2003 – Page 7

According to a report in Hoy newspaper’s economic section, the Spanish private company Union Fenosa is still waiting for the government to pay the US$15-million initial payment for the re-acquisition of power distribution companies EdeSur and EdeNorte, as was agreed in October. The government had presented Union Fenosa with a post-dated check, but this is …

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The Listin Diario reports that the Codetel has cut phone service to the Education Ministry, in view of a RD$20-million debt to the company. Julio Cordero, administrative chief at the ministry, says that they requested a payment from the budget office for RD$8 million to cover last year, but have not received any response. This …

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Although the festive season is fast approaching and with it the promise of the traditional political truces, in which political rivals lay down their weapons and submit to the spirit of the season, Vice President and Presidential hopeful Milagros Ortiz Bosch has made a blistering attack on President Hipolito Mejia. Ortiz Bosch told her supporters …

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The three PRD Presidential hopefuls who withdrew from the primary scheduled to have taken place this Sunday reaffirmed yesterday they will cast aside their personal ambitions and select one single candidate to challenge President Hipolito Mejia. They have tentatively agreed to take part in the re-scheduled convention, now set for 18 January. Milagros Ortiz Bosch, …

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The dean of the PUCMM university’s law school in Santo Domingo, Flavio Dario Espinal, writes today on El Caribe’s opinion page on how the ruling PRD party has structured its own kind of populism as a propagandistic answer to the economic crisis. For the government, this is about dividing society between “the powerful” and “the …

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The United States embassy has announced new requirements for those seeking entry visas to the US. As of Tuesday 16 December, applicants must go through a new procedure, and can expect to wait as long as 17 weeks for an appointment with a consular official. Prospective travelers are therefore advised to make their plans well …

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This morning’s papers report on the dramatic events in the Palace of Justice in the eastern side of Santo Domingo yesterday. A man who was appearing before an assistant district attorney was detained after he assaulted and made death threats to the ADA, Sandra Gomez. He was handcuffed and herded into a cell with dozens …

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A minor tremor measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale was registered at 5:00am Thursday. The quake was felt in the northern provinces of Santiago and Puerto Plata, which have been experiencing regular aftershocks since the 6.5 earthquake of 22 September, although they had diminished in recent weeks. This time reports of the tremor are much …

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El Caribe provides us with some respite from the gloom and doom of the day’s news with the encouraging story of the La Zurza neighborhood, located on the Isabela river bank under the Jacinto J Peynado Bridge in Santo Domingo. This part of the city has been the setting for an initiative funded by the …

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In an interview today with Miguel Guerrero on CDN TV and radio morning talk show, Technical Secretary to the Presidency Carlos Despradel confirmed the completion of the technical phase of negotiations with the IMF. He said that he is optimistic the agreement would be signed in January, thus enabling the country to resume access to …

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