2004 – Page 233

The association of gasoline retailers Anadegas has voted unanimously in favor of cash-only transactions in the sale of gas to the public. This move, which will inconvenience many consumers, is said to be “an act of solidarity due to the problems some of our members have had with the banking sector,” in the words of …

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A boat carrying 23 illegal immigrants from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico sank off the northern coast of the latter island, near the town of Camuy. Three women are confirmed to have drowned and two men have reportedly reached the shore alive. Puerto Rican authorities believe that there is a good chance that the …

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Motorists in the capital should know that as from 11pm tonight until 5am on Monday 23 February, the intersection between Ave. 27 de Febrero and Maximo Gomez will be closed for the installation of a pedestrian bridge. The bridge was due to have been erected in August of last year, in time for the Pan …

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The Jesuit Refugee Service has called on the authorities to allow people fleeing the violence in Haiti to take refuge on Dominican soil, while the government has stated it has not yet considered setting up refugee camps in the border region. Padre Jose Nunez, the JRS director, said that although the government has the right …

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Doctors, nurses and other health professionals in the state sector will lay down their tools for 24 hours, starting tomorrow, and resume the stoppage on Tuesday for a further 48 hours. This is the latest in a series of protests aimed at securing a 100% salary rise. Medical association president (CMD) Waldo Ariel Suero explained …

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This morning’s newspapers provide reassurance for those suffering the effects of the prolonged power outages that have plagued the country over the last few weeks. Finance Minister Rafael Calderon announced that the electricity supply should start to improve substantially as from this weekend. The deficit in the power sector has continued to hover around the …

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Diario Libre reveals that although the Carter Center has been invited by the Central Electoral Board (JCE) to observe the 16 May Dominican presidential election, it is unlikely that they will send observers. The reason given was the cost, according to Democracy Development Program assistant Tynesha Green, who spoke to a Diario Libre reporter yesterday. …

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After a downward trend lasting several days, the US dollar has sprung back to as high as RD$55 on the informal exchange markets and to $50 at local banks. This most recent decline of the peso coincides with news that the International Monetary Fund agreement had resumed. Diario Libre specifically links the leap to yesterday’s …

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Dominican exports increased by 8.9% in 2003, according to government figures. The main areas of growth were industry, minerals and crafts, as well as the free trade zone’s non-textile sector. Danilo del Rosario, director of the CEI (Center for Export and Investment), highlighted the fact that traditional agricultural exports – coffee, cacao, sugar and tobacco …

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In a conference yesterday attended by Industry & Commerce Minister Sonia Guzman, the executive vice-president of the Dominican-American Chamber of Commerce, William Malamud, commented on the recently completed round of negotiations towards a free trade Agreement between the Dominican Republic and the United States, held in Puerto Rico. Malamud identified the DR as a strategic …

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