2007 – Page 116

A total of 31 Dominicans, including two minors, were picked up on the high seas by a unit of the United States Coast Guard and returned to La Romana. They were handed over to the Dominican authorities, along with fuel tanks and personal possessions. Recently, the Dominican authorities warned of an increase in the number …

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President Leonel Fernandez is traveling to the US in mid September to attend Dominican Week and Counterpart International events in Washington, D.C. and New York City. President Fernandez is scheduled to speak in Washington, D.C. as part of the 15th Annual Dominican Week, organized by the Russin, Vecchi & Heredia Bonetti law firm with the …

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Expanding co-operation with the Dominican Republic, in areas such as economy, commerce, investment, education, science and technology, is what Vietnam is seeking, stated President Nguyen Minh Triet, as reported by the Vietnam News Agency. The state leader made the affirmation while hosting Dominican Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso in Hanoi on 31 August. This is …

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The Representatives, Agents and Pharmaceutical Producers’ Association (ARAPF) has announced that they have resolved their differences with the government on the issue of medical prescriptions. ARAPF vice president Fernando Ferreras says that doctors can now prescribe any medicine to patients, whether generic or name brand. Ferreras explained that doctors wanted the freedom to prescribe the …

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The Santo Domingo Metro project continues to usurp public funds and Hoy is reporting that in July the government allocated more money to the Metro than to eight ministries combined. Education (RD$203,837,832.88), Public Health (RD$138,654.80), Armed Forces (RD$12 million), Sports Ministry (RD$28,770,693.34), Culture (RD$50 million), Agriculture (RD$5,164,519), Environmental Ministry (RD$4,329,617) and the Presidential Administrative office …

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The Chamber of Deputies has approved the bill that would effectively leave the cost of vehicle license plate renewals taxes for 2007 at the same level as they were in 2006. Congress gave the bill priority treatment and President Fernandez must now sign it into law. The bill was submitted by President last week and …

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Although women’s presence in the political arena is still relatively small in comparison to men, the presence of women in the classroom overshadows that of their male counterparts and could have interesting effects in the future. Listin Diario writes that 61% of all students in the country’s universities are women, as opposed to 38% male …

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Fitch Ratings says that the Dominican Republic’s foreign currency and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) are currently at ‘B’, with a Positive Outlook. In a report issued today, Fitch also classified the country ceiling at ‘B+’ and the short-term foreign currency IDR at ‘B’. According to Theresa Paiz Fredel, a Senior Director on the …

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For many years Haiti has been the second largest recipient of Dominican exports, second only to the US, but Diario Libre, quoting a report by the Center for Exports and Investment (CEI-RD) and Customs, explains that exports to Haiti have decreased by 9.7% during the first six months of the year. During that same period …

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Orlando Jorge Mera has gone to the Organization of American States (OAS) claiming that President Leonel Fernandez is using public funds for his presidential campaigns and adds that the President is responsible for the deterioration of institutionalism in government. He says that an example of this was when he used public funds in his campaign …

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