2004 – Page 163

In preparation for the 2004 Atlantic Hurricane Season that begins on 1 June, DR1 Daily News launched its revised Hurricane Page yesterday. The page aims to answer the most frequently-asked questions about storms in the Dominican Republic and provides an extensive list of useful weather links to empower readers to follow weather events that may …

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Gasoline and diesel prices, which reached historic highs on Saturday, will force new increases in bus, taxi and public car (carro publico) fares. The National Central (Union) of Unified Transporters (CNTU) announced that as of today the fares for intercity transport would rise. On Saturday, the government increased premium gasoline by RD$9.70, regular gasoline by …

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Finance Minister Rafael Calderon said that since tax reform measures are scheduled for implementation in January 2005, the Mejia administration will delegate the preparation of the tax reform bill to the Fernandez administration that enters office on 16 August. President Mejia had said on Friday he would be leaving tax reform up to the new …

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Economist Frederic Emam Zade favors a model of ?individual dollarization,? the process whereby the choice of dollarizing prices is decided by the individual business or person ? not by any government body. Such a system would not entail any costs or new debt to the government, or to the banking institutions. He proposes going one …

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The deputy minister of the Ministry of Environment, Roberto Sanchez, says that if outgoing President Hipolito Mejia goes ahead with his announced intention to sign the Sectoral Protected Areas Bill into law, the ministry may seek the opinion of the Supreme Court to declare the law in violation of the Constitution, as reported in El …

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The Executive Branch sent the Senate a bill that would regulate the trade of wild fauna and flora in the Lake Enriquillo area, as reported in Hoy newspaper. In the introduction to the bill, President Mejia states that it is an important initiative to strengthen and consolidate general aspects of various related conventions to which …

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Victor Cespedes, the Attorney General of the Mejia administration, announced that he would release another 500 inmates from Dominican jails. These get-out-of-jail-free cards excuse their recipients from their entire sentence. The Mejia government has been the subject of controversy for having released convicted murderers and drug traffickers. With the announced 500 new releases, Cespedes would …

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Cardinal Nicolas Lopez Rodriguez, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Dominican Republic, appeared on TV yesterday in his ?Fe y Acontecer? Sunday program, and seconded Monsignor Agripino Nunez, who on election night called on President Mejia to heed his own words that said ?He who has won, has won.? This message to …

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In an interview with Hoy newspaper, Santiago Murray, who led the foreign electoral observer mission teams to the Dominican Republic and is the head of the OAS Electoral Mission, referred to the weaknesses of the DR?s electoral system as evidenced by the difficulties encountered in the release of the voting results on 16 May. He …

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Two US security agents working at Las Americas International Airport were responsible for the controversial search of Cardinal Nicolas Lopez Rodriguez on his most recent departure from the country. The cardinal, who was boarding an Air Continental flight to New Jersey, was reportedly asked to remove his shoes and belt, remove his jacket and his …

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