2004 – Page 77

Some 15 million gallons of liquefied propane gas (LPG) arrived over the weekend, to help reduce the acute propane shortage presently being experienced. This shortage was inherited from the previous administration that amassed hefty arrears in its payments to suppliers, as reported in Diario Libre. Administrative Secretary of the Presidency Luis Manuel Bonetti said that …

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The Consorcio SOMO (Soluciones Modernas) publishes a paid advertisement today confirming the winner of a tender called to automate the issuance of birth certificates, ID cards (cedulas) and voting cards. The new systems to be implemented will also permit electronic voting using biometric technology. The companies to participate are: Softek (www.softekpr.com), Samurai (www.samurai.com.br), Soinca, Microsoft …

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Jose Alfredo Rizek has been appointed by President Leonel Fernandez to head the Dominican Telecommunications Institute, INDOTEL. Rizek was previously the executive director of the Foundation for Institutionalism and Justice (FINJUS).

The Center of Emergency Operations reported a total of 13 Dominicans dead due to tropical storm Jeanne and 261 injured. Those who had to be evacuated numbered 38,188, most of them from the poorest sectors of society whose homes were built on vulnerable areas near rivers, such as in the area of the Ozama River. …

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AES Distribuidora del Este reports that the public power grids have been restored in La Romana, San Pedro de Macoris and Hato Mayor. According to a report in Hoy newspaper, power should be back in Higuey and El Seibo and rural areas of the province of La Altagracia. Work is underway to restore the damaged …

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PRD senators who were reluctant to vote on the tax reform that would give the Fernandez government more funds, now say they will vote favorably at a second reading of the bill that should be presented to the Senate on Tuesday. PRD spokesman Anibal Garcia Duverge said they would heed President Leonel Fernandez’s plea that …

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DR1 has prepared a general assessment of the status of the tourism industry. The page will enable us to do updates as they become available providing important information on the different tourism destinations in the country, reported from different sources. The page is available at http://www.dr1.com/travelnews/status.shtml For more information on weather in the DR, see …

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President Leonel Fernandez announced he was suspending his trip to the United States (New York area and Chicago) where he would attend several events related to expatriate Dominicans, as reported by the Listin Diario. The announcement comes on the heels of Jeanne that today left Dominican territory as she heads north to Bahamas. While the …

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Tropical storm Jeanne made landfall in the eastern part of the Dominican Republic yesterday, felling trees and power lines, causing houses to cave in and landslides that killed at least one child and injured nine others. At least three fishermen have been reported missing and are presumed lost at sea. Nearly 14,000 people were evacuated …

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US Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States announced yesterday after a talk at the Ministry of Foreign Relations in Santo Domingo that in March a committee of experts would evaluate the DR’s fulfillment of the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption, as reported in Hoy newspaper. Maisto spoke out that corruption undermines the legitimacy of …

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