2014 – Page 297

Santo Domingo carnival organizer Jose Miguel Martinez says that this year’s parades will take place on Sunday 9, 16 and 23 along Av. Maximo Gomez between Jose Contreras Avenue and the Malecon (Av. George Washington). He said 85 groups have already booked their participation. For more on upcoming events, see www.dr1.com/calendar

Yesterday, Wednesday 22 January, Minister of Education Carlos Amarante Baret announced a plan to prepare, train and equip public schoolteachers at a cost of RD$2.33 billion this year. Studies show that one of the reasons for the low scores of Dominican students in standardized scholastic tests is the deficiency in training of public school teachers …

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The city government of the National District has announced the purchase of four new garbage compacter trucks for service in the Colonial City. Mayor Roberto Salcedo said that the four trucks cost US$300,000 and can carry between two and three-and-a-half tons of refuse. Their use will be restricted to certain times so as not to …

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Minister of Foreign Relations Carlos Morales Troncoso returned to his desk at the Ministry of Foreign Relations yesterday, Wednesday 22 January, and reported to President Danilo Medina that he was back on the job. The minister was not available for questioning by reporters either at the Ministry or at the Presidential Palace. News reports say …

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The Dominican Ambassador in Washington, D.C., Anibal de Castro has expressed his appreciation to US Representative Joseph Kennedy III for drawing attention “to a key challenge we are proactively addressing n implementing a clear immigration policy.” In the article, Kennedy comments that the government can work around the Constitutional Court Ruling that calls for the …

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Today’s Diario Libre editorial, Wednesday 22 January, comments on the way that Haiti has taken advantage of the Dominican Republic’s weak foreign relations institutions and policies to cover up its own major problems. The executive editor of Diario Libre Adriano Miguel Tejada writes: “In international relations it is said that foreign policy of poor countries …

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Central Bank Governor Hector Valdez Albizu has published a note on the Central Bank website providing more details behind last year’s 4.1% GDP growth rate, the 3.88% inflation rate, the global surplus of US$938.5 million in the Balance of Payments, and record balance of Gross International Reserves of US$4.7 billion for year’s end 2013. The …

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The Dominican Republic insurance market consists of 39 companies, but this diversity of participants hides the high concentration of their operations, where five insurance companies receive more than 80% of the premiums collected. Universal Insurance is the unquestioned leader in this market, with 25% of the premiums collected between January and October 2013. Universal is …

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There appears to be widespread opposition to the further division of the province of Santo Domingo that had already been carved out from the province of San Cristobal. Deputy Maria Aracelis Duarte has proposed the creation of two new provinces honoring Founding Fathers Sanchez and Mella. This is the reenactment of a bill that has …

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The Central Electoral Board (JCE) Plenary has started the process of supervision of the PRSC assembly set for this Sunday, 26 January in order to elect more than 600 party posts. Yesterday afternoon, Wednesday 22 January JCE president Roberto Rosario chaired a working session with PRSC interim president Joaquin Ricardo Garcia, general secretary Ramon Rogelio …

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