2012 – Page 105

Yesterday, Thursday 30 August, President Danilo Medina announced the names of 27 new governors for the 31 provinces, and confirmed that the governor of Barahona, Pedro Pena Rubio, the governor of Bahoruco, Luis Emilio Medina, and the governor of Peravia, Nelly Mercedes Bello would continue to serve in their posts. Although she remains in the …

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At its monthly meeting on monetary policy yesterday, Thursday 30 August, the Central Bank reduced its “overnight” rate by 50 base points from 5.5% to 5% annually and the Lombard rate from 7.5% to 7% annually. The Overnight rate applies to nightly interbank operations for short periods and the Lombard rate is used for interest …

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The new Constitutional Court has ruled in favor of four plaintiffs, heirs of Juan Jose Dalmasi who protested that Art. 7 of Law 2569 on Taxation for Inheritances and Donations penalized siblings living abroad. The tax on relatives living abroad is 50% higher than the taxation for heirs living in the country. The court ruled …

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President Danilo Medina has confirmed that Marino Vinicio (Vincho) Castillo will stay on as anti-narcotics advisor to the Executive Branch. Castillo also heads the recently created Department of Ethics and Governmental Integrity (DIGEIG), which replaces the former National Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.

According to a report called “Social Policy: abilities and rights” by the National Statistics Office, according to the 2010 census, the Dominican Republic’s urban population has increased to 7,013,575, which represents 74% of the total population. However, it attributes the increase to real estate and private factors, not to any state-orchestrated measures or rules. They …

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Former president Hipolito Mejia is considering an appeal to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (CIDH) to look into the irregularities that, in his opinion, occurred during the recent electoral process. In a letter addressed to the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS), which will meet on September 5, Mejia said that …

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The Catholic Church and several patriotic organizations have appealed to Congress asking for a change in the law to make 6 January (Three Kings Day) and 26 January (Birthday of Juan Pablo Duarte) public holidays and non-working days nationwide. Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez delivered the proposal to the Deputy representing the National District, …

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Canadian Ambassador Todd Kuiack has announced that the Associate Minister of National Defense Bernard Valcourt and Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency) (La Francophonie) will lead a trade mission to Santo Domingo from 2 to 5 September 2012 to showcase the strengths and expertise of Canadian companies. “Our government’s top priority is the economy …

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Euclides Gutierrez Felix, recently confirmed as Superintendent of Insurance, has announced that he has paid the final installment on a payment plan he agreed to with the Public Electricity Corporation after TV journalist Nuria Piera revealed he had a long-standing debt totaling millions of pesos with the the EdeSur power provider. Gutierrez signed the payment …

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Local residents in Guayacanal, in Santiago lynched two men, Ruben Almonte and Richard De Jesus Perez Capellan, and killed them after they robbed a house belonging to Norberto Filpo and stole three cell phones and RD$10,000. Members of the community are reported to have chased them, beat them and then shot them dead. The police …

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