Some heartburn medications commonly taken by people following a heart attack significantly increase the risk of another heart attack, a new Canadian study suggests.
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A recent national survey of blind people has found that 30,000 blind people live in the DR, of whom 47.5% lost their sight due to cataracts. Doctor Juan Batlle and Cristina Nogueira of the National Commission for the Prevention of Blindness and the Pan American Health Organization, respectively, emphasized that this type of blindness is preventable. They announced a national campaign to make people aware of steps that can be taken to prevent cataracts. Of that 47.5%, all are over 51 years of age. The PHO says the DR should be performing at least 3,000 cataract operations a year, and not the present 900. She says the DR has the capacity to address this issue. The main causes of blindness are cataracts, refractory errors, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.
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General Prosecutor Radhames Jimenez Pena said that 21 assets confiscated from former army colonel Quirino Ernesto Paulino Castillo and transferred to the Dominican government after deals between the DR and the US judiciary will be assigned to initiatives aimed at improving judicial prosecution. General Prosecution Office Resolution 01 says the resources generated by the assets would also be used to develop the new jail model currently being implemented by state prosecutors. Jimenez made the announcement to clarify who would be getting the assets.
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In an interview with Huchi Lora for his afternoon CDN talk show, Mabel Feliz Baez of the National Drugs Council said that this is the first time that assets have been confiscated from a known drug dealer. She said that the confiscations coincide with the fact that this case was heard in New York and not by a Dominican court. In other cases, while drug dealers [...]
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Chief of Police Rafael Guillermo Guzman Fermin has ordered the removal of the police unit of Monsignor Nouel province (Bonao). Diario Libre reports that in a recent raid of drug points in the province a list was found which included the names and nicknames of 20 police officers on the take by local drug traffickers. The named officers were receiving bribes in return for allowing traffickers to operate with impunity. The Police Chief also ordered the arrest of these officers as well as an investigation into their activities. Commander Colonel Cepeda Urena has been replaced by Colonel Abreu Suriel.
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A sea of blue blanketed the city of Santo Domingo yesterday as the Tigres del Licey victory parade made its way through the city. The parade started at the Estadio Quisqueya, turned on to Ave. JF Kennedy and proceeded to the other side of the river, ending at Ave. Venezuela. Fans of the team, which won its 20th Winter League Championship on Sunday, flooded the streets to join their team and fellow fans in celebration. The chant of the day was Licey Campeon! Licey Campeon! Licey now prepares to match the champions of Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Mexico during the Caribbean Series that will take place 2-7 February in Mexicali, Mexico. Licey, which won the regional tournament last year, is aiming for a repeat performance in 2009.
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The Ministry of Environment is allowing farmers with small farms in Los Haitises National Park to stay until March before leaving and taking their harvests with them. Minister Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal said that recent operations in the park revealed more than 150 small farms within its limits, but because of interventions by the Catholic Church on behalf of the peasants, the timeframe for evicting them has been extended. Fernandez declared that anyone entering the park to farm after the March deadline would be jailed. Fernandez said that peasants should get ready to harvest their crops, and that others needed to be aware they will not be allowed to farm the land in the Park. Fernandez added that the Church would not be able to intervene a second time around.
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Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC) director Jose Tomas Perez said the decision to ground Caribair for at least nine months was based on the outcome of an investigation into the airline after one of its planes made an emergency landing in North Carolina on 3 January 2009 due to lack of fuel. Perez says that the US Federal Aviation Administration had launched an investigation into the flight and the findings, as well as information on previous breaches, led to IDAC’s decision to ground Caribair.
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Listin Diario quotes Perez as saying that the airline went on record for making private flights that should have been registered as commercial. Perez said that if the airline wishes to fly again it must put its house in order. Listin Diario writes that Caribair has been involved in five accidents over the last seven years. Perez called Caribair’s record unsustainable and sad and said [...]
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According to Manuel Hernandez Ruigomez, Spanish consul general in the DR, an estimated 130,000 Dominicans live in Spain, mostly in the cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Seville. According to Ruigomez, while 30,000 already have Spanish citizenship, a further 30,000 are there illegally. The remaining 70,000 are living in Spain with legal residency papers. The consul commented that the number of visas issued by the Spanish government had decreased by 11% in 2008 and he added this trend was likely to continue in 2009.
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The National Association of Vehicle Distributors (ANADIVE) has voiced its opposition to a bill aimed at increasing taxes on vehicles as one option being considered for paying for the proposed wage increase for public sector doctors. According to ANADIVE, car sales have already dropped 50% since 2007, mainly due to the increase in interest rates. According to ANADIVE director Luis Taveras, 60% of a car’s price consists of taxes, while vehicles also pay 20% customs tax, a 16% ITBIS (VAT) tax and a 2% transfer tax. He went on to say that during the last fiscal reform of 2006 the cost of a vehicle’s initial registration was upped to 17%. Taveras said the sector could not sustain any more taxes.
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Blair Thomas, president of EdeEste power distribution company says the DR government’s lawyer in an arbitration case being heard by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Jack Kerr, is determined to take control of EdeEste. Thomas is also a representative of DR Energy Holdings, Ltd, which has a 50% stake in EdeEste. In a letter to President Leonel Fernandez, also sent to the French and US embassies in the DR, Thomas asks for the threats being made by Kerr to be repudiated publicly. Listin Diario reports that Thomas tried to engage in dialogue with President Fernandez on two occasions with letters sent on 24 May 2006 and 10 December 2007, but never received a response.
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The comments were published in a paid advertisement in the local press.
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