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Tourism up 32% in November Minister of Tourism Rafael Subervi Bonilla says 32% more foreign tourists have come this November compared to November 2001. Some 189,561 foreign travelers came in November. Total air arrivals including Dominicans living abroad was 225,286. Subervi was all smiles and very optimistic as he addressed the Canadian-Dominican Chamber of Commerce audience yesterday. He forecast an overall 6 to 10% increase in travel this year and a 25% increase for Puerto Plata. Last year travel was already down due to the US and European economic woes when the terrorist attack of 9/11 made matters much worse. This year the good news is that the people are again flying down to the Caribbean. The Minister of Tourism reported that the average stay for the tourists was nine days and that expenditures were up nearly two dollars a day -- from US$111.10 per day to US$113.20 per day in 2002. Subervi announced plans to build new duty free sales areas in Puerto Plata, La Romana and Santiago as soon as President Mejia signs the authorizing decree. “We can turn the country into a shopping destination,” he said, as reported in El Caribe and Hoy newspapers. The idea is to take advantage of the free zone manufacturing facilities. “Imagine a tourist can buy for US$10 an item that usually sells for US$35,” said Subervi. |
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Keep the lights on for Christmas Every newspaper in the country is carrying the story, not without some irony, that tells of the Superintendent of Electricity, Julio Cross instructing electricity distribution companies to refrain from distributing blackouts over the Christmas holidays (15 December- 10 January). According to the press release, Cross says: “In this way, the government of President Hipolito Mejia guarantees the Dominican people a Christmas and New Year season without interruptions in the electricity, unless there are breakdowns.” In spite of the best efforts of the Superintendent of Electricity, there is reportedly a 150 megawatt deficit in the system, since several plants are not operating. |
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Senate insists on US$750 million bonds The Senate upheld yesterday its decision to add US$150 million to the sovereign bond placement request of the Mejia administration for US$600 million. The Senate needs to pass the second reading on the bill before sending it to the Chamber of Deputies. President Mejia opposes the increase and was scheduled to meet with his party’s senators today. Orlando Gil, political commentator of the Listin Diario, had speculated earlier that the senators insistence on the additional US$150 million was but a way to pressure for unstated gains with the Executive Branch. Pending in Congress is the approval of the 2003 National Budget and several senators have requested changes in the budget and the Senate-related allotments. |
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Senate discusses changes to electoral law The bill that would change the Electoral Law and legalize the proposed structure changes in the Central Electoral Board was sent to the Permanent Senate Justice Committee yesterday. This change is needed to carry out the accords worked out in the talks at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra over the last two months. Representatives from more than 50 economic, political and social organizations attended these talks. The basic agreement called for increasing the number of judges sitting on the Central Electoral Board (JCE) and the division of the Board into two areas of competence. At least two senators, Cesar Diaz Filpo and Pedro Luna oppose the changes already approved by the Chamber of Deputies. |
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Government Christmas give-aways The Listin Diario reports that the Presidential Social Cabinet will be giving away RD$70 million in gift certificates this Christmas. According to cabinet director, Peggy Cabral (a former Santo Domingo city candidate for Mayor), on the 16th and 17th of this month, 150,000 purchase orders for items from the Institute for Price Stabilization (INESPRE) and for supermarkets around the country will be distributed. 50,000 families in the South and the Northwest will receive purchase orders for products from the farmer’s markets. Meanwhile 100,000 families in the Cibao Valley, the East and the National District (Santo Domingo) will receive purchase orders that can be exchanged in stores. The Catholic Church, political parties, civic organizations will be used to distribute the purchase orders, she said. According to the reports, the purchase orders will be given inside of buckets that can be used to carry the purchases and later for household use. |
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Rumbo magazine focuses on drug case The Caribair pilot, Rafael de la Cruz, has implicated several government officials in the drug operation that attempted to smuggle 452.6 kilos of cocaine into the United States on 7 August. The plane left Herrera International Airport in Santo Domingo and made a stopover in the Bahamas prior to landing at a Fort Lauderdale airport, where dogs detected the contraband. An extensive report in Rumbo newsweekly magazine says that the testimony of De la Cruz is being exploited by US authorities to revoke travel visas to several unnamed government officials. The magazine also says that on 23 May, Rafael de la Cruz had rented the same airplane for a two-day flight to Havana, Cuba. Among the five passengers traveling with him that day was real estate businessman Martin Abreu Pimentel. Hours after returning to the Dominican Republic, where the pilot landed at Herrera International Airport, Pimentel was shot to death in the parking lot of Trio Café on Abraham Lincoln Avenue. Pimentel was described as an aide of President Mejía at the time. In regards to the incident in Fort Lauderdale, the Aviation Department of the Dominican government requested that Caribair remove the stickers from its aircraft that identified they were for the use of the advance team of President Mejía. Former Presidential Security Chief Colonel Pedro Julio Goico was in charge of the advance team at the time and is now being detained in connection with the investigations regarding a helicopter and an airplane used by the advance team, and for the alleged RD$40 million credit card fraud case. Rumbo explains that the last flight that Goico made in the airplane was headed for Cuba, but that it detoured and flew to Isla Margarita in Venezuela. On board were high-ranking officers of the Mejía government. Reportedly, at the time, Colonel Goico used his influence to circumvent the Venezuelan visa requirements for the high-ranking officers to enter Venezuela. |
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More off court settlements, please The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is encouraging the Justice Department to free up the courts and speeding up justice by using alternative conflict resolution mechanisms. Elena Brineman, the head of the USAID in the Dominican Republic, feels that only cases that cannot be resolved by this method or that have to do with public safety, should reach the system. Brineman spoke at the School for Justices on occasion of the donation of high-speed copiers and other equipment that will allow students faster access to study materials. The donation is part of the Program for the Modernization of Justice that is funded by USAID to improve the Dominican judiciary. |
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Foreigners in jail Twenty-nine nationalities are keeping time in Dominican jails. Nearly half of these are from Haiti, 21% are from Venezuela and about 10% are from Colombia. There are 37 Swiss, 29 Spaniards, 23 Puerto Ricans, 16 Americans (USA), 15 Dutchmen, and 11 inmates from Ecuador. In an interesting study that appears in the latest edition of Rumbo newsweekly magazine, nearly 17,000 prisoners are maintained in space designed to house 7,661. Of the 16,863, only 3,919 have actually been sentenced to prison; the other 13,111 are awaiting trial. |
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Peso climbs to the dollar The pact between the government and the business sector has had an initial impact on the exchange rate as the dollar fell 100 points in yesterday’s very slow trading. The peso was selling for shortly under RD$22 to US$1 yesterday and banks were buying at about RD$21. |
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Tropical extraganza in La Romana Casa de Campo presents “Kandelá”, a tropical music extravaganza at Altos de Chavon in La Romana. During the one hour and 20 minute show 48 performers go on stage. The tropical music review opened on Monday in La Romana and will run through 27 February. The show previewed for tourists arriving on board Costa Marina to the newly remodelled cruise ship wharf at La Romana Port. People behind the show include Jose Antonio Molina, who has directed productions for Luciano Pavarotti in Italy, and choreographer Chiqui Haddad. Manuel Tejada was in charge of the musical arrangements. The show is a production of MedCom Productions and Casa de Campo. Show dates are: December 16, 19, 23, 26, 30 and 31. January 2, 6, 6, 9, 13, 14, 16, 20, 24, 25, 227. February 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 13, 17, 18, 20, 24, 25 and 27. Shows at 9:30 pm. Tickets: US$35. |
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Baseball update
Lions Claw Eagles 3-2 |
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