Dolores Vicioso – Page 6901

The federation of retail traders Fecoderd estimates that over the last four months, 18 basic consumer items have risen in price by an average of 42% and retail sales have fallen by 40% as a result. Fecoderd president Gilberto Luna commented that such price rises were impossible for low-income families to bear and called on …

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Diario Libre reminds its readers that one whole year has elapsed since the 8th National Population and Housing Census of October 2002, and the results that were originally scheduled to be released in mid-2003 are nowhere near ready. Canvassing an estimated 2.5 million homes, 120,000 individuals were recruited to carry out the survey. Their questions …

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The International Monetary Fund’s mission to the Dominican Republic begins its study of the government’s re-acquisition of the Edes, the two power distribution companies formerly under the control of Spanish electricity company Union Fenosa. Another IMF delegation will arrive in the country at the end of the month to finalize the details of the standby …

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The Listin Diario carries a report on a new proposal made by consultants Campos Villalon-Alvarez, who suggest that 50% of the Edes’ shares be offered for sale to Dominican companies as a way of solving the problem in the power sector. Local capital should be given priority, according to consultant Francisco Campos Villalon, and if …

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Twenty-hour power outages are testing the tolerance of the residents of the Dominican Republic’s second city Santiago and its surrounding areas. The situation is reportedly due to the removal from service of generating plants such as Smith & Enron and Puerto Plata II, caused by overdue payments owed to the operating companies by the state …

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Since the remarkable deterioration in the energy supply in the entire country over the past week, Pedro Silverio, the head economist at the Cenantillas economic think-tank, wrote in yesterday’s El Caribe about vertical integration of the electricity sector. His point is that such integration is not necessarily the best thing. The term “vertical integration” is …

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President Hipolito Mejia told reporters and Bonao schoolchildren on Tuesday that US$50 million enters the Dominican Republic every day, and that there is no reason for the exchange rate to be so high. According to the President, even though the banking establishment incurred US$7 billion in debt, with that much money entering on a daily …

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During a live broadcast from Iraq produced by Freddy Beras Goico, President Mejia asked the Dominican troops stationed overseas to give their best efforts to help Iraq rebuild. Talking directly to the troops over the direct satellite link, Mejia talked to Lt. General Soto Jimenez, the head of the armed forces, as well as the …

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Hoy’s “Que se dice” column commented yesterday on the proposal of the mayor of Santo Domingo North, Daniel Carvajal Louis, to charge the garbage disposal companies a fee in dollars for the use of the garbage dump in his municipality. Following a growing trend in the local business community by which automobiles and houses are …

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The seven PRD presidential candidacy hopefuls are having obvious troubles in their stated aim to select a single Presidential candidate from amongst their ranks. The decision to take this course was made over one month ago, but despite repeated attempts no single candidate has emerged. At last night’s meeting it was announced that the selection …

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