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Upon arriving home in Las Charcas, Santiago at around 2am, 34-year old Edwin Armando Victoria Nunez fired shots that killed 90-year old Octavia Maria Reyes Martinez who had raised him. She died in her sleep. But he also injured his 34-year old wife Islandia Vargas Diaz and his own children 13-year old Herileidi and 7-year old Edwin. His wife was hospitalized at the Jose Maria Cabral y Baez public hospital and the children are at the Arturo Grullon Public Children’s Hospital where they are being treated for their injuries.

Victoria Nunez is suspect of having been under the influence of drugs. The police recovered seven bullets from the scene. The reason for his wrath is unknown, but neighbors told the press that he was known to turn violent when under the influence of drugs.

Reportedly, he used a Smith and Wesson, caliber 9 milimeters, #TBE7761 that was registered [...]

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With the collapse of the already precarious Haitian medical system after the 12 January earthquake, Dominican public hospitals have been overburdened by Haitian migrants who are rapidly depleting hospital budgets. El Caribe reports that the Dario Contreras trauma hospital and the San Lorenzo de los Mina and La Altagracia maternity hospitals are treating an increasing number of Haitians who receive the same services as Dominicans. The directors say that Haitian patients receive the same care as Dominicans for humanitarian reasons.

The centers were already under pressure of demand for services by Haitians living in the DR.

Los Mina maternity hospital director Gregorio Rivas said that according to hospital statistics, 35% of women who give birth there are Haitians. He says that they make up 80% of cases with high morbidity and complications. “We’re talking about mothers with severe anemia, convulsions and serious infections,” he told El Caribe. He [...]

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Barrick Pueblo Viejo gold mining company representatives have denied responsibility for the deaths of large numbers of fish reported in the Hatillo Dam in Sanchez Ramirez province. They said their operation is at a stage whereby it could not possibly be polluting. Company spokesman Jorge Esteva said that once in operation they will use modern technology and comply with international environmental standards to carry out environmental friendly mining.

Hoy reports that dead fish appeared in the dam over a period of two weeks and the authorities have not explained the causes of the deaths. Three mining companies operate in the surrounding area: Cerro Maimon, Barrick and Falconbridge. All three say they are not to blame.

Esteva said that the company has been working to clean up the environmental problems left by former mining operations in the area. He said in areas where they will not be mining the [...]

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Puerto Rican Secretary of State Kenneth McClintock highlighted the potential of the strategic alliance between Puerto Rico and the DR re-launched during President Leonel Fernandez’s visit to Puerto Rico, during his talk at the American Chamber of Commerce. He stressed that Puerto Rico has the advantage of being part of the US Customs Zone, which gives it access to markets of countries with which the US has free trade agreements. He said that Puerto Rico is the DR’s second largest trading partner with the DR after the US.

He feels that by working together, the countries can successfully compete against Asia for US apparel contract work. He favors retaking the twin plant concept that was successful under the Caribbean Basin Initiative one step forward. He said that geography was the essence of the agreement. He says that in today’s world products are produced in different countries and geography makes [...]

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Apparel manufacturing plants resulting from strategic alliances between manufacturing sectors in Puerto Rico, Haiti and the DR are on the drawing board. Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso said that regional business leaders are discussing this innovative system, as reported in Hoy.

He said the option would be discussed during the visit by Puerto Rican governor Luis Fortuno and Puerto Rican business leaders in October. Morales commented that the idea is to make the most of the Hope II and Hope III acts that include special trade rules that give preferential access to US imports of Haitian and Dominican apparel, and to develop a system of triple plants using the model started in the Codevi Free Zone by Grupo M on the border with Haiti. He said these US acts enable the DR to supply textiles to Haiti for manufacturing for duty free export to the US.

Morales [...]

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Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso confirmed yesterday that Puerto Rican governor Luis Fortuno would be visiting the DR on 13 and 14 October. He will be accompanied by Puerto Rican Secretary of State Kenneth McClintock and business leaders. The purpose of the visit is to study joint ventures for increasing trade and investment. McClintock confirmed the visit when meeting with Morales at his office at the Ministry of Foreign Relations, as reported in Listin Diario.

Prior to the visit the American Chamber of Commerce and the US Commercial Service have organized trade mission to Puerto Rico for 17-21 October.

See http://amcham.org.do/anm/templates/noticias.asp?articleid=368&zoneid=4

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Foreign Relations Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso has awarded the order of Duarte Sanchez Mella in the rank of Silver Cross to the outgoing Ambassador of Israel. Amos Radian recently ended his mission in the DR.

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With debts to suppliers reportedly standing at RD$162 million and a payroll of RD$19 million, the new mayor of Santiago has his hands tied in his first days at the helm of the city government, as reported in Diario Libre. According to reports, more than 3,800 employees on the Santiago municipality payroll were not paid on 25 August as due because of a garnishee order, whereby a court instructed a bank that funds held on behalf of a debtor should not be released until directed by the court. The decision comes as new Santiago Mayor Gilberto Serulle takes over from his eight-year predecessor Jose Enrique Sued. Serulle told the press that banks would grant him a loan to pay the wages to municipal workers. He said payments would start with city council employees who make less than RD$10,000 a month. He said he has inherited a city in a state [...]

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Several economists are warning that the decision to maintain the application of ITBIS tax on raw materials in Customs is “wrong.” The government chose this course to meet demands imposed by the International Monetary Fund. The IMF team was in Santo Domingo this month for the second and third review of the Stand-by Arrangement in effect since November 2009. As reported in El Dia, the economists said the decision would affect local business competitiveness, leading to price increases and job losses.

Henri Hebrard, Fernando Alvarez Bogaert and Bernardo Fuentes said the measure would not generate new revenues for the government. On the contrary, they said it would lead to distrust from potential investors.

“The IMF is acting with a short-term vision with this imposition and is inducing us to make mistakes. The payment of this tax is going to artificially increase Customs revenues but it is possible that [...]

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The government has issued Decree 414-10 authorizing four million RD$0.125 stamps for taxing alcoholic beverages. The stamp is aimed at collecting RD$500,000, as published in Diario Libre. The decree issued on 12 August also authorizes 400 million stamps for RD$0.04 on matches. This is aimed at collecting RD$1.6 million, for a total of RD$2.1 million.

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