2004 – Page 138

The Senate approved a first reading of the new legislation regarding immigration. The legislation characterizes temporary workers as non-residents and denies citizenship to any children born to them while they have not achieved residence status in the country. The projected bill also creates the National Immigration Council and the National Institute on Immigration. The National …

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Forty percent of the customers who previously paid their bills on time have lost the ability to pay because of the recent increases in the electricity tariffs, and are now two and three months behind in their payments. Hoy newspaper?s Fior Gil reports that this reality produces a deficit of US$30 million among the distributors …

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The Diario Libre headlines today speak of the costs of the petroleum invoice and the subsidies vis-a-vis the growing deficit. In May, these two items represented 23.3% of the total regular expenses. Inflation and the devaluation of the peso also continue to complicate things for the government. In May, budget expenditures increased by 35.1% over …

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Plantain production is the same as it was ten years ago, but it is forecast that each Dominican will eat 11.6 plantains less than last year, according to a report in Diario Libre. Higher costs for fertilizers, new diseases and higher production costs have reduced production. The lack of business and institutional incentives has furthermore …

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The Central Electoral Board (JCE) has cancelled the official status of four parties that participated in last May?s elections but did not obtain a sufficient number of votes. At the same time, the JCE announced it would submit a proposal for a law to oversee these types of political organizations. Luis Arias, the chief justice …

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Santo Domingo will host Centrobasket 2004 at the Virgilio Travieso Soto Sports Palace this coming 7-11 July. The three best teams will qualify for the Tournament of the Americas 2005, a preliminary event for the Basketball World Cup. There is speculation that the DR may present a ?dream team? this year at the event. Names …

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President Hipolito Mejia will travel to Guatemala to attend a presidential summit and speak before the Central American Parliament. The XXIV Summit of Heads of State and Government of the System of Central American Integration (SICA) will take place in Guatemala City and will mark President Mejia?s 43rd trip abroad during his term of office. …

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President-elect Leonel Fernandez will also be headed abroad this week. Since his victory at the polls on 16 May, the incoming statesman has already traveled to the United States, South America (visiting Venezuela, Chile, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay). On Wednesday, 30 June, Fernandez is destined for Europe as part of a 10-day visit of Spain, …

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The phone lines, fax and Internet service at the Presidential Palace were reconnected on Sunday morning, after all service, even to the President?s office, had been suspended on Friday afternoon. Eduardo Varcacel, spokesman for Verizon, told El Caribe that the situation at the governmental headquarters was rectified after a partial payment was made on the …

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The president of the Supreme Court of Justice, Jorge Subero Isa, has told Diario Libre that there is a new effort underway to convene the National Council of the Magistrates with the purpose of appointing new Supreme Court justices. He said this would be in violation of the Constitution, however, and attributed the move to …

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