President Leonel Fernandez wants the Dominican Republic to emulate the state of Florida in becoming a "technological corridor". He spoke yesterday at the IT Technological Forum of Florida, an activity sponsored by Governor Jeb Bush. Fernandez said that the DR is in a process of transformation in which technology will be the main support for development. He highlighted the advances that are currently being made in the Dominican Republic to become a more competitive nation in anticipation of DR-CAFTA. Among the initiatives is the Las Americas Technological Park, where important projects are already underway in the fields of telemedicine and biotechnology.
As reported in El Caribe, President Fernandez said in Miami that the DR has the infrastructure and legal framework necessary to assume the commitments under the DR-CAFTA. Florida is a major trading partner, with volume of transactions at US$4.3 billion in 2004, which is greater than that with the UK or Japan.
The Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) ruling on eligibility for citizenship has generated comments by lawyers, politicians, civil society leaders, lawmakers and public officials. According to Diario Libre, some believe that the ruling, which establishes that children born in the DR to illegal immigrants are foreigners, is timely. Others have described the decision as "wise" and "in tune with our legal rules", while others understand that it puts an end to a old discussion. However, some are claiming that the decision is "legally questionable" and that it contravenes the principles established by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
According to Listin Diario, Vice President Rafael Alburquerque considers that the decision sets a precedent in the country because it regularizes the presence of illegal Haitians. Lawyer and Executive Branch Anti-Narcotics advisor Marino Vinicio Castillo said this was a "ruling of principle" and an example of the government's defense of national sovereignty. He said that the High Court has clearly interpreted the Constitution, which establishes exceptions to the rules of eligibility for citizenship. Executive Branch Legal Consultant Cesar Pina Toribio and PLD Spokesman Reinaldo Pared Perez also supported the ruling. So did the Vice President of Institutionalism and Justice Foundation (FINJUS), Servio Tulio Castanos Guzman. However, the PRSD candidate for National District Senator, Eduardo Jorge Prats, believes that the SCJ made a legally questionable ruling as the international concept of "in transit" does not include the state of illegal residency, and refers only to foreigners who have not formed a family and put down roots in the national territory.
A movement called "A flag and a flower for the Malecon" and the Dominican Republic Academy of Sciences, which oppose the construction of an artificial island off the shore of Santo Domingo, want President Leonel Fernandez to explain why the state has signed a contract with a person with a questionable business track record such as Augusto Menendez, one of the project's promoters. According to Diario Libre, the organizations are asking the President to order an investigation that would establish the reasons why the state attorneys recommended the contract. A member of the movement, Emilio Galvan, said they would be pressing for judicial action against the project promoters. They pointed out that Menendez has cases pending in the US and Spain as well as in the Dominican courts. Plaintiffs in the Dominican cases include the Luis Heredia Bonetti law firm, Porter Novelli, ReMax Metropolitana and Banco de Reservas.
Listin Diario reports that the Academy of Sciences defined the work that is being done for the construction of the Metro as violations of Law 64-00 on Environment and Natural Resources. The organization also believes that the Office for the Reorganization of Transport (OPRET), directed by Diandino Pena, is using an inadequate solution by relocating soil excavated for the Metro to build the road that will link Villa Mella with the Avenida del Puerto. This is not a definite project, there is neither research nor documentation, and it was contracted without tender, stated the Academy's spokesman, ecologist Luis Carvajal.
PRD Deputy Ramon Agramonte has put forward a resolution for the Chamber of Deputies to question Metro Director Diandino Pena about the origin of funds being used for the construction of the Metro, as reported by Diario Libre. This initiative, according to Agramonte, is motivated by the current trend for demanding transparency in public administration and in the management of state resources, and the obligation to provide more information to citizens about the actions of different government ministries.
The president of the Commercial Banking Association (ABA), Jose Manuel Lopez Valdes, has stated that credit card interest rates are determined by the market, and that there are more than ten issuing companies in the DR with more than seven different rates. Diario Libre reports that this is ABA's reply to Central Bank Governor Hector Valdez Albizu's suggestion to have Banco de Reservas establish low interest rates on its credit cards in order to pressurize other financial institutions to make reductions in theirs. Lopez Valdes said that people were free to choose which card they wanted to use in the Dominican financial free market. The ABA agrees that the market should determine the prices of products and services to the economy.
The Dominican Republic has been chosen by the US as a model for a pilot program for guidance and education for immigrants wishing to live and work there permanently. To that effect, the Director of the US Office of Immigration and Citizenship Services, Alfonso Aguilar, opened the program at the US Consulate by delivering information material to Dominicans who had just received their resident visas. Aguilar stated that the program is aimed at having all Dominican and other immigrants integrate into the civic culture of the United States, for them to start learning English and the civic principles that define American identity, as soon as they arrive. Aguilar was interviewed by Listin Diario at the US Embassy residence in the company of ambassador Hans Hertell.
Two burns treatment specialists from the University of London's St. Bartholomew's Hospital (Barts) visited the DR to take part in different medical activities, as guests of the First Lady's office, as reported by Listin Diario. Doctors Harshad Vaysaria and Simon Myers worked on improving the capacity of Dominican specialists in this type of treatment to patients with burns and at the Burns Unit of the Robert Reid Cabral Children's Hospital. The specialists' visit was also sponsored by the British Embassy, whose ambassador, Andy Ashcroft, on behalf of the British Government, has expressed an interest in collaborating with First Lady Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez's initiatives for the improvement of the children's hospital. The physicians gave two lectures at the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo (UASD)'s Pedro Mir Library and visited several Dominican hospitals.
Gasoline stations have started using machines and markers to detect counterfeit bills and avoid being the victims of fraud, in reaction to recent reports that false RD$2,000 and RD$100 bills are in circulation. Employees are being instructed to take precautionary measures and not to accept bills unless they are certain they are legal. Most businesses have not yet registered cases of counterfeit bills in the last few days. Listin Diario visited several stations on 30 de Marzo, San Martin, Lope de Vega and Tiradentes avenues and found that all are on the alert for these bills.
The DR has the second most number of players confirmed for participation in the Baseball World Classic Championship, according to a report in Listin Diario. The Major League Baseball website lists a total of 29 Dominican players, second only to the US with 41 players. Following the DR are Mexico (23), Puerto Rico (22), Canada (20), Venezuela (15), Italy (14), Korea (8), Australia (5), and Panama (4). Dominican players confirmed are Antonio Alfonseca, Ronnie Belliard, Adrian Beltre, Eude Brito, Juan Brito, Daniel Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Alberto Castillo, Jesus Colome, Bartolo Colon, Francisco Cordero, Pedro Feliz, Franklyn German, Vladimir Guerrero, Pedro Martinez, Jose Mesa, David Ortiz, Wily Mo Pena, Neifi Perez, Placido Polanco, Albert Pujols, Manny Ramirez, Felix Rodriguez, Duaner Sanchez, Alfonso Soriano, Julian Tavarez, Miguel Tejada, Robinson Tejeda, and Salomon Torres.
According to some show business insiders, only Juan Luis Guerra is capable of filling the Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium on his own, and that is expected to happen again tomorrow for the closing concert of his "20-year Tour". As reported by Listin Diario, comments to that effect were made by Luis Medrano, Pedro Nunez del Risco, Rafael Cholo Brenes, Joseph Caceres and Carlos T. Martinez, who agree that at this moment, Juan Luis is the only person who can fill the 50,000-capacity stadium. Juan Luis Guerra's office have announced that Chichi Peralta, Marcos Hernandez and El Prodigio, in addition to the already announced Pavel Nunez, would take the stage to celebrate Guerra's 20 years. Chichi Peralta and Marco Hernandez were part of his 4-40 group for 10 and 12 years, respectively. The organizers announced that the doors to the stadium will open at 4 pm. Clave Digital reports that tickets for tomorrow's concert have sold out. They were selling for RD$400 and RD$600.
The very popular annual Peace Corps-sponsored and Ministry of Culture handicraft fair will take place at Columbus Park, in front of the Santo Domingo Cathedral, this coming 16-18 December. Friday, 16 December, some of the best handicrafts made in the DR will be shown from 3 to 9 pm. Then again on Saturday, 17 December from 9 to 9 pm and on Sunday, 18 December from 10 to 7 pm.
See http://www.dr1.com/calendar/
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