Gutierrez Felix has two luxurious mansions he has not declared. She mentioned the farm in Los Mogotes, an area where several other government officials have vacation homes. As reported in acento.com.do, on her 6 August TV …

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The president of Dominican Republic Industries Association (AIRD) Ligia Bonetti says that the political will to back Dominican companies in their export efforts does not appear to exist. She said the government’s intention seems to be to keep the obligation to pay ITBIS on the import of raw materials and machinery, in violation of the …

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The Expert Group on Maritime Narco-Trafficking of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission is in Santo Domingo to discuss recommendations on “go fast” boats, the high-powered speed craft that drug traffickers often use in the Caribbean and Pacific to outrun police and coast guards. The group is also focusing on policy guidelines on the control …

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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is expressing concern over the slaying of a print and television journalist in the Domincian Republic who had spoken out against drug trafficking. 59-year old Jose Agustin Silvestre was murdered in La Romana last Tuesday, a few hours after his reported abduction by four men. He …

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Singer Cecilia Garcia will be Maria Callas in Friday, Saturday and Sunday performances of Master Class by Terence McNally at the Sala Ravelo of the National Theater. She will share starring roles with Giovanny Cruz (The Setmaker) and Dante Cucurullo (the pianist). Others in the cast are Dolly Garcia as Sharon Graham, Antonia Chabebe as …

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Ignacio Ditren, director of the Metropolitan Bus Services Office (OMSA) denies press reports that the entity purchased 150 buses without a tendering process. Following instructions from President Leonel Fernandez, he said he traveled to South Korea to look into an offer made to Omsa for the sale of 300 buses and to report back to …

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Red light violations in the Dominican Republic are everyday becoming more common, and now the Metropolitan Transport Authority (AMET) has announced how it plans to deal with the situation. AMET director Major General Jose Anibal Sanz Jiminian told Listin Diario that the Senate is studying the possibility of presenting a bill that would make the …

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