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

Daily News - 9 March 2001
President of Venezuela visits
President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela arrived today at 1:28 am for a three-day visit. His jet landed at the San Isidro Air Base where Minister of Foreign Relations Hugo Tolentino Dipp and Venezuelan Ambassador Julio Portillo received him. He is traveling with First Lady Maria Isabel Rodriguez and an 18-person committee that include Minister of Foreign Relations Luis Alfonso Davila and Minister of Education Hector Navarro.
His official agenda is as follows:
Friday, 9 March
10:30 am. Visit to the National Palace. Meeting with President Hipólito Mejia and First Lady Rosa Gómez.
12 noon. Visit to the Cathedral of Santo Domingo. There he will meet Cardinal Nicolás Lopez Rodríguez.
3 pm. Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo. At the state university he will receive an honorary degree.
5 pm. Visit to the National Congress.
8 pm. Exchange of condecorations. Meeting with the diplomatic corps, government ministers. National Palace.
8:30 pm. Reception in honor of President Chavez.
Saturday, 10 March
10 am. Visit to former President Juan Bosch.
10:40 am. Visit to former President Joaquin Balaguer.
12 noon. Joint statement on the occasion of the visit of President Chavez. National Palace.
12:30 pm. Luncheon with Dominican and Venezuelan businessmen. Hotel V Centenario.
6:30 pm. Softball match with the Presidents as pitchers. Ministry of Armed Forces softball stadium.
Sunday, 11 March
Visit to the Caamaño family.
10 am. Satellite transmission of President Chavez's "Alo Presidente" program from the state television station to Venezuela and DR.
3:30 pm. Interview with former President Leonel Fernandez.
6 pm. Departure to Venezuela.
21 women decorated on International Women's Day
President Hipólito Mejia decorated Vice President Milagros Ortiz Bosch and 20 other outstanding Dominican women yesterday to commemorate International Women's Day.
Vice President Ortiz is also Minister of Education. She is the first Dominican woman to have reached the highest position in government. President Mejia condecorated her with the highest rank, the Duarte, Sanchez and Mella decoration, rank of Grand Cross of Gold.
The President also decorated the president of the Chamber of Deputies Rafaela Alburquerque with the Duarte, Sanchez and Mella decoration, rank Grand Cross of Silver.
President Mejia recognized the contribution to society of Eduvigen Belen de los Satos, Miriam Lopez, Martha Olga Garcia, Maria Rosa Belliard, Ana Mercedes Henriquez viuda Núñez, Rose Margarite Taule Casso, Cecilia Antonia Cruz de Colon, Ivonne Haza del Castillo, Delta Soto, Maria Rosa Almanzar, Victoria Eugenia Lebron Yanes, Rosa Ondina and Maribel Bautista Roa.
Central American FTA to pass without two protocols
The President of the Senate Ramon Alburquerque promised that the Senate would pass the framework treaty of the Central American Free Trade Agree but would sit on two protocols of five. He said the Senate would pass the protocols signed with Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. He said that those signed with Costa Rica and Nicaragua would have to wait because privileges that have been granted could later bring problems regarding trade dealings with the United States and Canada.
Tender for Dominicana Airlines announced
The government's privatization commission, Comision de Reforma de la Empresa Publica is inviting interested parties to retrieve standard tender terms and general conditions of contract for the Compañia Dominicana de Aviación (CDA), the state airline. The tender terms will be available as of 14 March at the offices of the CREP that are located at Calle Gustavo Mejia Ricart 73 (Tel. 809 683-3591 or crepdom@codetel.net.do). Those interested in this information need to pay US$300 or the equivalent in RD pesos.
Much interest in optic fiber transmission lines venture
The Dominican Electricity Corporation (CDE) released to the press the names of the national and international companies that are interested in participating in a future tender to install optic fiber transmission lines. These companies are:
ABB Power Automation LTD
Acero Py M
Alcoa Fujikura
American Latina Guarantec
Asincro
Atenas Electrical & Instrumentacion Corp
Broadband Service
CDI Consultacion Dominicana Internacional
CEO Merhav Infrastructures
Codetel
Compusoluciones
Electronicsa Sang
EPS
ETDE-International Divison
Innovativa
Inversiones Beluga
Kent & Duran Dominicana
Lucent Technologies
Montreal Montajes y Realizaciones
Network Solution
Nortel Networks
Pecipia Networks
Pirelli Cables and Systems
PPL Electric Utilities Corp
Samsung
Telecomunicaciones Enron
Transmission & Communciatiosn Group
Vedemeca
Zettanets
Police returns newborn baby to its mother
The Police returned a missing newborn baby to its mother at the Maternidad Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia yesterday. The baby was found at the home of Ana de Jesus Peguero (21 years) in Villa Mella. Peguero said she had naturally aborted her own baby at the same hospital the day before. News reports say that she told the Police that she took the baby with permission from the mother after paying RD$3,500. One newspaper carries a report whereby hospital nurses served as witness to the sale. The mother denies having sold the baby. The baby was born to Maritza Núñez (24 years) and Miguel Aybar (26 years). The couple has two other children, a six year old son, and a two year old daughter.
Following the incident, the hospital announced it was reinforcing its security.
New TV channel with women programming
Coral 39 is the new UHF and cable TV channel with programming fully dedicated to women. Locally-produced programs are produced and marketed from the studios of Telesistema, Channel 11.
Tourism MBA at Universidad APEC
The Tourism School of the Universidad APEC recently announced it has reached an agreement with the Business School of Gran Canaria, Spain to start a graduate degree program in management of hotel and tourism business this April 2001. The MBA is a yearlong program.
Dominican actress to star in film with Britney Spears
The Listin Diario reports that Dominican actress Zoe Saldaña will have a starring role in rock singer Britney Spear's first Hollywood film. The film targets to attract the millions of youngsters that idolize the singer of "Baby One More Time", and "Stronger" around the world. The film tells the story of a young girl who wants to make it in show business. Zoe Saldaña is one of the girl's close friends in the film. Zoe Saldaña starred recently in "Center Stage."
Pan Am Games update
Dr. Jose Joaquin Puello told the press yesterday that executives from the Mexican television company, OTI would arrive within a few days to finalize the contract to be signed with the Organizing Committee for television rights for the Pan Am Games. He estimated the Games will have an audience of 500 million persons. During a talk with the members of the Santo Domingo Sports Writers Association, Puello briefed the press on other developments with the Games. He commented that the DR could forget about a mass athletes development program to prepare athletes for the Pan Am Games. He said that too much time has been lost and that there is just time to prepare the top Dominican athletes, about 70 men and women. He explained that the core of best athletes will be selected to participate in the San Salvador Central American and Caribbean Games in 2002, and that same team will be sent abroad to train for the Pan Am Games.
He said the country has received the support and funding for the training from several countries and will be accepting these offers to prepare the Dominican team. He mentioned that athletes will be sent to the US to train in North Carolina, Chula Vista in California and Colorado Springs. He said that the fencing team will be sent to France; weightlifting to Hungary; volleyball to Italy; judo to Spain.
In regards to baseball, he is hopeful the DR can win the gold medal. He hopes the country can put together a team of Triple A and Double AA players from the Major Leagues. "We cannot show up here, before a Dominican public, with a team that does not meet the expectations from a competitive point of view," he said. He said he is in talks with the winter ball professional league and the National Baseball Commissioner Mackey Calzada who is assisting in the preparing of the national baseball team. The Dominican Republic recently won the Caribbean Baseball Series and is a major exporter of baseball talent to the US.
The problem with attracting big name talent is that the Games summer date coincides with the finals of the Major League baseball season. Regardless, Pedro Martinez has said he would like to pitch a game, if allowed by the Boston Red Sox.
He expressed his hope that if work can be started now, the country could win about 15 medals.
"It is a matter of starting to receive the needed funds on time from the government. The truth is that there is no time to lose," he said.
Puello said that he has received promises from the Ministry of Public Works for RD$112 million to build missing sports venues at the Mirador del Este Park. Also RD$113 million is pending from the Venezuelan Investment Fund for the renovation of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center.
Puello said that to prepare for the Games, several regional tournaments will be held in Santo Domingo.
Puello said that he has pending a meeting with President Mejia to discuss the importance of the government meeting the flow of funds programmed for the Games. The government allotted RD$365 million for the Pan Am Games Organization in the 2001 National Budget.
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.