2003 – Page 277

Another moderate earthquake hit the country last night, this time affecting the eastern region. The epicenter was located somewhere between Hig?ey and Puerto Rico and the quake weighed in at between 4.7 and 5.5 on the Richter scale. According to the National Seismological Institute, quakes of this magnitude rarely cause material damage or casualties. The …

Read more…

The eagerly awaited concert by Colombian star Shakira did not take place at Santo Domingo’s Quisqueya Stadium last night (Thursday) as hoped. The singer was originally scheduled to perform on Wednesday, however, on the advice of her doctors, promoters are telling ticket-holders that the concert will be postponed till 22 May. This is the first …

Read more…

Santo Domingo National District Mayor Roberto Salcedo says he will not tolerate ?blackmail? tactics regarding the suspension of operations by ProAseo, the private waste-disposal company contracted to collect and dispose of the city’s domestic refuse. More than 200 collection trucks remain in their depots and the city faces the unpleasant prospect of domestic refuse accumulating …

Read more…

Jacinto Peynado said yesterday in a TV interview that the Proyecto Presidencial Hip?lito (PPH), which is the sector within the PRD supporting the re-election of President Mej?a, that the faction would invest RD$60 million to support their PRSC candidate in that party?s primaries. Nevertheless, Peynado said that this money would not alter the results of …

Read more…

Several vehicles parked in the Hotel Hispaniola were broken into on Tuesday night. The hotel is home to a number of provincial senators and it appears that their vehicles had been purposefully targeted. PRD Senator of Valverde, C?sar Augusto (Yayo) Mat?as, had his SUV’s rear window broken and two Uzi submachine guns and a briefcase …

Read more…

Thousands of fans arrived at Quisqueya Stadium in Santo Domingo, only to be told that Colombian pop star Shakira was suffering from the flu. Doctors treating Shakira are confident that she will be well enough to perform tonight (Thursday) and the disappointed fans were assured their tickets would be valid for the re-scheduled event.

Yesterday?s meetings of government officials, including President Hip?lito Mej?a and Vice President Milagro Ortiz Bosch, and the educational, industrial, commercial and financial leaders of the Dominican Republic produced a series of accords that will enable the country to face the very likely war in Iraq. Among these accords are changes to government transportation, including the …

Read more…

Oil prices fell 9.33% yesterday, going down to US$31.67 a barrel. According to articles published recently in the Listin Diario and Hoy papers, for every dollar that the price of oil goes up, there is a simultaneous 1.65% increase in the electricity rates. Therefore, the latest drop of US$3.26 per barrel of oil should produce …

Read more…

Eight of the nine judges on the Central Electoral Board (JCE) have affirmed that clean elections will be held, and that from today onward, the signature of the chief judge, Ramon Morel Cerda, will not appear on any checks or other documents requiring disbursement of funds. ?The Board cannot be paralyzed. We have responsibilities to …

Read more…

The Center for the Promotion of Exports (CEDOPEX) reports that exports were up 14.3% in January, with a value of US$209.5 million, compared to US$183.3 million in January 2002. Free trade zone exports stood at US$152.9 million, up from US$142.4 million in 2002.