Home  Message Archive  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003  2002  2001  2000  1999  1998  Premium News Service

Daily News - 8 February 2000
Government reaches agreement with larger power plants
The government promises reliefs from the blackouts come the end of the month. The government announced it reached an agreement with Dominican Power Partners and Smith-Enron, the two largest private generators, and that these have committed to reconnect their plants to the national power grid this month. Their returning to the system would end the long blackouts Dominicans have had to endure. The government owes these companies upwards of US$104 million.
The government announced that initial relief will be felt this week. Dominican Power Partners is scheduled to go back online tomorrow with a plant that generates 105,000 kilowatts, and another plant is scheduled to go online over the weekend.
The Smith-Enron power plant should be generating 185,000 kilowatts by 28 February, company general manager, Kevin Manning told the Listín Diario.
In the meeting with the private generators held at the National Palace in the presence of President Leonel Fernández, the government also gave special powers to the Superintendence of Electricity to regulate the electrical system in regards to the increases in power bills. The computer systems of the new distribution companies dealt out January power bills with hefty increases, bringing strong protests from consumers. The company is making adjustments in the bills of the thousands that have complained.
Government exhibition opens today
The Fernández administration inaugurates today its III Expo Reforma 2000 at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. Some 150 government institutions are showing off the results of their efforts to make government modern.
PRD would win second round presidential election
According to the most recent El Siglo/Penn, Schoen & Berland survey, PRD presidential candidate, Hipólito Mejía would win the presidential election even if a second round were held.
If any of the presidential candidates does not reach 50%+1 of the total vote in the 16 May election, a second round needs to be scheduled for 30 June 2000. Whoever gets the most votes in that election wins.
The Penn, Schoen & Berland survey shows that in a contest between PRD candidate Hipólito Mejía and PLD candidate Danilo Medina, Mejía would win comfortably. The survey showed that Mejía would receive 58% of the vote in the second round, versus 37% that said they would vote for Danilo Medina. Mejía would attract 33% of the PRSC vote, while Medina would attract 49%.
The PRSC vote brought the PLD to power in 1996, but this time around the PRD candidate has less rejection among PRSC voters than José Francisco Peña Gómez did in 1996. The Penn, Schoen & Berland survey results published yesterday showed Mejía would receive 50% of the vote count, if the election were held today.
ACP-EU Partnership Arrangement to be signed in May
Post Lomé negotiations were completed on February 3, The Dominican Republic is the country that has most benefitted from the Lomé trade and aid program implemented by the European Union to benefit its former colonies. The new version is expected to manage 25,000 million Euros.
The new partnership arrangement to replace the Lomé Convention is expected to be signed in Fiji, in May. It will regulate most of the region's relations with the European Union and the 71 Africa, Caribbean and Pacific states for years to come.
The new agreement places great emphasis on the delivery of development through the private sector and contains a range of new funding provisions, which will create a more substantial role for enterprise in national and regional development," explains David Jessop, of the Caribbean Council for Europe. He believes that the agreement will "change the Caribbean's history and over time, alter forever the relationship between former colonies and the metropolitan powers."
The agreement calls for special declarations of support for rum and rice, the extension of the existing sugar protocol, a new banana protocol and language on tourism.
For an eight-year transitional period, ACP states will give up their preferential trade agreements with Europe and substitute these with structures based on World Trade Organization rules. "No one should be under any illusion about the implications of this," says Jessop. "By agreeing to alter the nature of the trade relationship with Europe the region has accepted that within a relatively short period it has to be economically independent. It has also accepted implicitly that in a WTO-led world it will have to survive on the basis of real integration and a much broader relationship with Europe, the Americas and other powerful nations and blocs."
Contest to choose logo and mascot of Pan Am Games
The Organizing Committee of the 14th Pan American Sports Games announced a contest to choose the logo and mascot for the Santo Domingo 2003 games.
The deadline to enter the contest is 15 March at 5 pm. Registration is free.
The winner of the logo contest will receive RD$100,000. There is a RD$50,000 award for the mascot.
For more information, call 732-7230 or visit the Organizing Committee offices at Calle Pedro Henriquez Ureña 129, in Santo Domingo.
Puerto Rico wins the Caribbean World Series
Puerto Rico defeated the Dominican Republic 13-10 after midnight in the most exciting game of the series. The game ended in the 11th inning with a three run rally by the Cangrejeros de Santurce. Ricans that went to the 11th inning. In the fourth inning, the game was 8-1, with Puerto Rico winning. The DR team (Aguilas Cibaeñas) tied the series in the 9th inning. This is Puerto Rico's 14th title since the series began in 1949, and Santurce's fifth as a team. The Puerto Rican's stopped the DR from winning its fourth consecutive Caribbean World Series title.
Series ended:
Puerto Rico 6-0
DR 4-2
Venezuela 1-5
Mexico 1-5
Sonia Silvestre, Toros Band and Michael Camilo are big winners in Casandra Awards ceremony
Sonia Silvestre won the "Soberana" award last night during the Casandra Awards ceremony, the most prestigious of show business in the DR. The Soberana is the most coveted award granted to an entertainer in the DR.
The Toros Band won the most awards, with five. Michael Camilo won three.

Cervecería Nacional Dominicana, the Presidente beer brewery, presents the awards ceremony every year. Members of the Dominican Association of Show Business Chroniclers (Acroarte) choose the winners. The winners this year are:

Classics & Theater
1. Best Actor of the year: Iván García ("Las alegres comadres de Windsor")
2. Best Actress of the Year: Lilyana Díaz ("La trinitaria blanca"/"Grease")
3. Best Secondary Actor or Actress: Pepito Guerra ("La trinitaria blanca")
4. Best Theater Director: Enrique Chao ("Alicia en el país de las maravillas", "Confesiones de mujeres", "Liquidación total", " En casa de Romeo, Julieta de palo," "La trinitaria blanca")
5. Best Drama: "La trinitaria blanca" (Manuel Rueda)
6. Best Foreign Drama: "La Chascona" (Flor de Bethania Abreu-Jorge Díaz, Chilean)
7. Best Children's Play: "Alicia en el pais de las maravillas" (Fidel Lopez/Enrique Chao)

Dance and Shows:
8. Best Classic Ballerina: Zenaida Terrero ("Pelilunio", "La Bella Durmiente", "Don Quixote")
9. Best Classic/Modern Dancer: Armando González ("La Bella Durmiente", "Plenilunio", Cartas)
10. Best Classic/Modern Choreographer: Carlos Veitía ("Aída" and "Carmen").
11. Best Classic Performance: "Aida" (Opera de las Americas)
12. Best Popular Show Choreographer: Guillermo Cordero ("Piel con piel" y "Yo fuí por todas partes")
13. Best Folklore Ballet: Ballet Folkórico Nacional
14. Best Classics Vocal: Francisco Casanova (Opera Aida)
15. Best Classic Instrumentist: Michael Camilo (pianist)
16. Best Classic Music Composer: Michael Camilo ("Latino")
17. Best Chamber Group: Ars Nova
18. Most Outstanding Dominican Artist Abroad: Michael Camilo
19. Best Orchestration and Musical Arranger: José Antonio Molina
20. Best Songwriter: Juan Luís Guerra ("El Niágara en bicicleta")

TV Area:
21. Best Radio Commentator: Rubén Camilo
22. Best News Anchor: Nestor Estevez
23. Best Music Presenter: Ross Peña
24. Best Master of Ceremony: Jatnna Tavarez
25. Best Presenter: Domingo Bautista
26. Best TV special: "El Futuro en Surco Ajeno" (Adalberto Grullón and Altagracia Salazar/Channel 2)
27. Best Music Video: "Siento," (Hermanos Rosario, Juan Basanta)
28. Best Specialized Program: "Jornada Extra" "Hola Gente" "Portafolio Extra" "Esta Noche Mariasela".
29. Best Investigative Journalism Show: "Nuria en el 9" (Nuria Piera) "Somos Así, Así Somos" (Cornelia Margarita) "A Tiempo" (Aridia Taveras).
30. Best Children's TV program: "Sábado Chiquito"
31. Best Comedy Show: "La Opción de las 12" (Channel 5)
32. Best Comedian: Miguel Cespedes
33. Best Daily Variety TV program: "Super Tarde"
34. Best Weekly Variety TV Program: "Sábado de Corporán"

Pop:
35. Best Rock Group: Aljadaqui
36. Best Grassroots Music Group: Fefita la Grande
37. Best Bachata Performer: Zacarías Ferreiras
38. New Artist of the Year: Kathyan
39. Best Female Vocal: Marcel
40. Best Male Vocal: Héctor Acosta
41. Best Music Album: "No hay problemas" Toros Band
42. Best Merengue: "Demasiado niña," Eddy Herrera
43. Best Concert: "Yo fui por todas partes," Sonia Silvestre
44. Best Show: "Los Toros Band, pa Chavón" (Los Toros Band)
45. Most Outstanding Group Residing Abroad: Jossie Esteban Fulanito
46. Most Outstanding Foreign Group in DR: Elvis Crespo
47. Most Outstanding Performing Group Abroad: Los Toros Band
48. Best Music Group: Toros Band
    El Soberano Sonia Silvestre
Home  Message Archive  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003  2002  2001  2000  1999  1998  Premium News Service

The contents of this webpage are copyright © 1996-2008.  DR1. All Rights Reserved.