2003 – Page 91

Former president of the National Council of Business, Celso Marranzini, says he is confident the Dominican Republic will overcome the present economic crisis in the short or medium range. He urged that the political parties put aside their internal differences and that there be more cohesion in Congress and the government to work for the …

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Wanda Rijo will compete for the Dominican Republic in Athens’ Olympic Games. The international weightlifting federation awarded the Dominican Republic two slots in the Olympic competition for its overall good performance. The name of the other woman weightlifter who will occupy the second slot has yet to be determined. Overall, the Dominican women’s weightlifting team …

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The Aguilas Cibaenas, winners of most of the championships in past years, now leads the Dominican Professional Baseball Championship, which has been underway since 31 October. The Aguilas celebrated on Sunday the feat of long-time player Luis Polonia, who became only the 10th player in the history of Dominican baseball to accumulate 600 hits or …

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President Hipolito Mejia promised farmers in the Cibao Valley that he would not abandon them. The President toured the area surrounding San Francisco de Macoris and the devastation created by the flooding of the Yuna River in the northern areas of the country. Accompanied by his Minister of Agriculture and other high-ranking officials, the President …

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La Informacion, the Santiago paper nearest the flood areas, is reporting desperation among the refugees, with at least ten dead and several more injured. According to reporter Miguel Ponce, the flood victims are still waiting for help from government agencies that have promised to provide relief. In some poor neighborhoods, like Los Santos in Santiago, …

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In what might be today’s strangest headline, the Listin Diario reports that the abundant rains will be good for the electric situation and, later on, for agriculture. Ramon Perez Reyes reports that the members of the National Emergency Commission feel that the full hydroelectric dams will pay for the damages caused by the flooding, which, …

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As reported in Hoy newspaper, President Hipolito Mejia said last night on his “Una vez a la semana” TV show, broadcast on the state-run television station, that he is not in agreement with half of the things his government has done regarding the economy. He was commenting on the continuing depreciation of the peso against …

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The spokesman for Shell in the DR and vice-president of the Dominican Petroleum Refinery said that fuel supply problems are due to the delay in the government’s subsidy payments to Shell in the amount of RD$250 million. “We received a RD$130-million payment, but already the government has pending another RD$220 million.” Rafael Maradiaga explained that …

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The Industry and Commerce Ministry has announced substantial price increases for diesel, regular gasoline and premium gasoline. The new prices hit historic highs: RD$73.85 for premium, RD$66.77 for regular and RD$51.98 for diesel. The higher prices are reported to be linked to the new lows in the value of the peso, and represent a 40% …

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US Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs John Taylor paid a short visit to the Dominican Republic, meeting with government economic officials, political leaders and President Mejia. The meeting with President Mejia was supposed to be a breakfast, but because of the flooding in the Cibao, it was rescheduled for later in the …

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