2005 – Page 123

President Leonel Fernandez travels to Panama today where he will take part in the Association of Caribbean States summit. He will attend the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government and will also hold important bilateral meetings. On his agenda for the three-day visit are meetings with President Vicente Fox (Mexico), President Martin Torrijos …

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The executive vice-president of the Foundation for Justice and Institutionalism (FINJUS), Servio Tulio Castanos stated yesterday that his organization does not feel that the Supreme Court is independent, as stated by the chief justice yesterday. Castanos said that there is a widely-held public perception that on the inside of the Judicial system, the Justice Department …

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During the final day of the current legislative session the Dominican Congress was very active, passing a law that will regulate credit bureaus, ratifying a loan from the World Bank and taking into consideration a request from the Executive Branch to approve a US$150 million loan for the energy sector. According to El Caribe, Congress …

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United States ambassador Hans Hertell is asking the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) to not politicize the approval of the DR-CAFTA treaty currently before Congress. While making sure to ratify the fact that the political parties have full right to establish their position regarding the treaty, Hertell urged passage of the project as soon as possible. …

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The business sector has reached agreement on a tax on their fixed assets, as proposed by the government as part of the tax reform project, but with the requirement that the taxes be deductible from their income taxes. The series of alternatives presented by the government as substitutes for the estimated RD$30 billion that will …

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A delegation of Middle Eastern investors have presented President Leonel Fernandez with a proposal to construct two coal-fired generators in Azua and Manzanillo that have been discussed in the nation’s media for the past few weeks. According to Listin Diario, the delegation would take over Westmont Power’s original offer, thus freeing the Dominican Government from …

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The closure of half of the factories that used to operate in the La Vega industrial tax free zone has meant the loss of 6,000 jobs. According to sources in the industrial park, the shut downs are due to high costs, especially electricity, and the appreciation of the Dominican peso against the United States dollar. …

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The Dominican Republic has begun to ship banana plants to Grenada this week as part of a contract for half a million seedlings produced by the in-vitro process. The first eight thousand units went to the island nation of Grenada this week. The plants were produced at the Vitroplantas del Caribe laboratories, according to Homero …

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The Haitian frontier is seen as the portal for a massive, illegal immigration and as one of the most important business opportunities available today. So says the Diario Libre today as it launches a series of reports about the frontier. Haiti is the second largest receptor of Dominican exports, after the US, and is a …

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In an editorial, the Jamaica Observer discusses the recently expressed interest of the Dominican Republic in becoming a member of Caricom, that groups English-speaking members of the Caribbean. It mentions that the DR has a far more vibrant agricultural sector than other Caricom sectors, and that with the exception of Trinidad & Tobago, its manufacturers …

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