2004 – Page 285

Caribbean Baseball Series

The Dominican Republic promises to assemble a dream team to represent the country during the Caribbean Baseball Series to open in Santo Domingo on 1 February. The week-long event (1-6 February) brings the best from Venezuela, Mexico and Puerto Rico to compete in what is regarded as the most important international championship after the World …

BWIA begins flights to the DR

BWIA announces the start of its direct flights from Port of Spain, Trinidad to Santo Domingo with an inaugural flight arriving on Wednesday, 21 January at Las Americas International Airport (SDQ). The airline will be flying a Boeing 737-800 with capacity for 150 passengers in economy and business classes. The airline will fly the Trinidad …

Coming soon: Hilton Santo Domingo

Danny Hughes, vice-president of operations for Hilton Caribbean, recently announced that the Hilton Santo Domingo is scheduled to open in Spring 2004, as reported by John Collins for Caribbean Business. The 21-floor tower-style hotel, with its 228 mostly oceanview rooms, will have the largest casino in the Dominican Republic. Its rooms will all be equipped …

A Dominican director in Hollywood

The Dominican Republic has its own Jessy Terrero, taking Dominican cinema mainstream. Terrero’s MGM feature film debut will be released 28 May 2004, when “Soul Plane” hits movie houses in the US. The comedy is being described as a new version of the slapstick “Airplane!” although its plot bears no resemblance to the 1980 classic. …

2004 News

Some troops back from Iraq

All the newspapers herald the safe return of a contingent of 150 Dominican troops who returned home from Iraq over the weekend. They are due to be replaced by an equivalent number in the coming days. The soldiers are reported to have completed their six-month tour of duty in the Middle Eastern country, where they …

2004 News

RD$16,455 tax exemption level

The tax department (DGII) announced that monthly wages of up to RD$16,455 will not be assessed income tax. This is retroactive to 1 January 2004 and reflects the official 42.5% inflation rate announced by the Central Bank this month and the year-end figure at the official market of RD$35 to US$1. The Listin Diario points …

2004 News

People should earn double

Diario Libre devotes a full page to an analysis of the abysmal state of Dominican household economics. The “canasta familiar,” or the amount of money needed to buy the most basic household products each month, is now calculated at RD$5,380. In 1999, the family basket was worth about half that amount at RD$2,528. If inflation …

2004 News

The big hit

Two of Saturday’s principal newspapers featured headlines telling of gasoline prices and their new, unheard-of levels. Premium gasoline hit RD$92.40 a gallon, while regular was quoted at RD$83.95. A gallon of diesel was going for RD$66.05. These prices reflect a RD$20.92 rise in premium since the first of the year, RD$19.86 for regular and RD$18.65 …

2004 News

Hands off the Dominican flag!

The United States asked the Dominican Republic to remove all tariffs for what is called the “Dominican Flag” or “la bandera dominicana”, in other words, rice, beans and chicken, by 2005. These products, together with onions, sugar, milk and garlic, are included in the products to be protected by the Technical Rectification of the World …

2004 News

What’s bein’ said

Hoy newspaper has a very interesting column called “Que se dice” (What’s being said). On Saturday, the columnist shared some comments by Robert Zoellick, the United States Trade Representative, who tied in clean, free elections with the signing of any trade agreement with the US. Regina Vargo, the lead negotiator on the US team that …

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2004 – Page 285

Caribbean Baseball Series

BWIA begins flights to the DR

Coming soon: Hilton Santo Domingo

A Dominican director in Hollywood

Some troops back from Iraq

RD$16,455 tax exemption level

People should earn double

The big hit

Hands off the Dominican flag!

What’s bein’ said