2003 – Page 70

Power to the Ministry of Sports was supposedly suspended this week. The reason: a pending RD$9.5-million debt with the recently renationalized power distributors. But otherwise, money does not seem to be a problem for that government department. Along these lines, Diario Libre today criticizes the government’s announced intention to pick up the US$100,000 bill for …

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Andy Pettite worked his way out of early trouble, assisted by some solid defence, to put the kibosh on the somewhat improvised Boston line-up and earn his 12th career post-season victory. By the first turn of the Red Sox line-up Pettite had given up 6 hits, a walk and a run, but managed to last …

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The government has given in to the International Monetary Fund’s demand that they be allowed to look into the acquisition of the electricity distribution companies known as the “Edes”. Hoy newspaper leads with a report which quotes Finance Minister Rafael Calderon as saying that this consent should rapidly re-establish normal relations with the IMF, which …

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The national energy committee met yesterday to discuss its options for the next phase of the energy sector reform, revealing a “war of interests” over how the new deal will be carved up. Representatives of the sector were present, as were officials from the government, generators, co-generators, distributors, and consultants from the US, but – …

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CDEEE president Cesar Sanchez announced that although British- and US-owned electricity generation company Cogentrix had been warned to renegotiate its contract with the government, it had not done so to date. The next step, he warned, would be legal action. For its part, Cogentrix spokesman Greg Osadetz said that they had on two occasions sent …

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The Listin Diario and Hoy report today that the CDEEE suspended power service to the Ministry of Sports, in view of a pending RD$9.5-million debt to their power distributor. The ministry has not paid for service over the past year. Sanchez told the newspaper that this is an example of the distribution companies’ new policy …

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Last week’s meeting in New York between the Venezuelan and Dominican foreign ministers, although described as positive, did not produce the expected outcome. Rafael Ramirez, the Venezuelan energy minister, announced yesterday that his country would not resume oil exports to the Dominican Republic until his government had received a “satisfactory reply” to the questions regarding …

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During yesterday’s weekly economic meeting, President Hipolito Mejia instructed the Treasury to start the process of preparing checks for the annual double salary payment to public employees in the first half of December. National Treasurer Pastora Mendez de Fondeur said that this year there would be no problem with the payment, which is made to …

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The Mejia administration has at least 52 inconditional deputies. A vote was called yesterday for the passing of a bill presented by the Executive Branch that would authorize the government to take on more debt — RD$5.1 billion in domestic bonds. The bill received 52 yes votes from the 118 deputies present (of a total …

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El Caribe reports on a joint study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Dominican government that urges improved preventive measures for natural disasters rather than regret after the event. The research comprises 2,000 natural disasters of major and minor proportions between 1966 and 2000. Most common are fires and floods, and most serious …

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