2004 – Page 28

The efforts of the Ministry of Environment, now under Max Puig, to reign in the excesses of powerful gravel extraction companies from Dominican rivers are making headlines. El Caribe reports that Deputy Minister Ernesto Reyna Alcantara said that the institution is reviewing permits that were issued for this activity during the previous government. As reported, …

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International and Dominican experts are currently working on a nationwide plan to reduce the risks and effects of potential natural disasters. The offices of the United Nations, Technical Secretariat of the Presidency, the United Nations Development Program, the National Planning Office (ONAPLAN), the National Office for European Development Funds (ONFED) and Civil Defense have joined …

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The director general of wages, Gloria Henriquez Nova, said that the wage increase for private sector employees will go into effect on 28 November. She said that employers need to calculate the last two days of November at the 30% increase (for minimum wage earners) or the 25% increase (for those previously earning up to …

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On 19 November, the US Senate ratified the much-delayed Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2004 (S. 671; H.R. 1047), which introduces a number of significant changes to US trade laws. The bill had already been approved in the US House of Representatives in October. According to Eddy Martinez, the executive director of the …

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The Dominican Medical College, under the direction of Waldo Ariel Suero, announced the start of a three-day strike (Tuesday to Friday) at public and social security hospitals. This will mark the 13th declared work stoppage with Suero at the helm of the physicians’ association with no results to show for them. The medics want more …

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The Department for the Prevention of Corruption (Depreco) is studying the possible involvement of more well-known figures in the Plan Renove fiasco, which involves an alleged RD$1-billion fraud against the state to do with the purchase of more than 5,000 vehicles. Octavio Lister, the director of the organization, has requested that the driver of the …

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Transport union Conatra’s business director, Antonio Marte, complained that the Department for the Prevention of Corruption has excluded several individuals who should form part of the ongoing investigation into the Plan Renove debacle. He said that the names of Juan Hubieres, Blas Peralta, Freddy Mendez, Alfredo Apolinar and Antonio Reynoso (Padre Tono) should also be …

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Juan Julio (Johnny) Morales, to whom the judge who reviewed the case against board of directors of the Plan Renove transport plan of the past government ordered domiciliary arrest, is missing. According to the Listin Diario, despite being place under domiciliary arrest, Listin reporters could not locate Morales at his Avenida Bolivar 1005 (2005) residence …

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Hoy newspaper is calling attention to plays made by Hanley Ramirez (a Boston Red Sox recruit) who plays locally for the Tigres del Licey and Jose Reyes (a Mets recruit) who plays for the Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican Professional Baseball League. Hoy’s sports editor Franklin Mirabal said that these are two names that …

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The Senate suspended its Friday session when the minimum quorum of 17 senators was not met. The Senate session had been called to study the US’s opposition of the recently-ratified tax on corn syrup imports that would go into effect several years from now. As reported in the Listin Diario, only 12 senators turned up …

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