Home  Message Archive  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003  2002  2001  2000  1999  1998  Premium News Service

Daily News - 26 January 2001
Taking a break for Duarte's holiday
Today, Friday, 26 January 2001 is the 188th birthday of Juan Pablo Duarte, forefather of the Dominican nationality. To commemorate the day, Monday, 29 January will be a holiday. The DR1 Daily News will not be published on the Monday holiday. The news over the long weekend will be compiled for the Tuesday, 30 January edition.
New technology to expedite passing through Customs
The Department of Customs announced this year it will replace the manual checking of incoming travelers at the main airports of the country with a more selective electronic system. Vicente Sanchez Baret told the audience at the American Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Wednesday, as reported in Hoy newspaper, that the new equipment will operate using a scanner and X rays. He said it will allow more effective control of incoming travelers and eliminate the discretional inspections decided upon by customs inspectors. He said it will expedite the passing through customs for all travelers.
Sanchez Baret explained that the luggage will be pre-checked by the new equipment prior to its arriving to customs. Once it enters the Customs Department only luggage pre-selected by the equipment will be inspected.
He also said two exit doors will be prepared at each airport. One for travelers that have nothing to declare, and another for those with items to declare.
He said a cashier will be available so that travelers can pay the required taxes on imports shortly after arriving and not have to return later.
Rosario Mining expected to reopen this year
The director of the Department of Mining, Pedro Vasquez says he expects to announce the winner of the tender to chose a partner to exploit the sulfur deposits of Rosario Mining in Cotuí by March. He said the exploitation would eventually generate US$400 million a year to the state. He said the state will contribute the ore deposit and the present Rosario Mining installations. The foreign partner will fund the project and provide the advanced technology to exploit the ore. He told Hoy newspaper that the deposit has an estimated potential of 28 million ounces of gold, 177 million ounces of silver and 2.7 million tons of zinc.
President Fernandez visits Judge on corruption case
Former President Leonel Fernandez visited Judge Rosa Esther Agelan Casasnovas of the Juzgado de Instrucción de la Segunda Circunscripción del Distrito Nacional for questioning regarding the PEME scandal. He visited the judge accompanied by former Vice President Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal, and former government members Alejandrina Germán and Temístocles Montás.
The former President said that he is convinced that the questioning by the judge on the management of the Programa de Empleo Mínimo Eventual has been carried out with the purpose of annihilating moral and politically the Partido de la Liberación Dominicana. The former statesman was interviewed upon his return to his Av. Mexico home after a five-hour ordeal with the judge.
Fernandez commented that by volunteering to answer the judge's questions, he hoped to give an example in the DR and Latin America of never evading the requirements of the law.
"Different from others, both nationally and internationally, that have sought to avoid the requirements of the judiciary, in my particular case, I believe that with my conduct of appearing in a voluntary way and without the formality of a summons, we start a new model of how a responsible politician responds to the call of Justice," said Fernandez.
"Of course, this attitude and conduct I can assume because I have always acted with honesty, decorum and dignity regarding the values of the Dominican people.
"I understand that in my case, again the ill-fated circumstance of what appears to be an inexorable law of our history, in virtue of which those that have been head of state see themselves submitted to exile, attempts, prison, coups de etat, assassinations, suicide or intents of discredit.
"It is a shame that we are starting the 21st Century with the same methods as the Republic began in the 19th Century," said the former statesman.
New gasoline prices
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced fuel prices that will be effective as of Saturday, 27 January. These include increases in almost all kinds of fuel with the exception of premium gasoline. The new prices per galon are:
Premium Gasoline: RD$41.56 (down from RD$42.00)
Regular Gasoline: RD$36.69 (RD$36.33)
Premium Diesel: RD$27.08 (RD$26)
Regular Diesel: RD$25.00 (RD$24.14)
Avtur: RD$21.11 (RD$21.55)
Propane gas: RD$20.79 (RD$19.23)
Import of rice authorized
The Ministry of Agriculture announced the government has authorized the import of 400,000 quintals of rice for the local market. Minister Eligio Jaquez said that the rice will be imported to control speculation that has pushed upwards the price of rice, a basic staple of the Dominican diet.
Eligio Jaquez said that the imports will be carried out under the technical rectification approved by the government.
Program to train English teachers for public schools
President Hipolito Mejia and Vice President-Minister of Education Milagros Ortiz Bosch were the first to share the enthusiasm of US Ambassador Charles Manatt for a new program that will help more Dominicans to be bilingual. Both were present at the ceremony where Ambassador Manatt proudly announced he has help gather RD$4 million for the start of the Ministry of Education's Private Sector English Teacher Training Program.
In 1995 the Ministry of Education issued an order under which all Dominican children in public schools were to receive instruction in English as a second language beginning in Grade 5. To implement this order the public schools needed the services of 3,000 additional teachers, as only 179 bilingual teachers were available. The project suffered delays until now.
The Instituto Cultural Dominicano-Americano in Santo Domingo (ICDA) and the Centro Cultural Dominicano-Americano (CCDA) in Santiago, using a curriculum designed by a specialist contracted by the Embassy of the United States, agreed to give public school teachers two years of instruction in English, followed by two years of training in methodology leading to the degree of Technician in education with specialty in English.
The project will begin in March 2001 with an initial program offering a two­year course in English language skills for 1000 public school teachers, costing about US$250,000.
The Ministry of Education with the support of the private sector will share the costs.
Ambassador Manatt secured the support of banker Ramon Baez (Baninter) and of leading Dominican baseball players, such as Sammy Sosa and Pedro Martínez who were at the ceremony to announce the start of the program.
Donations to this program can be presented to both the Dominican and US governments for tax deductions. Those wishing to seek a Dominican tax deduction should address their check to either the ICDA or the CCDA. Those wishing a US tax deduction should address their check to the US Embassy.
Japanese government to help build 480 school rooms
The Ministry of Education and the Government of Japan signed an agreement whereby Japan will fund the construction or reconstruction of 480 public school classrooms. The classrooms are located in low bracket areas in Santo Domingo, Santiago, Puerto Plata and Monte Plata. The Dominican government's contribution to the program will be the exoneration of the taxes on all equipment to be used in the construction and furbishing of the schools.
Aguilas tie playoffs of Baseball Championship
The Aguilas Cibaeñas tied the Leones del Escogido in the second game of the playoffs. The Aguilas won 8-5 in the game at the Estadio Cibao in Santiago.
The team that wins will represent the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Series starting in February.
The series continues today with a game in Santo Domingo.
The games schedule is:
26 January. Quisqueya. 8 pm
27 January. Cibao. 8 pm
28 January. Quisqueya. 4 pm
29 January. Cibao. 4 pm
30 January. Quisqueya. 8 pm
Home  Message Archive  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003  2002  2001  2000  1999  1998  Premium News Service

The contents of this webpage are copyright © 1996-2008.  DR1. All Rights Reserved.