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

Daily News - 11 January 2001
AA confirms purchase of TWA
American Airlines announced it will purchase all the assets of Trans World Airlines (TWA) and will integrate the company into American. The purchase of the airline leaves American Airlines as the sole carrier on the New York-Santo Domingo route.
The transaction encompasses the acquisition of up to 190 aircraft. The airline says that the combination with TWA will provide American with an important new hub in St. Louis, improving the company's position as an east/west carrier. AA says that TWA passengers who are AAdvantage member will soon be able to accrue AAdvantage miles on TWA flights. AA also announced it has agreed to acquire US Airways facilities to operate half of the northeast Shuttle with United Airlines. For more information on the transactions, see http://www.amrcorp.com/news/jan1001.htm
More on the scandalous ICAO aviation project
Part three of an extensive report published by the Listin Diario newspaper on a US$13 million project implemented by the Dominican Civil Aviation Board and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) focuses on millions of dollars that have been invested in aviation equipment. The equipment was purchased for the airports of Puerto Plata, Las Americas and Barahona, but the report points out that a recent audit shows much of the equipment is not operational, has been abandoned or cannibalized.
The installment points to irregularities in the contract signed by the ICAO with the Spanish firm Page Iberica S. A. for US$1,531,460 for new equipment for the Alto Bandera mountain site to improve aviation communication. The audit showed a US$86,992.00 difference between the total of the tender proposal and the contract total. The audit says that this difference could not be verified as the tender and the signing of the contract took place in ICAO offices in Montreal. As part of the project, a US$500,000 shack was built in Altos de Bandera. The auditors say that what was built does not correspond with the contracted cost, and the newspaper publishes photographs of the shack substantiating this statement. Furthermore, the audit indicates there have been delays in the arrival of the contracted equipment to the Alto Bandera site. The audit recommends that the allotment of funds to the project be suspended. Other recommendations are that technicians evaluate the present status of the "Proyecto de Cooperacion Tecnica Aeronautica Civil MSA-/DOM97/801" that began in 1997. Furthermore, that the local Civil Aviation Board assume the responsibility for the project, as convened with ICAO. And that the office and transport equipment purchased with project funds pass on to the Civil Aviation Board. Furthermore, it recommends that a technical unit of the Chamber of Accounts (that carried out the audit) evaluate the works built at Alto Bandera to determine their real cost. For more on this topic, see http://www.dr1.com/daily/news010900.shtml and http://www.dr1.com/daily/news011000.shtml
Mega fruit farm project announced
President Hipolito Mejia announced it is backing a RD$7,000 million "Programa Especial de Desarrollo de la Fruticultura Dominicana". The project contemplates the planting of tamarind, avocado, mango, tangerine, grapefruit, cashew, sour sop, limes, papaya and zapote trees throughout the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Government will contribute a counterpart of US$100 million, while international sources will provide US$300 million.
The program was prepared in collaboration with the Instituto Interamericano de Cooperacion para la Agricultura (IICA).
It calls for the planting of 2.5 million tareas and seeks to benefit 100,000 producers. It contemplates the planting of 40 million plants of 20 species. It seeks to reduce migration of rural area inhabitants to cities by creating new jobs. It also seeks to create production for export to the Caribbean.
Sports complex to go up at Mirador del Este Park
The Ministry of Public Works announced the construction of the Complejo Deportivo Mirador del Este. This sports park will be built at a cost of RD$300 million in a 650,000 section of the Parque Mirador del Este. Prior to the announcement of the project, engineers sought the approval of former President Joaquin Balaguer, who undertook the construction of the park and the other nearby facilities, such as the National Aquarium and the Columbus Lighthouse. The venues will be used by the Pan American Games competitors. They include installations for archery, badminton, hockey on grass, handball, volleyball, gymnastics, tennis, ping pong, karate and tae kwon do. They will also serve the thousands of residents of the eastern side of Santo Domingo.
Government collections up
Collections reported by the Department of Taxes (Dirección General de Impuestos Internos) show considerable tax increases from 1999 to 2000.
The DGII says that its tax collections increased to RD$23,505 million, up RD$3,502 million over 1999, or 18%.
Income tax collections contributed RD$9,475.43 million to the total, 20% more than in 1999.
Taiwan donates a million for tree planting
Taiwan ambassador in the Dominican Republic Adolfo Sun presented the Minister of Environment Frank Moya Pons with a US$1,082,879 check for reforestation programs. The money is part of the US$8,750,271.20 donation over five years the Taiwan government has committed to. The program is known as the Agreement for Cooperation for Reforestation.
Canadian company to build 10,000 prefab houses
The Dominican government announced signing of a housing construction agreement with a Canadian company. The agreement signed with Royal Dominicana Housing provides for the construction of 10,000 prefabricated houses valued at RD$250,000 and RD$275,000 in an area adjacent to the V Centenario Horse Race Track. The 60-100 square meter houses would be sold for down payments of RD$25,000 and monthly payments of RD$1,500-RD$2,000, making them especially attractive for the low-income segments of the Dominican population. Each house will have two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, bathroom and washing area. The houses should resist winds of over 250 kilometers per hour.
The agreement was signed by Technical Secretary of the Presidency Rafael Calderon and the president of the Banco Nacional de la Vivienda (BNC), Manuel Troncoso Cuesta in representation of the Dominican government. For Royal Dominicana Housing, Vei Dezen and Elias Mancebo signed.
As per the agreement, the foreign firm will provide RD$3,000 million and the BNV will contribute the one million square meters where the development will go up.
Tariff reform bill being applied, valuations to go up
The head of the Department of Customs, Vicente Sanchez Baret says that despite the implementing of the tariff reform bill that calls for reductions in tariffs from a maximum 35 to a maximum 20%, he doesn't expect his department collections to drop. He told those that were hopeful of paying less import taxes that while the tariffs will go down, the valuation figures will be revised upwards.
The rationale for the increasing of taxes as part of the new Tributary Law was to compensate for decline in government income due to the reduction of import tariffs. Now Sanchez Baret says this is not necessarily so.
"I cannot affirm there will be a decline in collections as the values are being adjusted, that is that if there has been a substantial underpricing of imported merchandise, now we are proceeding to adjust these to reality; that is, while the tariffs in some cases drop, in others the values of the imported merchandise will go up," he said.
The tariff reform bill is effective 11 January, announced Vicente Sanchez Baret, director of Customs.
New Israel chamber of commerce
The Dominican Embassy in Israel, and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce in the Dominican Republic sponsored the start of the Dominican-Israeli Chamber of Commerce. The chamber will be based in Tel Aviv, Israel. The announcement was made on 8 December at the Hilton Hotel of Tel Aviv.
The new organization is presided by Eyal Devida. Other board members are Amir Nehmad, Hertzl Sagiv, Gabi Dubinsky, Rafi Edry, Moshe Devidas, Eran Mor, Gil Gozlan, Amir haber, Daina Nehmad, Israel Shtukman, David Farashi, Rubi Shapira, Dani Ilani and Eliaz Said.
Dominican Ambassador in Israel, Manuel Morales Lama is honorary president of the organization.
The president of the new chamber is the leading importer of Dominican tobacco in Israel. He announced a forthcoming business mission will visit the DR in May.
Haitian opposition meets in DR
The Partido Revolucionario Dominicano and the Internacional Socialista coordinated a meeting of the Haitian opposition leaders in Barahona. The leading spokesmen of the Haitian opposition met at the Barceló Bahoruco Beach Resort hotel. The president of the PRD, the incumbent party in the DR, Hatuey de Camps and Peggy Cabral, widow of former PRD leader, the late José Francisco Peña Gómez, hosted the event that sought to discuss aspects that would lead to governability in Haiti. Meeting in Barahona were: Leslie Manigat, Gerard Pierre Charles, Evans Paul, Serge Gilles, and Victor Benoit.
They require that before any kind of agreement is reached the results of the presidential elections carried out in November 2000 and the congressional and municipal elections carried out in May 2000 be annulled.
They want a democratic transition government to be created with the participation of all sectors of Haiti. This transition body would designate an independent electoral court that would call to free election at all levels.
During their meeting here they denounced the use of terrorist methods in Haiti for the authorities to annihilate the opposition. De Camps said that the meeting was called not to conspire against president-elect Jean Bertrand Aristide, but to provide a space for dialogue between the opposition and Aristide partisans. The politician says that the political peace in Haiti is of interest to Dominicans because turmoil only increases the immigration of indigent Haitians seeking survival.
Earlier, on a television interview with Peggy Cabral, President-elect Aristide announced he was open to talks with the opposition. Aristide is slated to be sworn in as president of Haiti on 7 February. During his first government he was openly antagonistic against the Dominican Republic in Haiti and at international forums.
Apartment owners' nightmare
The Listin Diario publishes today the plight of residents in the Residencial Yaris that is exactly behind the Malecon Center, a mega residential and commercial center going up on the Malecon. The newspaper shows photographs of large cracks in the affected apartment buildings that have forced those who could to relocate. According to the residents in the Residencial Yaris, the damages were caused when the builders of the Malecon Center used "comesolo" machinery to dig the large cavity for the underground parking and foundation of the tall towers. According to the report, the builders attribute to construction flaws of the builders of Yaris, the cracks in that complex.
Book Fair announced for 26 April
Carlos Esteban Deive, president of the Permanent Commission of the Book Fair, announced that the IV International Book Fair will take place 26 April to 6 May at the Plaza del Conservatorio along Av. Cesar Nicolas Penson, where the fair has been celebrated in recent years. The fair will be dedicated to Manuel del Cabral, winner of the National Literature Award. Chile will be the guest country this year.
Best in Dominican show business in 2000
The nominees for Dominican show business's night of stars, the Casandra Awards were announced today. Cervecería Nacional Dominicana, the Presidente beer brewery, sponsors the awards. Members of the Dominican Association of Show Business Chroniclers (Acroarte) choose the winners of the annual awards. For a list of the nominated performers, see http://www.dr1.com/daily/casandra.shtml
Aguilas break Escogido's winning streak
The Aguilas broke the winning streak of the Escogido, defeating them 11 runs to 3 in the Santo Domingo ball park yesterday. For the schedule of the semi-finals, see http://www.dr1.com/daily/calendar.shtml
 TEAM  WON  LOST  PCT.  DIF.
 Escogido  7  1  .875  
 Aguilas  5  3  .625  2
 Azucareros  2  6  .250  5
 Estrellas  1  6  .250  5
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.