2006 – Page 268

The United States embassy confirmed yesterday that helicopters from the United States Army were flying US military personnel around the Barahona area as well as between Barahona and Santo Domingo. Nonetheless, the embassy spokesperson also pointed out that all flights had been approved by the Dominican Army and supervised by Dominican military personnel. According to …

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Freddy Beras Goico is the most famous comedian in the Dominican Republic. He is a television personality of the highest order, both here and overseas. His humanitarian work, in support of Corazones Unidos (United Hearts) is perhaps not so well known, but even more important. Beras Goico shared his experiences with editors and journalists at …

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A community leader from the Cristo Rey barrio of Santo Domingo was shot and killed while sitting in front of his house. Franklin Perez Berroa was shot seven times from a vehicle that stopped on the street just outside his house. According to local reports, Perez Berroa was a community leader who would not allow …

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Vehicle sales in 2005 were up 120%, for 26,684 new vehicles, or 12,074 more sold in 2005 than in 2004. Edwin Ruiz reports that sale of SUVs were up 170% in comparison to the previous year, making up 32% of the sale of vehicles in 2005. Some 8,738 new SUVs were sold last year, 5,150 …

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The Dominican Republic’s savings and loan associations are receiving 58% of their income from deposits in the Central Bank. The Central Bank’s policy, designed to lower the quasi-fiscal deficit, has lowered the earnings on “investments” made by the S&Ls and is pushing the associations to look for better income on their credit operations. While in …

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Gustavo Cisneros, one of the world’s wealthiest men, addressed an audience of the most powerful businessmen in the Dominican Republic yesterday and told them that education is a central part of economic progress. Cisneros asked the Dominican entrepreneurs to look beyond the DR’s borders. As the speaker at one of the Business Leadership Lectures sponsored …

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Yesterday, the government cabinet led by President Leonel Fernandez announced that RD$5.32 billion would be invested in priority infrastructural projects in six of the country’s eastern provinces. A press release states that provincial governors and members of Provincial Development Councils from La Altagracia, El Seibo, Hato Mayor, La Romana, San Pedro de Macoris and Monte …

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Tourism Minister Felix Jimenez said on the Hoy Mismo talk show yesterday, that a French architect and French environmental professor are part of a team backed by the Ministry of Tourism to carry out planning and environmental studies for tourism areas. He said the group is setting the guidelines for hotel construction in the National …

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The Executive Branch has submitted two loan contracts totaling US$15 million to the Senate, signed with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The first loan is for US$10 million and is intended for the financing of phase one of the Labor Market and Social Transfer project aimed at improving participation in the workforce and fostering the …

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Banco de Reservas’ assets at the end of 2005 totaled RD$102.4 billion and net profits reached RD$2 billion, according to financial statements audited by Price Waterhouse Coopers. Assets increased by 26% compared to 2004. The statements indicate that Banreservas had one of the largest growths in the local financial system in relative and absolute terms.