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Investigative TV reporter Nuria Piera has received a RD$1 million award from the Fundacion Corripio, a leading business group. The award comes at a time when she is being sued by Ladom, after airing a report on the low quality of school breakfast drink distributed by Ladom, which at the time benefited from 40% of the Ministry of Education contracts to supply public schools with breakfast drinks. The Presidency and the Ministry of Education defended the company that was never able to give an explanation for the breach in contract. As a result of the report, school breakfast supplies are now monitored and the results made public, showing that Ministry of Education standards are being met. On 16 August, President Fernandez appointed then Education Minister Alejandrina German to be minister of women.

See www.nuria.com.do for recent TV investigative programs.

Others receiving the million peso awards were historian Frank [...]

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In today’s Listin Diario news commentator Orlando Gil observes that the chief of the Navy recently announced he had dismissed three more officers for “visiting drug dealers.” These latest three bring the total fired in the Navy so far to eight. When journalists asked Vice Admiral Julio Cesar Ventura Bayonet for the consequences, the Navy chief explained that there would be none, and did not provide the officers’ names either. Gil says that journalists had obtained the names from other sources. “The information was as simple as that, and he provided it as if it were a routine occurrence, as if it were normal to fire navy men, and that these have relations with the worst kind of criminals,” writes Gil. But then he comments, “Ventura Bayonet is wrong, and this way of handling matters confirms that the armed forces are susceptible to the drug trafficking business and this is [...]

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In early August, seven men were killed in a drug-related confrontation in Bani, Peravia unleashing a volley of verbal confrontations between provincial Senator Wilton Guerrero and former police commander General Hilario Gonzalez, provincial governor Bienvenido Montero and General Prosecutor Radhames Jimenez, points out El Caribe. The Senator accuses the latter of negligence and complicity with drug dealers in the area. But the newspaper highlights that essential points such as the identity of the masterminds behind the killing and the whereabouts of the 1,200 missing kilos of cocaine that are said to have been the motive for the killing have not emerged. In the meantime, General Gonzalez has sued Senator Guerrero for defamation.

The newspaper complains that all that has resulted is a clash between government officials. Presidential drug advisor Marino Vinicio Castillo and Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez agree with Senator Guerrero that the report prepared by the [...]

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La Vega senator Euclides Sanchez has added his voice to those who are making accusations of complicity between government authorities and drug dealers. As reported in El Caribe, Sanchez accused judges and state prosecutors in La Vega of complicity with well-known drug traffickers. He said that many have been arrested in possession of kilos of cocaine, but are later freed by the judicial authorities, and only have to pay a fine or post bail. Sanchez says this is a very damaging situation for Dominican society, and that there was complicity with drug dealers not only in his province, but nationwide. He called on the population to join the fight against drug trafficking and consumption. He made his comments on “El tribunal de la tarde”, a program aired on Channel 4.

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Seventeen Dominicans are on the rosters of American and National League teams for the playoffs, ensuring local interest in the tournament is at a high.

Tampa Bay: Carlos Pena and Willy Aybar

White Sox: Juan Uribe, Octavio Dotel

Anaheim: Ervin Santana, Jose Arredondo, Eric Aybar, Vladimir Guerrero

Boston: David Ortiz, Manny del Carmen

Cubs: Carlos Marmol, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Felix Pie

Dodgers:

Manny Ramirez, Rafael Furcal, Angel Berroa, Pablo Ozuna, Ramon Troncoso

Philadelphia: Pedro Felix

Milwaukee: Salomon Torres, Guillermo Mota, Carlos Villanueva.=

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The Indian Council for Cultural Relations is sponsoring a visit by the 10-member Rajasthani Folk Dance group of “Living Arts” led by Shri Madan Lal on a tour of Spain and the Americas - Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. The event is also sponsored by the Embassy of India (Cuba) and the ministries of Culture and Foreign Relations. Free performances are on Friday, 3 October 2008 at 6pm, Centro Cultural Narciso Gonzalez, Santo Domingo. Also, Saturday, 4 October at 8:30pm at the Gran Teatro del Cibao, Santiago. And on Monday, 6 October at 6pm at the Aula Magna of the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo.

See: www.rajasthan-india-tours.com/rajasthan-cultural-tour/folk-dance

For more information on upcoming events, see http://www.dr1.com/calendar

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Items possibly belonging to missing US adventurer Steve Fossett are found by hikers in Californian woods.

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Somalia has given foreign nations permission to use force if necessary against Somali pirates who hijacked a Ukranian ship loaded with tanks and ammunition, the country’s foreign ministry said Wednesday.

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Somalia has given foreign nations permission to use force if necessary against Somali pirates who hijacked a Ukrainian ship loaded with tanks and ammunition, the country’s foreign ministry said Wednesday.

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Another index to keep an eye on in these economically turbulent times is the “anxiety index” — it goes up when markets go down and people get upset and worried about their future.

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