| Daily News - Tuesday, 28 November 2006 |
President Leonel Fernandez will meet with the 31 Dominican-Americans who were elected to political office during the recent mid-term elections in the United States. Alejandro Santos, who represents the Consultive Council for Dominicans Abroad, told El Caribe newspaper that Council members would also be present at the workshops where they will present the advancements that the group has made on behalf of the Dominican diaspora. President Fernandez is scheduled to meet with the politicians as of his trip to the US on 20 December.
President Leonel Fernandez closed the celebrations of Music Week with the announcement that a Museum for Dominican Music is to be created. The museum, which will be administered by the Ministry of Culture in coordination with the Museums Department and the Fine Arts Management Office (Direccion de Bellas Artes), will compile, catalogue, conserve, research, expose and organize Dominican music. The Jesuit House, on Calle Las Mercedes in the Colonial Zone, will be refurbished and opened as the new museum site.
President Leonel Fernandez has inaugurated the multipurpose Eco Red program, which will install community computer centers in different parts of the country. The program, which is run through the First Lady's Office, has taught 40,000 people how to use computers. The First Lady, Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez says that a further 500 people have received computer literacy training as part of the program. The inauguration was held at the Central Bank auditorium, and the First Lady is quoted in El Caribe newspaper as saying that the program has made great advancements in the years since its inception. Cedeno says that initially, Community Technology centers will operate in 22 provinces, adding that these centers will become the center of people's lives in each participating municipality.
The Gallup-Hoy poll published this week shows that 74% of the Dominican public believes that the new fiscal reform proposed by the government will hurt the poor more than any other. This figure is just one of many statistics pointing to the declining popularity of President Leonel Fernandez in recent weeks. The President's overall approval rating dropped from 55.4% to 40.1% in the last three months, and when questioned on specific topics the public has responded with emphatic disapproval for the President's work in recent weeks. Questioned on the fight against crime, solutions to health problems, administrative corruption, improvement of public transportation, control of drug trafficking and consumption, and economic stability, the President is on the receiving end of overwhelming public criticism. The poll, which was conducted between 18 and 22 of November, also states that 54% of the Dominican public doesn't believe that the government is able to embark on a genuine austerity plan. These figures are surprising considering that President Leonel Fernandez had received, up until this poll, mostly favorable reviews regarding his Presidency. 1,200 people were interviewed for the poll with a 2.8% margin of error and a 95% confidence level. There is some more encouraging news for the President, according to the poll. Fernandez managed to score higher marks for his performance in the areas of improving the education and health systems.
For more details on the poll go to: www.hoy.com.do
The latest on the fiscal reform is that President Fernandez has decided not to levy ITBIS tax on seven basic products - coffee, sugar, butter, margarine, chocolate, cooking oil and yoghurt. To compensate for not taxing certain food products, the government is contemplating increasing customs taxes on vehicles, plus increased taxation on premium and regular gasoline and diesel fuel, it has been reported. Finance Minister has rejected the private sector's position that by cutting government spending, the government would not need to increase taxes.
Listin Diario is reporting the possibility that the government could lower the salary of high-ranking government employees, including the President, as part of its austerity plan. The newspaper cites sources that say the cuts would be between 25% and 30% of existing salaries and would include ministers, deputy ministers and department heads. Ministers earn RD$70,000 per month while their deputies get RD$60,000. The announcement of the possible salary reduction comes as part of the promise made by Leonel Fernandez during his speech specifying details about the fiscal reform, in which he said that alongside the increase in certain taxes the government would embark on an austerity program. The government needs to find sources for a missing RD$35 billion to balance its 2007 National Budget within financial framework provided under the International Monetary Fund stand by agreement. It has proposed undetailed spending cuts for RD$17 billion, but is proposing new taxes to source the deficit.
In a meeting with European politicians, Senate leader Reynaldo Pared Perez explained that the burden of the debt that has to be paid annually, which will amount to over RD$65 billion in 2007, is the main obstacle for finding solutions to the nation's biggest problems. Pared Perez, speaking to a delegation of politicians from Spain, Germany, Lithuania, Poland and Portugal said that it is only a matter of time before the DR signs bi-lateral agreements like DR-CAFTA with other Caribbean nations, and is quoted in Hoy newspaper as saying that the government has implemented significant measures since August 2004 which has led to the stability of the Dominican economy.
Dr. Julio Cesar Castanos Guzman, president of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) has made it clear that the JCE will not allow the children of illegal Haitians born in the country to be declared as Dominican citizens. The new JCE head, speaking in Diario Libre, said that his organization would fulfill the requirements of Law 659, which states that a person declaring a child must present a 'cedula' identification card. Guzman added that a Haitian citizen is considered Haitian, regardless of where they were born, and continued by saying that children of Haitian citizens who were born in the Dominican Republic can easily go to the Haitian embassy or consulates and register their children there. This issue is highlighted by a report in El Caribe newspaper that says that of the estimated 1,400,000 Haitians in the country, only 25,000 have documentation. The report, which looks at both sides of the Haitian subject, reports that almost 65% of Haitians in the DR are here illegally. The report also points out that of the 26,224 foreign-born laborers in the country, 65% are Haitian. In 2006 12,067 illegal Haitians were deported, an increase from 2005 and 2004 when 11,610 and 2,473 were deported.
National Police Chief Bernardo Santana Paez has announced that 15,000 agents will be on patrol as from next week, for increased public protection during the holiday season. Santana, quoted in Diario Libre, said that the increased security would be targeted at the busiest public areas.
Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez declared his opposition to gays in the military yesterday because according to him, the presence of homosexuals in the armed forces would negate the structure of the chain of command. He is quoted in El Caribe newspaper as saying that the moment a lieutenant and a general get married the chain of command is weakened. The Cardinal made his comment after being asked why people with "obvious sexual deviations" shouldn't be allowed into the military. The Cardinal continued by saying that the moment the military allows married homosexuals into their units they will lose out on the fundamental principle of discipline.
Nine people died at Jazzy's Elite strip club on Avenida Espana in the early hours of Monday morning. A short circuit in the breakers caused by overheating cables resulted in an explosion followed by a fire. According to the fire department, this incident has highlighted a serious problem in these types of establishments. Fire officials quoted in Listin Diario said that of the 300 nightclubs of this type in the National District, only two meet the necessary safety requirements. The fire, which killed three men and six women, happened at 3 in the morning and police confirm that the nine victims died of asphyxiation and were found on the second floor of the building. Santo Domingo prosecutor Perfecto Acosta said that the nightclub doubled as a brothel and that some of the women slept at the establishment. Preliminary inspections revealed that some doors were locked and that the club didn't even have smoke extractors.
Austrian citizen Marcos Elvis Cuevas Grinood, 40, was shot and killed last night during an attempted robbery. Cuevas was shot once in the chest while he was in his apartment in Santo Domingo's Anacaona Avenue. He was taken to the Real Medical Center on Ave. Romulo Betancourt Avenue where he was pronounced dead. Hoy reports that when Cuevas reached the hospital he was practically dead. Police are investigating whether the thieves were able to get away with any items that belonged to Cuevas, and are still looking for the assailants.
Singer Tony Fox was chosen as the winner of the television contest "Que viva el Merengue." Fox will be awarded RD$200,000 and a recording contract with Premium Latin Music, so that he can record his first musical CD. Second place was won by Elsa Negco, who was awarded RD$100,000 and Berenice Perez came in third, winning prize money of RD$100,000. The televised event has been successful in reviving interest in merengue, which in recent years has been displaced by the mass popularity of bachata and reggaeton.
Things just don't seem to be going too well for the Leones this year. Aside from falling into a tie for last place in the Dominican Winter League there are now unconfirmed rumors that some team members are involved in a betting scandal, accused of betting against their own team. This comes as some of the players on the team are also facing legal troubles off the field, including murder, rape and fraud.
In actual baseball news, the race for the top spot in the Dominican Baseball League is wide open with the Tigres, Aguilas and Gigantes all vying for the lead, and the Estrellas Orientales making a push to get into the race. In last night's only game the Tigres fell 1.5 games out of first after a 7-3 loss to the Estrellas Orientales.
Standings
| Team | W-L | Avg. | Games Behind |
| Gigantes | 20 - 11 | .645 | -- |
| Licey | 19 - 13 | .613 | 1.5 |
| Aguilas | 18 - 13 | .581 | 2.0 |
| Estrellas | 15 - 16 | .484 | 4.5 |
| Escogido | 11 - 21 | .344 | 9.5 |
| Azucareros | 11 - 21 | .344 | 9.5 |
* Estadio Quisqueya 7:30
Azucareros vs. Licey
* Estadio Cibao 8:00
Escogido vs. Aguilas
* Estadio Tetelo Vargas 7:30
Gigantes vs. Estrellas
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 1996-2008. DR1. All Rights Reserved.