The Dominican Republic or Uruguay could come in as consensus candidates for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council after ten rounds of voting during which neither Venezuela nor Guatemala achieved the majority 125 votes needed for election, with neither wanting to withdraw their nomination. There was intense lobbying from both sides and renewed accusations against the United States for trying to favor Guatemala. Guatemala obtained more votes than Venezuela in nine of the ten rounds of voting and there was a tie at 93 votes in the sixth round. Listin Diario quotes a comment by Guatemalan Foreign Minister Gert Rosenthal, who said that "we have to be realistic: if the process continues like this and neither country gains the two-thirds vote majority it is probable that we have to think of a third country from the region". This adds to speculation that the DR, along with Uruguay, could end up as possible candidates.
The Customs Department has announced that it will be laying off 2,500 employees over the next seven months in order to comply with International Monetary Fund (IMF) requirements, the restructuring established for DR-CAFTA and Law 226-06 on customs autonomy. Diario Libre reports that one thousand workers were dismissed yesterday. Customs Department Director, Miguel Cocco met with more than 100 employees and explained that although Customs does not normally consider awarding severance pay, this time an exception will be made because they are non-voluntary terminations. RD$187 million has been allocated towards compensating those dismissed, and a further RD$55 million will be paid to people who have worked at customs for more than five years. Cocco said that the department has just over 6,000 employees and it would have cut this number down by 40%.
The Department for the Prevention of Corruption (DEPRECO) has indicted former vice president of the Dominican Corporation of State-Owned Electric Companies (CDEEE), Cesar Sanchez, for the irregular management of RD$2.168 billion in sovereign bonds meant for the Electric Highway. The charges against Sanchez include prevarication, misappropriation of funds, falsehood in public and banking documents. According to a report in Diario Libre, DEPRECO director Octavio Lister considers that the illegal activities Sanchez is accused of have damaged not only the state but also society at large, particularly in the northern region of the country.
Central Bank president Hector Valdez Albizu has announced that the International Monetary Fund's Stand-by agreement with the Dominican Republic, which was due to expire in April 2007, is being extended for three more months. The reason given for the extensions is the failure to present the sixth and seventh revisions of the agreement in a timely fashion. The original agreement was for 28 months.
For people wanted in extradition by the United States where they face charges of conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine, have turned themselves in. Woady A. Arrindell, Ramirez Santana de Leon and Toribio Jimenez are involved in a case in which each was indicted with federal charges related to cocaine trafficking. Jansys Feliz Terrero also faces charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intention of distributing 50 grams or more of cocaine in US territory. Arrest warrants were issued against all four by the Supreme Court of Justice Criminal Chamber, but according to a report in Diario Libre, all agreed to turn themselves in to the US justice system. A total of 146 people have been extradited to the United States from the DR since 1998, including 19 this year. Most of these extraditions are drug related. The most notorious extradition was the 2005 case of Quirino Paulino and 12 men associated with his drug ring.
The National Ethics Commission has banned officials and public employees from receiving Christmas gifts and recommended that all institutions, including City Halls, avoid spending public resources by refraining from the traditional practice of giving away expensive baskets this year. The Commission said that only baskets meant as gifts for poorer employees are acceptable and these should not be sent to ministers, deputy ministers, administrators and assistant administrators of state institutions. According to the resolution, accepting such gifts could be seen as an outlet for abnormal activity or favoritism in the workplace. Commission president Jose Joaquin Bido Medina said that these baskets are given to people with medium ranged salaries and that government officials get enough money and don't need any more. A report in Diario Libre says that these funds should be saved and allocated to the relief of the sick and the needy.
Commercial banks and savings and loans associations have lowered their passive interest rates by more than 65% over the last two years, while active rates have only dropped by 42%. According to Diario Libre, both rates should move in relatively equal proportions. Passive rates, the ones banks pay savers for their deposits, are currently at an annual average of just 8.4% for one-year investments. In 2004 the average was 24.5% and in 2005 it was 14.5%. This means that a person holding a certificate for RD$1 million for a one-year investment used to receive a RD$20,416 monthly return in 2004. In 2005 this dropped to RD$12,083 and currently they would only be receiving RD$7,000 per month. The report comments that RD$7,000 today has less purchasing power than RD$20,000 two years ago, is spite of the economic recovery. The prices of many consumer goods, with a few exceptions, have gone up as much as 60% in the last 12 months in some cases. Prices have increased gradually, making it slightly less noticeable. Cod for example has risen by 28.4%. Some prices have fallen, like bananas or pork, which has dropped by 54% per pound according to El Caribe, but the price of chicken, which had at one stage experienced a fall, has continued to increase.
A shipment of 550 kilos of cocaine from the Dominican Republic has been seized in the Spanish port of Barcelona. The drug was discovered in a container transporting bamboo furniture on 10 October. A 49-year-old Spanish citizen, identified only as "J.B. C.B." has been detained in connection with the case, according to the local police. The National Department for Drug Control (DNCD) is in touch with Spanish authorities and will release details of their findings later today.
Navy Vice Admiral Ivan Castillo Pena has acknowledged the stories reported in yesterday's news about men robbing boats docked at Andres, Boca Chica, and has called for increased guarding of the area, both on foot and in the water, with the aid of the M-2 intelligence group. According to a report in Diario Libre, Rear Admiral Nadil Almonte Alonzo clarified that the case of the foreigners who were hijacked had occurred several weeks ago and that the incident took place in an area where some boat owners moor their craft in order to avoid paying docking fees, despite the fact that these areas are not patrolled by the coast guard.
Haitian ambassador to the Dominican Republic Fritz Cinea has promised to help the country in the fight against the trafficking of illegal narcotics and would continue to work towards preventing Haiti from becoming a haven for traffickers who are wanted by the law. Cinea made his comments to the president of the National Drug Control Department (DNCD). Cinea also launched a joint program with the DNCD on "Drugs and Substance Control." Three inspectors and four officials from Haiti are taking the course along with their Dominican counterparts.
Over a thousand illegal migrants have been repatriated to Haiti after being caught in the northern region. The 1,170 Haitians were repatriated and a man accused of bringing some of the illegal immigrants into the DR, was charged with human trafficking. The repatriation is the conclusion of recent operations by immigration officials in order to crack down on illegal border crossings.
According to Hoy newspaper, some young prisoners held at the Najayo Prison rehabilitation center are punished by being tied to the bars of their cells in the crucifixion position. A report by the Program for the Reform and the Modernization of the State (PARME) says that these prisoners, as well as being physically punished are also subjected to humiliating experiences and receive no real training. Hoy says that the Supreme Court and the Attorney General's Office are aware of this situation, and that one of the supervisors was investigated and suspended after a victim, identified as Davicito, escaped from the prison. PARME is funded by the European Union and has reformed 35 penitentiary systems in the DR.
Listin Diario is reporting that student registration is down at the UASD University. According to the paper, registrations have decreased in the last six months from 158,537 students in the first semester to 149,708, a total decrease of 8,829 students. University vice president Alejandro Pichardo said that 1,000 students didn't return because of the protests in April and that 3,000 students didn't take their semester exams. In the report, Listin points out that women make up 66.1 % of the student body with 98,909 students, while men make up 33.9% of the student body with 50,795.
The United States Embassy is holding a workshop on Thursday for American citizens who reside in Santiago, in which they can carry out any processes that are normally only available at the embassy's main office in Santo Domingo. The event will be run by the American Citizens Service (ACS), and US citizens in Santiago and surrounding areas will be able to drop off paperwork or renew their passports. Citizens can also ask questions about any issue and have documents legalized by embassy staff. The event will take place in the Biblioteca del Centro Cultural Dominico-Americano, located on Avenida Estrella Sadhala # 101, in La Rinconada. Passports will be dealt with between 9:30 and 11:00am, and notarization of documents will take place from 1:00 to 2:00 in the afternoon.
For more information, visit the Embassy's website at: www.embajadausa.gov.do/Consular/ACS/passports.htm
The African-Caribbean-Pacific cultural festival in Santo Domingo continues tonight with the following activities:
6:00pm - ACP Cinema at Cinemateca Nacional, Plaza de la Cultura
7:00pm - Dance recital (DR), Augusto Cuvilas (Mozambique), Sala Manuel Rueda, National Conservatory of Music
8:00pm - Mungal Patasar & Pantor, Trinidad & Tobago, Plaza de Espana, Colonial Zone
9:00pm - Malouma, David Almengod y Maracande (DR), Plaza de Espana - Colonial Zone
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