2003 – Page 325

Francisco del Rosario Sanchez area staged a demonstration in Santiago. They marched through the city, depositing their electric meters on the steps of the offices of Edenorte to show their dismay at the high electric bills they are receiving. The people delivered their electric meters on motorcycles, on foot and in cars and pickup trucks. …

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Passengers aboard the Aeropostal flight from Caracas to Santo Domingo protested the onboard presence of a Venezuelan official with an outburst of noise, called a "cacerolazo" – from the Spanish "cacerola" or pot. The loud display of disapproval was focused against General Francisco Belisario Landis, the Venezuelan ambassador to the DR, who had been head …

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According to figures released yesterday, hotel occupancy was up for the third consecutive month, reaching a national average of 65.4 percent. This figure is 5 percent below the average for 2000 but only 0.9 percent less than the average for 2001. The good news is that the number of visitors to the Dominican Republic for …

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Ambassador Adam Blackwell highlighted yesterday at a breakfast with the press that the Dominican Republic has an emotional advantage in doing business with Canada. Of the Canadian adult population of 30 million, about half have visited the Dominican Republic at least once over the past 20 years, with most of those having enjoyed their vacations. …

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A Dominican taxi driver from New York named Miguel Angel was the winner of "Protagonistas de la Mœsica," Telemundo’s brand of reality TV. The show earned high ratings among Hispanics in the United States and is described as the Latin version of ÒAmerican Idol.Ó Its debut presented 50 previously chosen semi-finalists from across the nation. …

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According to Diario Libre, the Central Bank was unable to place the full amount of the RD$2 billion in certificates of deposit available yesterday, issuing a disappointing 10 percent of the projected total. While the bank has decided to keep the offer open, inside sources told Diario Libre that the unusual method of allowing bids …

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In a move that caught customs agents off guard, the Director General of Customs ordered a 60-point rise in the ad valorum rate charged by Customs on imported goods. Instead of paying the rate of RD$20.90 per dollar, the change imposes a rate of RD$21.50. Previous increases had only been as much as five points. …

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The CAASD, the government corporation that administers the drinking water for Santo Domingo, charges less for its services than various other countries. The CAASD (Corporaci?n de Agua y Alcantarillada de Santo Domingo) in those places where new water meters have been installed is charging 50 percent less than similar service providers in Mexico or Barcelona, …

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Scarcity is forcing the government to institute a national plan to reduce fuel consumption, starting with vehicles that belong to the government itself. In a parallel effort, 100 troops were added to the frontier guards in an effort to stop sales of fuel from the Dominican Republic to Haiti. Stories in every major paper today, …

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The World Bank Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) has expressed its concern over the current situation between the power distributors, the power generators and the Superintendence of Electricity. After a four-hour meeting with the Superintendent of Electricity Julio Cross, the representatives of MIGA told reporters that they were worried that these disputes would create risks …

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