2003 – Page 306

Former President Leonel Fernandez and fellow lawyer Margarita Cedeño wed on Sunday evening in a private ceremony held at Cedeño’s Naco apartment. The marriage caught the press and Dominicans by surprise, as Fernandez had maintained in the past that marriage was incompatible with politics. He said it was unlikely that he would remarry, because he …

Read more…

Sergeant Domingo Batista Paulino, who had been in coma since he was injured in protests in the Capotillo ghetto on 4 February, died on Saturday. He was posthumously promoted to second lieutenant by President Hipolito Mejia. Batista Paulino was the father of 10 children by two spouses.

Raul Mondesi told the Listin Diario that the condensation of the Dominican national anthem to 30 seconds inspired the team to defeat the Puerto Ricans. For years, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic have been rivals in the Caribbean Series. The mistake of cutting the anthem short, however, may have cost the Puerto Ricans the …

Read more…

Foreign Relations Minister Hugo Tolentino Dipp announced the signing of a free trade agreement with Panama that reactivates an original agreement dating back to 1985. Panamanian Industry & Commerce Minister Joaquin Jacome Diez traveled to Santo Domingo to sign the accord on behalf of the Central American country. The first phase of the pact lists …

Read more…

In an effort to contain the decline of the Dominican peso that was being sold in the informal markets at RD$25 to the US$1 as of Wednesday, 5 February, the government monetary authorities have announced a new plan. The Monetary Board’s new measures focus primarily on restricting the amount of pesos in circulation to stifle …

Read more…

Often controversial young politician Guido Gomez Mazara is the talk of the day as he says he has the green light from President Mejia to take to court anyone who defames him, government officers or the President. Gomez Mazara is one of the leading supporters of the re-election of President Hipolito Mejia. On Monday, Gomez …

Read more…

The Cibao and the northern part of the country are suffering once again long hours of blackouts after the Smith and Enron power plant in Puerto Plata was shut down. The plant closed its operations saying that it had run out of fuel, amid claims that the government owes Smith and Enron more than US$19 …

Read more…

El Caribe newspaper says that preliminary figures from the 2002 National Census show that the free zones and tourism industries have been magnets that have attracted thousands of Dominicans seeking jobs. The provinces of La Altagracia (where Punta Cana and Bavaro are located), La Romana, San Pedro de Macoris (where Juan Dolio and Guayacanes tourism …

Read more…

Diario Libre headlines a story in which the police appear to have avenged the shooting of a fellow officer, sargeant Domingo Batista, supposedly by a resident in the Capotillo ghetto. 18-year-old Alfredo Martinez Duran (alias the Shark) died yesterday of three gun shot wounds to the chest, neck and leg, received during his attempt to …

Read more…

Sonia Cambronero is proud to announce that Air Europa now has a 55-percent market share on the routes to Spain. In the past, Iberia Airlines had held a monopoly on this destination from the DR. The regional director of the Spanish airline said that Air Europa also has about 30 percent of the market of …

Read more…