2004 – Page 30

The Ministry of Public Health rejected a proposal made by the Dominican Medical College (CMD) that sought to give the doctors a 50% pay raise in January 2005, and another 50% pay raise in January 2006, rather then the 30% offered by the government. The immediate reaction of the CMD was to call a 72-hour …

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The government of the Dominican Republic announced yesterday that a delegation had left for Washington, DC in order to negotiate the remaining details of the new IMF program, as reports Beat Siegenthaler of Commerzbank in a release today. Members of the delegation are Technical Secretary of the Presidency Temistocles Montas, Finance Minister Vicente Bengoa and …

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Charles Rangel, the Democratic representative from Brooklyn, NY, better known as Charlie to his friends, told the press that President George W Bush was employing pressure tactics that he would not use against other important commercial partners. Rangel was referring to the possible exclusion of the Dominican Republic from the Free Trade Agreement between Central …

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In a note that is closely related to the preceding story, Senate leader Andres Bautista met yesterday with United States Ambassador Hans Hertell, after which he immediately called the Senate to a special session this Saturday. The agenda will include a piece of legislation that would eliminate the 25% tax on soft drinks made with …

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Senators from Elias Pina and Pedernales complained that funds from the European Community that have been channelled through the Cotonou Accords do not reach the frontier provinces for which they were destined. Instead, say the senators, the monies go to more developed provinces like La Romana and Santiago. The legislators did say that they appreciated …

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Agents from the Provincial Office of Price Control spread out in Santiago, checking the prices of the most popular items in the local supermarkets. The first step of the renewed effort to protect consumers will be a survey to establish a baseline of prices for later comparison. Eighteen men and women worked Santiago’s major retailers, …

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The president of the Supreme Court has suspended Judge Francisco Inoa Bisono, the presiding judge in a murder case that involved a police sergeant and a Dominican who resides in New York. The youth accused of the cold-blooded murder of National Police Sergeant Santiago Fortuna Sanchez near a popular bar in Santiago de los Caballeros …

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The major news story today is the jailing of so many of the PRD’s top brass, as well as a former Armed Forces minister, for their part in the Plan Renove fiasco. El Caribe dedicates three pages to the story, and all the major papers carry headlines alluding to the arrests. An audit carried out …

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President Leonel Fernandez ordered a halt to the return of heavy equipment that had been decreed by the Ministry of the Interior and the Police. The Presidential Press Office said that representatives of the Executive Branch would await the results of a dialogue being held between a governmental commission and the mayors of the various …

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Women’s Affairs Minister Gladys Gutierrez told reporters that her office will strive to fight child prostitution, especially in those areas dedicated to serving tourism. The minister said that child prostitution was a most serious problem that must be met head-on using every possible means. Gutierrez met with the personnel of the Corripio Communications Group during …

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