2014 – Page 273

Controversial Dominican ambassador to the Vatican, former journalist Victor Grimaldi is again making headlines for his extreme positions. The Dominican government has distanced itself from statements by the Dominican ambassador to the Holy See Victor Grimaldi regarding US ambassador James Bewster meeting with representatives of the DR gay community. In a press release, the Ministry …

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A feature in El Dia by Pedro Julio Sanchez compares the damage done by gravel and construction material companies that extract material from Dominican riverbeds and the environmental damage caused by mining companies like Falcondo. Pedro Julio Sanchez says that the owners of the companies that extract materials from riverbeds are now millionaires at the …

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Former President Hipolito Mejia has announced he will not participate in the PRD party convention convened by party president Miguel Vargas Maldonado. The disagreements between Mejia and Vargas have divided the party. Mejia said he would not attend the event and instead would present his candidacy for the general election in 2016 through the Convergencia …

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Attorney General Francisco Dominguez Brito has sent letters to the ministers of Education Carlos Amarante Baret and Public Health Freddy Hidalgo with instructions for schools and medical centers to report teenage pregnancies. He said that a high number of these cases are the result of sexual crimes. Dominguez Brito said that the Code for the …

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With a mere difference of 84 votes, 69-year old Ivan Grullon has been elected the new rector of the state university UASD. He received 1,302 votes. His closest contender Emma Polanco received 1,218 votes of the 2,634 authorized to vote. His term starts on 28 February 2014. He will replace Mateo Aquino Febrillet, who has …

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Well-loved and respected 88-year old Jesuit priest Monsignor Francisco Jose Arnaiz died on Friday, 14 February at the PUCMM residence in Santiago. After being expelled from Cuba by the Fidel Castro regime, he came to live in the Dominican Republic and stayed. He was buried in the Jesuit cemetery in Manresa Loyola, in Haina, San …

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A Canadian rental operator is recovering in Winnipeg after surviving an armed robbery in Cabarete. Canadian resident Les Lehmann, who manages an apartment complex in Cabarete, tried to fight off thieves who broke in last month. This occurred the evening after a group of Canadian students had arrived to volunteer at a humanitarian project. The …

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The US Embassy is sponsoring a tour by blues musician Little Joe McLerran and his band. They will be playing three free concerts in the DR, at Casa de Teatro in Santo Domingo’s Colonial City, the UASD auditorium in Barahona and the Centro Cultural Perello in Bani. The group will also hold two master classes …

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Singer-songwriter Irka Mateo will be in Santo Domingo for a concert to mark International Women’s Day. The show is being organized by the Foro Feminista and the Centro Cultural de Espana. It will be dedicated to Anacaona, the indigenous woman who opposed the Spanish conquistadors. Irka Mateo will be accompanied by Yasser Tejeda and his …

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The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has US$1.52 billion available in funding with sovereign guarantees for the Dominican Republic for the period 2013-2016, said IDB country representative Flora Montealegre Painter. She said they also have technical assistance and loans without sovereign guarantees available for the private sector. The funds are part of the new work strategy …

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