2001 – Page 52

The expansion of the military and a bulging government payroll seem to have cut into the funding available to access matching funds that would make it possible to distribute loans from multilateral lending institutions. El Siglo reports that the government income has fallen short not only because of lower-than-expected tax revenues but also because it …

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Orlando Gil, a political commentator for El Siglo newspaper, laments that the election of new judges for the Supreme Court has gone political. “The initial discussions leave clear the panorama. It is not about finding good, capable and fair justices. Instead, each party wants to maintain their quota of power in the judiciary,” he concludes. …

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The builders don’t have the right permits from the Ministry of Public Works or the Municipality, but work continues on the construction of a fast food stop and gas station (parador) in the middle of the green area that divides the eastbound and westbound lanes of the Las Americas Highway next to the Las Americas …

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Economist Frederic Emam-Zade backs the forecast of a 3% year end growth for the DR predicted by the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC). He bases his forecast on the Dominican Republic’s dependency on the performance of the US economy. In a report in the Listin Diario, he says parallels can be historically drawn between …

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The National Council of Business, the nation’s largest business organization, published its Report No. 170 in which it says the economy is on a growth track again. However, it says further growth depends on the government rectifying first year errors. To read the report in full, see http://www.dr1.com/business/conep0801.shtml

Long line ups on Sunday surprised even the owners of La Sirena Multicentro on the east side of Santo Domingo. Opening last week on the east bank of the Ozama River, the large shopping center became the first to cater to the needs of the area’s more than one million people. Previously, residents had to …

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Twelve year old Dominican immigrant to the US, Danny Almonte, was one of the stars of the Little League Baseball World Series held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Danny Almonte plays with the Rolando Paulino league of the Bronx which won third place in the Series. Most of the Rolando Paulino League team players are immigrants from …

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Vice President and Minister of Education Milagros Ortiz Bosch said that classes at public schools will start on Monday, 3 September. Private schools are free to set their starting date but the majority of classes will start on the same date. Ortiz said her department will issue a resolution officially authorizing the registration of students …

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President Hipolito Mejia sent letters to the presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies urging them to fill the three vacant Supreme Court seats. One of the appointed judges resigned and another two have died, reducing the number of judges from 16 to 13. The legislative bodies need to choose their new representatives …

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In a press conference yesterday with union leaders Ramon Figuereo and Juan Hubieres along with Administrative Secretary of the Presidency, Pedro Franco Badia, the government announced changes in its Plan Renove. Plan Renove is a program to improve public transit that has been questioned for irregularities. In its first phase, it calls for the import …

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