2012 – Page 181

President-elect Danilo Medina has added his sister, deputy Lucia Medina, and the vice president of the Senate, Cristina Lizardo to the transition committee. In the Dominican Republic there is a long three-month period from 20 May, election day, to the 16 August inauguration date for the new President. The Medina transition committee is now made …

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President-elect Danilo Medina’s press office has revealed that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed an interest in increasing bilateral cooperation with the DR. The press office says that other world leaders who have written to congratulate the President-elect and stated their commitment to continue strengthening bilateral ties include President Felipe Calderon of Mexico, Daniel Ortega …

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More than 700 organ transplants have been carried out in the Dominican Republic since the first kidney transplant in 1972. Most of the transplants are of kidneys. As reported in Listin Diario, until 2007 most of the transplants used organs from living donors, but since 2007 the Plaza de la Salud General Hospital has been …

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The permanent representative of the Dominican Republic at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Mario Arvelo Caamano, has been elected as the new chair of the Agriculture Committee for the 2012-2014 term. This committee is in charge of examining farm, food and nutritional problems in the 192 UN member countries. Arvelo is the …

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Despite a 120-day grace period, it is not known what steps some ministries have taken to reduce the number of “inorganic” deputy ministers. Ramon Ventura Camejo, the Minister of Public Administration (MAP), said yesterday that as the grace period is up, his ministry would proceed to make the necessary reductions, informing the Controller’s office and …

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Electricity distribution company Edesur reports that 27 circuits were partially affected and out of service due to heavy rainfall over the weekend. The shutdown of Itabo I and II exacerbated the problems, as these units provide 245 megawatts, so several parts of the National District, the province of Santo Domingo and the southwestern region experienced …

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With the opening of two new Model Penitentiaries in La Romana and La Vega, the system will soon cover 40% of the Dominican prison population, as reported in Diario Libre. “These two centers will have the capacity to house, comfortably, some 1,200 inmates each,” said the Attorney General of the Republic, Radhames Jimenez Pena. Speaking …

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The National Association of Young Entrepreneurs (ANJE) supports the proposed integrated fiscal (tax) reform suggested by four tax experts who took part in a panel discussion on the issue, sponsored by Diario Libre. ANJE says that this tax reform should be based on a restructuring that includes changes in the areas of expenditures, debt, income, …

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Metropolitan Traffic Police (AMET) agents hauled in 350 vehicles in the National District yesterday, Monday 18 June, both light and heavy trucks, while checking the drivers for a range of possible infractions of the law. Some of the violations encountered included driving without insurance or driving license, and excess speed. The Metropolitan Transit Authority (AMET) …

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A propane leak at a gas bottling facility on the Joaquin Balaguer Highway to Navarrete yesterday, Monday 18 June, caused panic in the area and forced the authorities to evacuate dozens of residents from the surrounding area. This is the second leak in as many weeks: a similar incident took place in a propane facility …

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