2007 – Page 331

The first four months of the use of parking meters in the central part of downtown Santiago de los Caballeros has been deemed a success, far exceeding expectations. There are 157 parking spaces with meters, and they are used for 30,000 minutes per day by an average of 1,500 vehicles. According to many of the …

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The Dominican Senate has approved a measure that will limit the Ministry of Education’s ability to change public school textbooks. The proposal gives the National Education Council the capacity to make rational use of the texts in keeping with the nation’s socio-economic conditions. The proposal, authored by Santiago PLD Senator Francisco Dominguez Brito, establishes a …

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Another economist, Miguel Ceara Hatton, currently the national director of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), says that every Dominican is born with a personal debt of US$1,400. According to Ceara Hatton, the interest payments are having a great influence on the national debt, and will limit the government’s ability to face up to important …

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Economist and former Dominican Central Bank governor Bernardo Vega has warned that Metro funding for 2007 will increase the pressure on public spending during the year. At the same time, Vega asked if the Metro would be managed by a foreign firm that is well versed in the management of a rapid transit system or …

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Business consultant Federico Martinez writes in today’s Hoy that the government should consider following in Argentina and Brazil’s footsteps and trucking natural gas instead of building the proposed US$25 million pipeline from Andres, Boca Chica to San Pedro de Macoris, to be paid by Dominican taxpayer money. The pipeline would be part of the plan …

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The United States Trade Representative has made a new demand that will apparently stall the country’s entry into the DR-CAFTA trade agreement. The US Trade Representative has objected to Rule 148 recently issued by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (SEIC). This ministerial decree concerns fuel transportation within the Dominican Republic, and imposes restrictions on …

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The Dominican Republic Supreme Court has set a new series of criteria relating to paternity suits and the legal recognition of children. The high court now recognizes the use of DNA testing to confirm paternity and accepts the tests as exceptions to those offered to the presumption of non-paternity as contained in Article 312 of …

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The Supreme Court has created a special tribunal for dealing with cases involving stolen cell phones. The Attorney General and the Supreme Court have authorized the court to hear complaints 14 hours a day in an attempt to slow the pace of this petty thievery. An assistant district attorney and a judge will be on …

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The use of wheat to generate ethanol fuel may well foretell an increase in prices for local wheat products for human and animal consumption. Recently, wheat prices increased 40% compared to 2005 prices. There are five major wheat importers in the Dominican Republic, and they import approximately 350,000 metric tons per year. According to the …

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Six men died violently in a series of armed robberies and police actions in Santo Domingo, San Francisco de Macoris and Villa Altagracia yesterday. The owner-manager of a currency exchange establishment on Tiradentes Avenue in Santo Domingo was killed by his assailants. The police killed one and arrested two of the thieves, but another escaped. …

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