2014 – Page 168

Vice President Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez met with the Minister of Defense, Admiral Sigfrido Pared Perez yesterday, Tuesday 10 June and agreed to extend the teaching at the Vocational Schools of the Armed Forces and the Police to enable 3,000 people from low-income families to be able to graduate under the Progress with Solidarity (Prosoli) …

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Central Electoral Board (JCE) president Roberto Rosario says that since the new identity card (cedula) process began some 19 days ago, around 700,000 people have attended the issuing centers and around 600,000 have received new cards with their biometric data. Because such large numbers have already been issued, he said that it is likely the …

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Minister of Defense Sigrido Pared Perez has described the proposal to construct a wall on the border with Haiti as “utopian”. He said the best wall was education and development, which is the Ministry of Defense’s main focus in border towns. He said that the Haitian government initiative to build a wall was their right. …

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Progress is being made on the construction of a new military base for the Specialized Terrestrial Border Security Corps (CESFRONT) in Pedernales. The building has an area for soldiers, officers, a kitchen, dining room, medical area and canine unit. It is being built to help control contraband and people coming from Haiti into Pedernales. Engineers …

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The multinational exercise Beyond the Horizon 2014 is underway in Barahona Province, and United States Marine Corps General John F. Kelly, commander of US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), and Dominican Minister of Defense Admiral Sigfrido Pared Perez have recently visited the soldiers, Marines and airmen participating in the humanitarian and civic assistance mission. Task Force Larimar …

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The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says that the 2012 National Immigrant Survey (ENI) that found that 12% of the Dominican population was Haitian is actually incorrect. UNFPA representative Sonia Vasquez now says that the current Haitian population in the Dominican Republic is around 5% of the population, some 458,233 people. The First National Immigrant …

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Remittances to the Caribbean region increased by 3% in 2013, according to a new report from the Inter-American Development Bank’s Multilateral Investment Fund. Remittances to the region totaled US$8.519 billion, a 3% improvement in US dollar terms, an 8.9% increase in local currency and a 3.3% improvement in local currency and adjusted for inflation. The …

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Optimistic Dominicans risk at least RD$300 million a day in the hope of hitting the jackpot. El Dia reports that the Ministry of Hacienda has 30,750 registered betting shops in operation, but says the number could be greater if the country’s many informal establishments are taken into account. The estimate is that there are 60,000 …

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The United States Embassy’s Consular Section in Santo Domingo is closed as of today, Wednesday, 11 June and is scheduled to reopen on Monday, 16 June. Consular appointments are being rescheduled. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services will be resumed on 17 June. The new Embassy and Consulate compound is located in the sector of …

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Fifteen people were arrested during the protests throughout the Cibao region yesterday, Tuesday 10 June 2014, organized to highlight the poor state of the roads, lack of water and to demand improvements in the electricity supply. The protests took place in El Ahogado and Palo Verde, in Montecristi province, Imbert, Rio Grande, Palmar Grande, La …

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