2008 – Page 40

Yesterday saw the start of a 72-hour strike by public hospital UNASED union nurses. The Ministry of Public Health has not commented on the strike. Public Health Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez only said that he would present their request for wage increase to President Leonel Fernandez and Hacienda Minister Vicente Bengoa. He said that there …

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A Dominican government official mission is on a seven-day visit to the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea for the first time since diplomatic relations were established in September 2007. The agenda of Special Minister for Asia Miguel Mejia and Dominican ambassador to India, Cambodia and Vietnam Hans Dannenberg Castellanos includes a meeting with the minister …

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A study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) reveals that Dominicans are the least satisfied with their lives compared to other Latin American citizens. Only Haitians as less satisfied, according to analysis carried out for the 2008 Development in the Americas – Beyond Facts: Understanding Quality of Life report. The study revealed that Costa Ricans …

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PRD politician and former Samana senator Milton Ray Guevara has denounced the increasingly prevalent illegal practice of denying locals entry to beaches in some of the DR’s tourism areas. According to Guevara, tourism companies are restricting access to public areas in Samana on the grounds that they have to guarantee the safety and cleanliness of …

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Losses in revenue due to stolen or non-invoiced energy between January and August totaled RD$12.7 billion (US$371 million), which is three times the government subsidy for the Blackout Reduction Program (PRA). A study by the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development also revealed that 47 out of every 100 homes do not have an energy …

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The Cap Cana real estate development is experiencing difficult times. Recently Cap Cana announced they would lay off 1,500 workers and recent news released by the group is more troublesome. Diario Libre is reporting that talks with lenders of a US$100 million bridge loan arranged by Morgan Stanley and the Deutsche Bank have broken down. …

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Members of the country’s Evangelical churches have responded to criticisms from Catholic bishops who oppose the General Religious Association Bill that seeks to extend them the same privileges that the government grants the Catholic Church. The Supreme Court of Justice has already ruled that the Concordat agreement, the basis for many of the privileges, between …

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El Dia newspaper reports that an honorary ambassador to the Dominican government, Manuel Mario Perez Rivera, is likely to be removed from his post after accusations of fraud. The newspaper says that he was suspended last week and could be dismissed from the post this week pending a decision by President Leonel Fernandez himself. Perez …

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The Navy has extended search and rescue efforts for a boat that has disappeared in the Mona Passage. The boat was carrying more than 90 Dominicans who were trying to cross to Puerto Rico illegally. US Coast Guards have also helped with rescue efforts, but no clues as to what happened to the boat are …

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Businessman Luis Lantigua Seladillas has been freed after being held captive for two weeks. Versions as to how and why Lantigua was freed differ, but Hoy reports that Lantigua’s family paid a ransom of RD$3 million. Lantigua, who was being held in San Francisco de Macoris, was then dropped off at Piedra Blanca in Bonao …

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