2007 – Page 110

The Santo Domingo Metro project continues to usurp public funds and Hoy is reporting that in July the government allocated more money to the Metro than to eight ministries combined. Education (RD$203,837,832.88), Public Health (RD$138,654.80), Armed Forces (RD$12 million), Sports Ministry (RD$28,770,693.34), Culture (RD$50 million), Agriculture (RD$5,164,519), Environmental Ministry (RD$4,329,617) and the Presidential Administrative office …

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The Chamber of Deputies has approved the bill that would effectively leave the cost of vehicle license plate renewals taxes for 2007 at the same level as they were in 2006. Congress gave the bill priority treatment and President Fernandez must now sign it into law. The bill was submitted by President last week and …

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Although women’s presence in the political arena is still relatively small in comparison to men, the presence of women in the classroom overshadows that of their male counterparts and could have interesting effects in the future. Listin Diario writes that 61% of all students in the country’s universities are women, as opposed to 38% male …

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Fitch Ratings says that the Dominican Republic’s foreign currency and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) are currently at ‘B’, with a Positive Outlook. In a report issued today, Fitch also classified the country ceiling at ‘B+’ and the short-term foreign currency IDR at ‘B’. According to Theresa Paiz Fredel, a Senior Director on the …

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For many years Haiti has been the second largest recipient of Dominican exports, second only to the US, but Diario Libre, quoting a report by the Center for Exports and Investment (CEI-RD) and Customs, explains that exports to Haiti have decreased by 9.7% during the first six months of the year. During that same period …

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Orlando Jorge Mera has gone to the Organization of American States (OAS) claiming that President Leonel Fernandez is using public funds for his presidential campaigns and adds that the President is responsible for the deterioration of institutionalism in government. He says that an example of this was when he used public funds in his campaign …

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Public Works Supervisor for the Presidency, Felix Bautista, recognized as one of the leading campaign strategists for President Leonel Fernandez’s re-election campaign explained what’s behind the wave of government appointments of third tier politicians. As he explains in a contribution to El Caribe newspaper, it is all about a show of “daring politics”. He explains …

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Lawyers representing the Central Bank and Superintendence of Banks are demanding 6 to 20 years in jail and compensation payments worth RD$100 billion, plus a RD$2.5 million fine for the accused in the Baninter case, as reported in Clave Digital. They are also demanding the confiscation of all assets owned by the accused, including the …

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Interior and Police Minister Franklyn Almeyda says that crime rate is down. He said it has declined from 25.2 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants in 2004 to 20.2 crimes in the first seven months of the year. The Minister also announced that mixed patrols by military forces, at night, would increase, and that the Barrio Seguro …

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A 36-year old bioanalyst, Antonia Castro Vargas, who was on her way to work from here home in Villa Mella, was thrown from a public commuter bus and died instantly of severe head injuries at 6:30am yesterday. The accident took place at the corner of San Martin and Ortega y Gasset Avenues, as reported in …

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