BASSETERRE, St Kitts (Reuters) -- Venezuela has agreed with the Dominican Republic to acquire a 49 percent stake in the country's Refidomsa oil refinery after the Dominican government bought out the half share in the plant held by Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Venezuela's oil minister said. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Matinicus and a Dominican Republic Navy Shiprider repatriated 11 Dominican migrants to La Romana, Dominican Republic on Friday afternoon.
The migrants were interdicted at-sea by Caribbean Border Interagency law enforcement authorities Thursday. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Reuters) -- Philadelphia Phillies minor league infielder Pablo Ozuna was suspended for 50 games on Thursday after violating Major League Baseball's drug prevention and treatment program. The 34-year-old from the Dominican Republic had shown an elevated ratio of testosterone. read more...

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (Reuters) -- The Dominican Republic is planning a $1 billion sovereign bond issue as it seeks to shore up its finances and offset effects of the global economic crisis.
Finance Minister Vicente Bengoa Albizu told reporters the government only planned to spend about $500 million. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Key Largo repatriated 13 Dominicans, three Haitians and one Cuban to La Romana, Dominican Republic on Tuesday, following an at-sea interdiction by Caribbean Border Interagency Group law enforcement authorities on Monday. read more...

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TORTOLA, BVI -- Sad news out of the Dominican Republic reports that a pregnant 17 year old tuberculosis patient who contracted the new Influenza A H1N1 virus died at a Santo Domingo hospital on Saturday 6th June. This was the first life in the Caribbean claimed by the virus formerly referred to as “Swine Flu". read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (Reuters) -- Puerto Rico on Monday reported its first confirmed case of H1N1 swine flu -- a 39-year-old man who had returned from a week-long eastern Caribbean cruise. Mexico remains the epicenter of the H1N1 outbreak, which has been detected in 46 countries. read more...

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SANTIAGO, Chile (Bloomberg) -- Two female tourists returning from the Dominican Republic became Chile’s first confirmed cases of swine flu, Health Minister Alvaro Erazo told reporters. They arrived in Chile Saturday on Copa Airlines Flight 437 from the beach resort of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. read more...

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The government of the Dominican Republic (DR) has applied to become a member of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom) and heads of government of the regional organisation will consider the application at their meeting in July. There is not much to consider. read more...

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SAN JUAN , Puerto Rico -- The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Cushing repatriated eight Dominicans and one Cuban to La Romana, Dominican Republic Tuesday morning, while four other Dominicans were detained for prosecution following an at-sea interdiction by Caribbean Border Interagency authorities. read more...

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LOS ANGELES, USA (AFP) -- Baseball was reeling with the 50-game suspension of Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Manny Ramirez for the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti called it "a dark day for baseball in a lot of ways," as Ramirez was suspended. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Reuters) -- Women's weightlifter Yudelquis Contreras of the Dominican Republic has tested positive for the banned blood booster CERA, the Dominican Today newspaper said on Thursday. Dominican Today said the positive test had been confirmed by the Dominican Olympic Committee. read more...

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WASHINGTON, USA -- The Secretary General of the Organization of American States, José Miguel Insulza, met at the OAS headquarters in Washington DC, with the Secretary of the Interior and Police of the Dominican Republic, Franklin Almeyda, to discuss economic and security-related issues. read more...

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WASHINGTON, USA -- The government of the Dominican Republic ratified on Friday the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Related Materials (CIFTA) through the signature of a document by the Secretary General of OAS. read more...

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WASHINGTON, USA -- More than $1.1 million will be used to improve agricultural training, marketing and planting more profitable crops along the impoverished Haiti-Dominican Republic border in a one-year initiative, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) announced on Friday. read more...

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MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) -- Police targeted more than 150 Canadians linked to the Hells Angels motorcycle club in pre-dawn raids Wednesday in Canada's Quebec province, the Dominican Republic and France. Some 1,200 policemen armed with 177 warrants set out to arrest 156 people. read more...

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WASHINGTON, USA (Reuters) -- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits Haiti on Thursday to talk about how to promote stability in the Western hemisphere's poorest nation despite its long history of violence and political unrest. Riots sparked by skyrocketing food prices led to the ouster of Haiti's government last year. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Key Largo repatriated 11 Dominican migrants to La Romana, Dominican Republic Friday morning, while four others were detained for prosecution following an at-sea interdiction by Caribbean Border Interagency law enforcement authorities on Thursday. read more...

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MIAMI, USA: The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has expressed repudiation of attempts in the Dominican Republic to intimidate journalists and urged the Congress there to investigate the matter. The journalists said the attempts were made by persons associated with a local senator. read more...

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GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands: The Net News Group (NNG), a widely-read media publishing and communications company based in the Cayman Islands, has established a contributor partnership with McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), one of the largest media groups in the United States. read more...

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WASHINGTON, USA (AFP): Houston Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada was sentenced to one year of probation on Thursday for lying to US lawmakers about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. Tejada was also fined 5,000 dollars and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. read more...

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GLAND, Switzerland/WASHINGTON, USA: Critically endangered hawksbill turtles are no longer being sold as tourist souvenirs in the Dominican Republic after a powerful government campaign cracked down on shops illegally trading such items. More than 99 percent of these souvenirs have been withdrawn. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Reuters): San Francisco Giants pitcher Kelvin Pichardo was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance. The 23-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic violated Major League Baseball's drug prevention and treatment program. read more...

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic: The lavish Barceló Punta Cana Resort in the Dominican Republic is set to host the 23rd Miss America Latina Del Mundo Pageant from May 14 to 24, 2009. Barceló Hotels & Resorts has sponsored this annual event in a variety of its hotels throughout Latin America. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Bloomberg): Team USA is the new favourite to win the World Baseball Classic after the first-round elimination of the Dominican Republic, the oddsmakers' top choice prior to the tournament. The Americans this year went 2-1 in the opening round and next play Saturday in Miami. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Bloomberg): Dominican Republic companies will sell at least $60 million in bonds on the nation’s stock exchange in coming weeks as the global credit crisis forces them to seek local financing, the bourse’s Chief Executive Officer Darys Estrella Mordan said. read more...

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TORONTO, Canada (AFP): Netherlands shocked the Dominican Republic and Canada put a scare into the United States before falling as favourites struggled in their World Baseball Classic openers. Three unearned runs and five shutout innings by four relievers led the Dutch to a 3-2 victory. read more...

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NEW YORK, USA (Reuters): The status of Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez on the Dominican Republic team remained up in the air ahead of Thursday's launch of baseball's highest-level international competition, the World Baseball Classic. Some other top players are missing from the rosters as they recover from injury. read more...

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HAVANA, Cuba (ACN): The leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro met with the Dominican Republic's President Leonel Fernandez Reyna, on Monday. The Dominican leader, who is on his third official visit to Cuba as head of state, told the press it was an honour and a privilege for him to have talked with Fidel. read more...

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AFP): Dominican Republic and host Puerto Rico will be the favourites to advance from the first-round group at the World Baseball Classic that also includes Panama and the Netherlands. The Dominicans, featuring New York Yankees star and admitted dope cheat Alex Rodriguez, lost to Cuba. read more...

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HAVANA, Cuba (ACN): The president of the Dominican Republic Leonel Fernandez announced the upcoming signing of several bilateral accords with Cuba during his current official visit. Fernandez said the exchange will be multiple and will strengthen bilateral relations between Santo Domingo and Havana. read more...

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WASHINGTON, USA (Bloomberg): Jim Bowden resigned as general manager of the Washington Nationals, saying reports he was involved in a federal probe into the skimming of bonus money to Dominican Republic and other Caribbean players made him a “distraction” to the team. read more...

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STOCKHOLM, Sweden: The ’09 World Baseball Classic is right around the corner and in its honour, Rebtel, the people’s global communications company, has started free international calling to and from the home of baseball greats, the Dominican Republic, and 50 other countries free of charge. read more...

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (Reuters): The Dominican Republic canceled an Independence Day military parade amid public outrage over scandals linking soldiers and police to crime and drug trafficking. The crime involving soldiers and police has raised alarm among local business. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS): A decision on whether Jamaica can begin the growing of rice on a commercial scale is to be made in another six months. This was disclosed by Minister of Agriculture, Dr Christopher Tufton, while on a tour of an experimental plot at the Bodles Research Station in Old Harbour, St Catherine. read more...

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WASHINGTON, USA: Remittances may be one of the few bright spots in the economic scheme of things in Barbados and other Caribbean countries as the region confronts a slowdown in tourism, a fall-off in foreign direct investment and a drop in commodity prices, according to economists and other key experts. read more...

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ROSEAU, Dominica: The WaterAid Odyssey continues as Graham Hughes pushes forward in his journey through the Caribbean on his round-the-world Odyssey, trying to make up for lost time after encountering unexpected travel delays in the islands. Hughes is attempting to break a world record. read more...

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KINGSTOWN, St Vincent: In a history making Odyssey, film-maker Graham Hughes is traveling the globe in an attempt to break a world record for the fastest journey to every nation on Earth without flying, while raising £1,000,000 for the international non-profit organization WaterAid. read more...

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic: President Leonel Fernandez continued his promise of creating new business and jobs in the Dominican Republic by inaugurating the new Sans Souci Port terminal just outside of Santo Domingo, with the arrival of the Royal Caribbean cruise ship “Vision of the Seas”. read more...

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic: In an effort to control unlicensed firearms in the Dominican Republic, the Interior and Police Ministry has issued a three-day deadline as of Wednesday, 14 January 2009, for over 84,000 citizens to renew their firearms licences. read more...

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