2011 – Page 80

The Tropical Storm Emily is stationary, and is set to pass Puerto Rico on its way to the Dominican Republic. To monitor the storm, it is best to keep track of how it behaves while passing by Puerto Rico. Israel Matos, chief of the Weather Department in Puerto Rico, said the storm is expected to …

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Emily is serving as the needed drill to prepare for September, the peak month of the Caribbean hurricane season. For residents of the Caribbean, hurricane preparedness is part of living. Regardless of how it develops, forecasters agree Emily will dump heavy rains on Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti as it moves through the …

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Dominicans have begun serious preparations for the storm. The Emergency Operations Center (COE) and the Water Observatory warned of the risk of flash floods and mudslides that could affect residents of vulnerable areas. The Water Observatory decided to operate the Sabana Yegua, Sabaneta, Tavera and Moncion dams at their maximum water levels. According to a …

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The 26th Biennial of the Visual Arts jury has chosen this year’s participants. The selection panel was made up of the art critics and museum curators, Dominicans Danilo de los Santos and Carlos Acero Ruiz and from Spain, Ricardo Ramon Jarne. The winners will be announced on 17 August with the opening of the exhibition …

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A bill passed in the Chamber of Deputies on 29 July is aimed at encouraging employers to hire young people just out of college. The bill stipulates that employers can use 25% of the wages paid to young people as credit towards the payment of income taxes during the fiscal year, and that employers will …

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Writing in Hoy, political analyst Juan Bolivar Diaz describes how the political arena is looking tough for government party candidate Danilo Medina, and that the stance taken by President Leonel Fernandez is not helping. In his analysis, Diaz makes several points on the President’s Sunday, 24 July speech, in his role as president of the …

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According to French ambassador Roland Dubertrand, Dominican exports to Europe increased 21% in 2010, as a result of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) signed in 2008. Dubertrand was speaking at the Sustainable Workshop organized by the Dominican-French Chamber of Commerce (CCDF) last month. Trade between the DR and France was around EUR140 million, of which …

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A report in Listin Diario reveals that the cost of converting a vehicle to natural gas in the DR starts at RD$63,000 for a four-cylinder vehicle and can reach RD$120,000 for an eight- cylinder vehicle. As gasoline and diesel prices continue to rise, many people are considering converting their cars or light trucks to run …

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Measures taken by local banks to reduce credit card fraud, primarily related to credit card sales at gas filling stations, appear to have been effective. As reported in El Dia, fraud at gas stations is down from a peak of around 13% in June 2010 to 1.7% in June of this year, as reported by …

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In a report on her TV show on Color Vision on Saturday, investigative journalist Nuria Piera revealed that Women’s Minister Alejandrina German is a leading customer of the Louis Vuitton shop at Blue Mall. Piera reported on a recent purchase by the minister at the store totaling RD$195,300 on 30 June, Teacher’s Day. Piera reported …

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