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Saturday, April 30, 2011

Group Puntacana to open 122-room Four Points by Sheraton hotel

Grupo Puntacana and the Starwood Hotels and Resorts hotel chain have signed a franchise agreement for the opening of their first Four Points by Sheraton Puntacana Village hotel.

The first Four Points by Sheraton brand hotel in the Dominican Republic will be located in the Puntacana Village residential complex, opposite the Punta Cana International Airport.

The Grupo Puntacana made the announcement at a press conference held at the Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange (DATE), the Dominican Republic Hotel and Tourism Association’s annual fair, which is also sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism.

The construction of this four-story project will cover an area of 9,000m2. It is scheduled to open in winter 2012.

Four Points by Sheraton Puntacana Village will be a 122-room international standard hotel on four floors, with spacious meeting and events facilities, a lobby bar, gymnasium, swimming pool and other amenities, with direct access to the broad range of shopping and restaurant options in Galerías Puntacana.

In 2011 the Four Points by Sheraton brand was chosen as the #1 brand for business travelers. Its arrival in Puntacana fills a gap for business travelers, whose numbers are constantly increasing in the area, and supports the developing financial center in Puntacana Village.

Grupo Puntacana president Frank Rainieri spoke of the resort’s 40-year track record as pioneers in the national tourist industry with a well-earned reputation at international level, and with a solid vision based on the promotion of the country as a tourist destination, environmental protection and the development and promotion of Dominican culture.

“Thanks to the tremendous improvement in the brand, Four Points enjoys a high level of loyalty which makes it a more attractive prospect for our development partners in the Dominican Republic and all around the world,” said Paul Sacco, Senior Vice President of Development for Starwood’s Hotels and Resorts North America. “Four Points offers an irresistible mix of comfort, style and accessibility, and is backed by the strength of Starwood via the award winning Starwood Preferred Guest program.”

Source: Dominican Today

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Friday, April 29, 2011

Dominican tourism industry’s 3.3% climb signals a promissory future

Despite the economic woes among the major international markets, Dominican Republic’s tourism industry 2010 and start of 2011 with encouraging signals including a 3.1% growth last year and a positive tendency that has continued in the first quarter this year, as evidenced by a climb of 3.3% in the arrival of foreigners by air.

“We have a promissory future,” said National Hotels and Tourism Association (ASONAHORES) president Julio Llibre, to welcome the hoteliers, tour operators and journalists in the opening cocktail for the Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange DATE-2011 held at the Hard Rock Hotel’s convention center, where the business rounds take place.

Tomorrow Thursday the event moves to the new Bavaro Barceló Palace de Luxe in the Barceló Hotels complex, where the Caribbean feast for the delegates goes into the night.

Llibre said the tourism sector has entered a new phase “of consolidation of the product that has matured with an updated and diversified offer in keeping with the requirements of the most sophisticated markets.” He said the Dominican tourism which depends mostly on the modality of all included, of sun and beach, “has been perfected and progressively diversified.”

“We’ve fomented parallel boutique hotels and tourist condos in the country, oriented to the latter, to new segments that increasingly demand prolonged stays and customized services,” the business leader said.

Calling it “more good news,” Llibre said that thanks to tourism and other attractions, Dominican Republic is still the Caribbean’s most attractive destination for investors, with 37% (US$2.2 billion) of the region’s US$5.8 billion investment in the 2009-2010 period.

Source: Dominican Today

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Thursday, April 28, 2011

Dominican Republic labor unions balk at wage hike offer

The country’s three major labor unions will not attend the National Wages Committee meeting on Friday, complaining that management’s attitude and its proposal of a 11.58% increase on the minimum wage haven’t changed.

Unions spokesman Rafael Abreu yesterday said employers haven’t shown an interest in real dialogue or a clear attitude on the unions’ proposal to increase the minimum wage by a percentage that helps workers improve their situation.

He said the unions propose a 30% increase, or an average of RD$2,000 per month for the minimum wage and from RD$3,000 to RD$2,500 for salaries that exceed the minimum, and refuted management’s assertion that 48% of the companies already applied an increase.

But Labor minister Max Puig on Monday reiterated that the Committee’s next meeting is slated for Friday, May 29, and on that day expects the unions and management to be more flexible in their positions and reach an understanding. "I want both sectors to come with a tone of greater flexibility next Thursday and come already inclined to reach an agreement."

Source: Dominican Today


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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Dominican Republic’s first Everest expedition reaches dizzying heights

The three leaders of Dominican Republic’s first Mount Everest expedition have concluded the second training rotation by reaching camps I and II, at 6,000 and 6,500 meters of altitude.

Karim Mella and Iván Gomez said they stayed two nights at the camps while Federico Jovine starts the second rotation around 5 p.m. local time, 3 a.m. in Nepal. “We have already returned to the base camps. We were out of reach to make a call for approximately two or three days. We’re tired but very strong and healthy.”

The expedition led by Mella Jovine and Go'mez continues the historic trek and affirms they’re convinced they’ll reach the Everest’s summit, as promised to the Dominican population during their sendoff.


Source: Dominican Today

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Monday, April 25, 2011

Venezuela wants 25,000 tons of Dominican black beans

Venezuela Ambassador Alfredo Murga affirmed Sunday that his country wants to buy 25,000 tons of black beans from Dominican farms, as part of the Petrocaribe oil agreement, and that he’s pleased that most of it can be harvested along the border with Haiti.

“We could to extend the supply of petroleum, if the country requests it, because our opinion is that the Dominican Government has executed the Petrocaribe agreement well, which is a guarantee to continue obtaining the intentions well-being for the people and that fits with producing black beans for Venezuela in Elías Piña," the diplomat said.

“Regardless of what happens in the oil world, Venezuela guarantees the faithful fulfillment in the Petrocaribe agreement to the Dominican Republic,” Murga said in the conference “Elías Piña within the framework of Dominican-Venezuelans Relations.”

In that regard, the Elías Piña farmers associations said they want to produce 5,000 tons to sell to Venezuela, via Petrocaribe, and asked president Leonel Fernandez to provide financing from the State-owned agro bank Bagricola, and seeds and tilling from the Agriculture Ministry.

Source: Dominican Today

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Sunday, April 24, 2011

Girbau marks official opening of Dominican company

An official ceremony at the Iberostar Grand Hotel on 18 March marked the opening of Girbau's Dominican Republic subsidiary, based at Punta Cana Bavaro.

Over 40 people attended including managers of the main hotels in the area, Girbau president Merce Girbau, key account manager Marti Bargalló, vice president sales, marketing and services Toni Rubies and the subsidiary's vice president David Arbó and manager Noel Torres.

Girbau has been operating in the Dominican Republic for 18 years.

Merce Girbau said that the opening of the subsidiary underlined the company's strategy for expansion in markets where it has a high share. It will also allow Girbau to develop closer relationships with customers and offer them an improved service.

The ceremony ended with a visit to the Iberostar's in-house laundry, which has been fully equipped by Girbau.

Source: Laundry and Cleaning News

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Saturday, April 23, 2011

Dominican Republic says cholera cases decreasing

Health authorities in the Dominican Republic say they have recorded a drop in cholera cases in an outbreak that earlier this year led to the deportation of hundreds of Haitian migrants.

The government said in a statement Saturday that no deaths have been reported for more than three weeks, and that only 19 cases were reported this week. A total of 10 people have died and more than 400 sickened from cholera.

The Dominican Republic recently launched a campaign to educate people about cholera.

In neighboring Haiti, cholera has killed more than 4,500 people and sickened more than 234,000.

Source: Taiwan News

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Friday, April 22, 2011

Alfonso Soriano is Dominican Republic's best paid sportsman

Alfonso Soriano, one of the best players in all of baseball in the mid-2000s, is the Dominican Republic´s best paid sportsman, according to report by ESPN to be released on May 2nd.

In 2007, Soriano signed an eight-year, $136 Million deal with the Chicago Cubs that made him one of the highest paid players in baseball.

ESPN's "Annual Salary" report represents only base salary from the most recently completed season or calendar year from each sport, and excludes any other source of compensation.

"In countries where official salary figures were unavailable, we estimated the number based on information from multiple sources, including leagues, agents, consulates, embassies, sports federations, cultural centers and the U.N.," says the report.


Source: Dominican Today

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Thursday, April 21, 2011

Authorities arrest another member of Cibao Cartel

The Drugs Control Agency (DNCD) and representatives of the Justice Department arrested another person tied to the Cibao Cartel, an international network recently dismantled and whose main members exported more than 1,000 kilos of cocaine over the last 11 months from the Dominican Republic to the United States.

According to press reports, the person arrested, whose name was not revealed, was interrogated for several hours by the prosecutor of the Samana Judicial District, Juan Medina de los Santos.

The accusation points out that the cartel trafficked cocaine that came from Mexico and Colombia, using the Dominican Republic as the bridge for later sending it to Florida and other destinations in the United States.

The DNCD is deepening the investigation in Puerto Plata, Santiago, Samana and other important cities of the country´s northern region trying to arrest other persons implicated in the criminal organization.


Source: Dominican Today

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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Dominican vegetable exports to Europe are threatened

The Dominican Republic is at risk of losing the European market of vegetables exports, if there is no solution for the high levels of pesticides used in the country.

According to Morag Webb, policy adviser of COLEACP, an inter professional association of the horticultural sector of the European Union, the exports of vegetables in the country moves a significant amount of resources and their production involves hundreds of small producers.

“It is essential to fight high levels of pesticides residues that are being detected in these crops for export and which are not allowed in the European market”, said Webb, who visited the country along with other advisers to present the technical assistance programs PIP and EDES aimed at providing support to Dominican businesses in the agricultural and agro-industrial sectors.

Source: Dominican Today

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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Dominican Republic State-owned bank invests RD$3.0 billion in rice crop

Banco de Reservas (Banreservas) will invest RD$3.0 billion to finance the next rice harvest, which will benefit 35,000 rice growers and 150 rice mills.

According to Vicente Bengoa, the administrator of the State-owned bank, each year the crop is financed by Banreservas with an excellent return rate of the loans of close to 100%, which makes it a good business and guarantees the success of the program.

The Dominican Republic produces nearly 13,000,000 qq in a process that involves half a million persons who earn the sustenance of their families and boost the economy, increasing and strengthening commerce and industry by means of consumption.

Source: Dominican Today

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Monday, April 18, 2011

Dominican court detains ex-wife of reputed drug kingpin on suspicion of money laundering

A Dominican court has jailed the ex-wife of a reputed Caribbean drug kingpin for at least three months.

Leavy Nin Batista has been detained on suspicion of laundering money for her former husband's alleged trafficking network. No charges have been filed, but the Dominican legal system allows for preventive detention.

Five Spanish agents escorted the 33-year-old Batista from Madrid to the Dominican capital over the weekend. She was jailed Monday.

Batista's ex-husband is Jose Figueroa Agosto, captured last year in Puerto Rico on suspicion of shipping Colombian cocaine to the U.S. mainland.

Batista allegedly fled to Europe in 2009 with a fraudulent passport.

Source: AP

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Sunday, April 17, 2011

Dominican Republic’s Cardinal calls wage hike urgent

Dominican Republic’s Cardinal affirmed Tuesday that the country’s workers urgently need a wage increase, but rebuked the union leaders’ threat of a strike after talks with management stalled yesterday.

Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez said “that the wages must be increased is a reality,” but noted that the unionists must also understand the adverse factors he affirms affect the local economy.

He urged the sides to continue the dialogue and find a suitable proportion that least affects both sectors. “The country’s situation, the international situation must be weighed, factors like the increase in petroleum. I hope, I confide in that all agents in the topic of wages reach a proportional increase that the people really need and deserve.”

Lopez Rodriguez stressed however that he rejects the call to strike and urged the unions to continue the dialogue. “I think it’s better to sit and talk that to throw stones.”

Source: Dominican Today

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Saturday, April 16, 2011

Dominican Republic cement plants ready to access carbon credits

Of the 36 megatons of CO2 released into the atmosphere last year, the country’s cement industry accounted for 1.5 megatons, revealed National Climatic Change Council director Omar Ramirez yesterday.

The official, who headed a workshop on greenhouse gas emissions, spurred the cement plants to access carbon credits and to take actions such as changing to less pollutant fuels.

Council member Moisés Alvarez also affirmed that the cement makers can reduce emissions by a change of fuel. “Instead of using a fossil fuel, they can use biomass. For example, if it’s fuel oil or coal, they could convert to natural gas.”

Dominican Republic’s 10 operating cement plants are part of sector that consumes the most furnace and electrical energy.

During the presentation of their 2010 results, executives of the cement companies announced investments of US$100 million in energy self-generation, in mechanisms aimed at reducing pollutants, recycling and the use of control equipment, and didn’t discard to use of alternate fuels such as natural gas.

The Kyoto Protocol’s carbon credit is an instrument whereby each credit equals one ton of CO2 not released to the atmosphere.

Source: Dominican Today

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Friday, April 15, 2011

Fernandez cuts ribbon on US$220M resort in Las Terrenas, Samaná

President Leonel Fernandez on Thursday headed the ribbon cutting for the first stage of the tourism real estate Balcones del Atlantico, built by the Bisono Group at a cost of US$220 million, and the groundbreaking for the hotel project’s second stage, located in Las Terrenas, Samaná province (northeast).

The ceremony was also headed by Balcones del Atlantico president Máximo Bisono as well as Paul Torner and Mark Jeffrey, president and vice president of RockResorts, the international company that manages the resort.


Source: Dominican Today

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Thursday, April 14, 2011

Dominican Republic to be showcased at Golf Live event

The Dominican Republic Tourist Board will be among the attendees at Golf Live, an event due to take place at the London Golf Club in Kent from 20 to 22 May.

Visitors to the show will be able to learn more about the range of designer golf courses on offer in the Caribbean nation.

The likes of Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and other legends of the sport have designed or been involved with the development of courses in the Dominican Republic.

Many golf complexes and links are located along the east coast, which is being developed into a tourist hub featuring marinas, luxury resort accommodation, hotels and other facilities.

Sabrina Cambiaso, executive director of the Dominican Republic Tourist Board, said the destination is excited by the prospect of showcasing its attractions at Golf Live.

She added: 'Our vision to grow the Dominican Republic's east coast into an upscale golfer's paradise is unfolding with great care to preserve and showcase the area's pristine beauty and eco-diversity.

'The Dominican Republic has invested a lot in tourism infrastructure and plans to add even more developments such as new highways, road signs and other enhancements by 2012.'

Source: Opodo Travel News

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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Dominican Republic unions vow strike as wage hike talks deadlock

Labor union leaders Tuesday affirmed they’ll not meet with management in the National Salary Committee (CNS) again and warned that the employers’ attitude will radicalize their struggle and lead to a general strike nationwide.

The union leaders’ pullout from the CNS has deadlocked talks with employers, after rejecting a proposed 11.6% increase on the minimum wage yesterday.

Rafael (Pepe) Abreu, Jacobo Ramos and Gabriel del Rio said they won’t waste their time with the employers, who they affirm only go to argue over the same the topic every year, alleging it would lead to companies closing and reduce sources of jobs.

The unions CNUS, CASC and CNTD announced marches in Easter San Pedro and western Barahona for Wednesday, and similar activities in San Francisco and Puerto Plata for Thursday.

They said for International Labor Day, May 1, they’ll announce a general strike in a grand march being coordinated with social, barrio, business and professional groups.

Ramos added that the union leaders will neither accept blackmail nor mockery from employers, and will maintain their demand for a 40% hike for the minimum wage and 25% for those who earn up to 50,000 pesos.

Source: Dominican Today

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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Oldest Known Shipwreck Found Near Dominican Republic

Utah based Deep Blue Marine believes they located the oldest known shipwreck off the coast of the Dominican Republic.

Divers have uncovered gold coins, jade statues, and ancient Mayan jewelry.

The company still believes there are greater treasures.

President of Deep Blue Marine, Wilf Blum says, "This is the history and the birthplace of America and here we are lucky enough to finding the shipwrecks from that time era."

Just a few years after Christopher Columbus discovered the new world, the ship sank into the dark waters off the Dominican coast.

It lay undisturbed until now.

Captain William Rawson was the first to find the treasure’s trail. "We found some old fella in town that was selling a coin. I bought the coin from him and we looked in a book and found it was one of the oldest coins ever minted in the new world," he said.

Rawson used technology such as side scan sonar to search the area where the old local liked to dive.

Little by little he uncovered parts of the wreckage.

“This is pretty incredible when you think about it. This has been on the ocean floor for 450 years," Rawson said.

Divers found gold coins that date back to 1535.

One particular set of four coins is valued at a million dollars.

Deep Blue Marine gets to keep 50-percent of the recovered items.

The Dominican government gets the rest.

"We found these two mirrors made out of iron pyrite. And they've been lying on the ocean floor for 450 years, but you can still take and turn them and see your face in them," said Rawson.

President Blum says the Spanish ship likely sank during a hurricane.

"If it's the ship we believe it is, she went down in a very violent storm. And the evidence is pointing in that direction. We're finding spikes that were bent completely right around back on themselves," Blum said.

He says never has a shipwreck turned up artifacts so old.

"The only other fleet we know of that's older than this is the 1502 fleet and it's never been discovered," he continued.

Deep Blue Marine is currently salvaging thirteen shipwrecks.

The company built a museum in the Dominican Republic and plans to put some of the items from the most recent find on public display.

Others will go to auction to the highest bidder.

Source: My Fox DC

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Sunday, April 10, 2011

Dominican Republic president won't seek 4th term

The president of the Dominican Republic announced that he will not seek a fourth term, opening the position to new leadership for the first time in nearly a decade.

The Friday night declaration by President Leonel Fernandez, 57, ends months of speculation and lobbying efforts by supporters to reform the constitution to allow him to run again.

According to Fernandez's Dominican Liberation Party, at least 2.2 million voters signed a petition two weeks ago calling for his re-election in the Caribbean nation of 6.3 million registered voters.

Fernandez has not said whether he will run again in 2016, although he reminded voters during his address Friday that he is the only presidential candidate to have obtained more than 2 million votes.

The constitution limits presidents to two consecutive four-year terms but allows them to run again after skipping an election cycle.

Fernandez, an attorney born in the Dominican Republic who grew up in New York City, was first elected to office in 1996, and later in 2004 and 2008. In 2008, he won nearly 54 per cent of the vote.

He has recently positioned himself as a peacemaker in high-profile conflicts, crafting a deal last year that allowed deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to seek refuge in the Dominican Republic.

Possible presidential candidates from Fernandez's party include a former interior minister, a former attorney general and Fernandez's wife, Margarita Cedeno. She has not addressed such speculation, although local news media have run multiple ads touting her as the next candidate, including a slogan that says, "Mother's Here."

Whomever is chosen as candidate will face former President Hipolito Mejia of the opposition Dominican Revolutionary Party, whom Fernandez defeated in 2004. The general elections are scheduled for May 20, 2012.

Source: Jamaica Observer

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Saturday, April 9, 2011

Dominican Republic fuel prices set record

Starting tomorrow Saturday a gallon of premium gasoline will cost RD$214.20, or RD$5.50 more, and regular RD$201.90, a jump of RD$4.80, the highest prices in the country ever.

The Industry and Commerce Ministry posted the fuel prices for the week from April 9 to 15, when regular diesel will cost RD$184.90 per gallon, a RD$3.90 increase and premium will be sold at RD$189.80, or RD$4.50 more.

A gallon or avtur will cost RD$157.12, for a RD$3.20 increase; kerosene will cost RD$178.00 per gallon, a RD3.50 increase, and fuel oil will cost RD$131.04, or RD$3.39 more.

Propane gas (GLP) remains at RD$99.50 per gallon, for an increase of RD$0.59, and natural gas will remain at RD$20.05 per cubic meter.

Dominican Republic’s Central Bank posted exchange rate of RD$37.93 per dollar was used in the calculations.

Source: Dominican Today

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Friday, April 8, 2011

Dominican government returns 7-year-old German boy allegedly abducted by father last year

Officials in the Dominican Republic have returned to a German woman her 7-year-old son who had been brought to the Caribbean country clandestinely by his father a year ago.

The Dominican attorney general says the boy's father, identified as Matthias Ralph Eagl, has also been handed over to German authorities. Eagl had been sought by Interpol.

A statement from the attorney general says the suspect was detained Monday and transferred to German authorities Wednesday.

Eagl allegedly brought his son to the Dominican Republic a year ago without the consent of the mother, Sabine Eagl.

Dominican authorities say Eagl had been living with the boy in Bavaro, about 125 miles (200 kilometres) east of Santo Domingo.

Source: Winnipeg Free Press

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Thursday, April 7, 2011

Dominican Republic calls for sustained peace in Haiti

Dominican Republic yesterday called for a sustained peace in Haiti, based on a human development that assures equal opportunities for all its citizens, political stability and the creation of decent jobs.

Foreign Relations minister Carlos Morales, who represented the country in the UN Security Council meeting to debate Haiti’s situation, said equal opportunities for Haiti “means a government which assures access to essential public services, such as water, education, energy, health and security.”

He said equality also means the possibility that all Haitians abroad can return and enjoy the same rights and obligations, as well as contributing their knowledge and resources for their nation’s development.

Morales said with sustainable peace in that nation, “would exist a prosperous, developing Haiti, with equal opportunities, legal security, harmony with the environment and decent jobs for the Haitians in Haiti.”

He added that the Dominican-Haitian Mixed Binational Commission is anxious to resume its work with a vast agenda of topics of joint interest, especially after both nations showed their solidarity in the aftermath of last year’s earthquake.

In the meeting headed by Colombia president Juan Manuel Santos participated United States ex president Bill Clinton; OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza; Inter-American Development Bank president (IDB) Luis Alberto Moreno and the Foreign Relations minister from Argentina, Peru, Chile, Brazil and Cuba, among others of the region.

Source: Dominican Today

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Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Dominican Republic Annual Tourism Fair 2011

The new Palace Hotel Barcelo Premium Bravo will host the Tourism Trade Show Dominican with the participation of hundreds of travel agents, tour operators and journalists who will be guests of the Punta Cana Dominican Annual Tourism Exchange which will take place April 27 to 29 Barceló host, along with the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, the activities of fair, while the Hotel the main social event: the Noche Caribeño traditional party that will be an opportunity to present new hotel opened to the public last December. The business meetings will be hosted at the Congress Center of Casino for the second consecutive year. The fair attracts every year hundreds of representatives from the tourism International from the United States, South America and Europe.

Source: Dioptria

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Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Dominican Republic, Brazil sign trade deal

The Dominican Republic and Brazil signed an agreement Tuesday to promote bilateral trade.

The deal was signed here between the Dominican Republic Export and Investment Center (CEI-RD) and a Brazilian official export agency, Apex-Brasil, CEI-RD Director Eddy Martinez said.

The new agreement seeks to improve trade balances between the tiny Caribbean island and the South American giant, which exported 400 million U.S. dollars of goods to the Dominican Republic in 2010. Brazil's import from it registered only 15 million dollars in the same year.

Officials on both sides recognized the importance of the new agreement.

The agreement will also facilitate foreign investment and business exchanges between the two countries, Apex-Brasil Director Mauricio Borges said.

Source: Xinhua

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Monday, April 4, 2011

Dominican police arrest 12 soldiers in alleged scheme to ship drugs to Canada in suitcase

Twelve soldiers assigned to combat drug trafficking in the Dominican Republic have been arrested in an alleged scheme to smuggle cocaine to Canada in a child's suitcase, a prosecutor said Monday.

Eight of the soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel and captain, were detailed to the national anti-drug agency at the airport in Puerto Plata while four were assigned to security duties at the airport terminal, said prosecutor Elvis Garcia. Two civilians who work there were also arrested.

A judge ordered all the suspects held pending an investigation into charges of drug smuggling, Garcia said.

The arrests stem from the discovery on March 23 of more than 33 kilograms (73 pounds) of cocaine in a child's suitcase. The girl was travelling with her parents and sister from Puerto Plata, about 240 kilometres (150 miles) north of Santo Domingo, to Toronto.

The parents were not detained. Garcia said investigators believe they may have been working with the smugglers but it hadn't been decided yet whether Dominican authorities would pursue charges against them.

Source: Associated Press

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Sunday, April 3, 2011

Dominican Republic’s Supreme Court of Justice rules in favor of CAEI

The Labor Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Dominican Republic ruled in favor of the Vicini Group’s Industrial Sugar Companies Consortium (CAEI) regarding litigation brought against the company’s Cristobal Colon sugar mill surrounding labor contracts.

The decision ratified the ruling of a lower court, the Labor Appeal Court in San Pedro de Macoris, noting that the appeal brought by plaintiffs was rejected because the argument was lacking in legal basis.

In making its ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the arguments contained in the Labor Court ruling that dismissed the case for lack of legal basis, distortion of the facts and violation of the basic principles of the country’s Labor Code. The Labor Code states that “the work is not that which is described in writing, but that which is in fact carried out.”

The ruling also stated that “any agreement to the contrary entered into by the parties with the object of simulating something other than the facts, constitutes fraud to the labor code, whether through the appearance of non-labor contractual norms, imposition of people or any other means.”

Source: Dominican Today

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Saturday, April 2, 2011

Dominican Republic, U.S. discuss aid to Haiti

President of the Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez on Thursday discussed with a senior U.S. official Haiti's political situation and aid disbursement to the country.

In talks with U.S. Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero, Fernandez agreed to meet her again next week in Washington.

The talks would be focused on how to guarantee the disbursement of aid granted to Haiti, which is facing a political crisis and a cholera epidemic after last year's devastating 7.3-magnitude earthquake that killed at least 250,000 people and left an estimated 800,000 others homeless.

Source: Xinhua

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Friday, April 1, 2011

Tourism leaders worry spiraling fuel cost threaten 2011 profit, revenue

Tourism business leaders worry about the movement in fuel prices in the first three months, and express uncertainty in reaching their 2011 goals.

They say the price of the airplane fuel avtur jumped RD$30.16, or 25 %, and may pose a threat to the sector, which expects more than four million tourists this year. Avtur rose from RD$119.92 to RD$150.08 per gallon.

Their situation took a turn for the worse with higher costs, intermediation profit margins, low spending in ads for the destination in foreign markets, and talk of new airport fees.

Puntacana Group president Frank Rainieri calls the panorama discouraging amid a crisis which might’ve been an economic opportunity for Dominican Republic.

He said tax revenue from avtur sales to planes that touch Dominican soil will tumble this year, resulting from higher internal prices. He added that taxes here are much higher compared with the other competitor countries ion.

Rainieri cites the nearest cases: Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and some Caribbean islands, where he affirms airlines prefer to buy fuels.

He cautioned that if the corrective measures aren’t taken, the country may lose out on the arrival of as many as 800,000 tourists for the rest of the year, with income as high as US$900 million additionally, since more than 20 million tourists who frequent North Africa, its recent upheaval will force them to look to other destinations.

Source: Dominican Today

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