2005 – Page 254

The government has accepted that its debt with Verizon stands at RD$433.6 million for arrears in several departments. According to Diario Libre, the agriculture ministry owes RD$26.5 million, the Police RD$40 million, Education RD$20.5 million, JCE RD$16 million, the Army RD$15 million and the Presidential Palace RD$15 million. Hoy newspaper reports that at the start …

Read more…

Manuel Arias, the engineer who headed the company that received the US$61.6 million contract to build covered sporting facilities nationwide left the country after the governmental corruption prevention department began an investigation into the construction of 115 sports projects. The company behind the projects, Child Safe Products, has not been in operation for some four …

Read more…

The president of the World Conservation Union, Yolanda Kakabadse Navarro is visiting the DR. She told Diario Libre that hoteliers need to understand that allowing unlimited tourism development is the equivalent of shooting oneself in the foot. The former Ecuadorian environment minister stated that the conservation of natural resources has to be a top national …

Read more…

The Dominican Republic will have a 300 square meter pavilion at the Aichi World Fair that opens on 25 March and lasts until 25 September. This year, the world fair is dedicated to environmental issues. Aichi is best known as the hometown of Toyota automobile manufacturing. The Dominican stand will promote the country’s culture, environment …

Read more…

The National Competitiveness Council (CNC) is bringing attention to the fact that there are policies being implemented in the DR that encourage low value added produce with reduced local components. The CNC also warns that taxes on raw materials, inputs and machinery contradict the stated government policy of promoting exports. In a document distributed to …

Read more…

Diario Libre reports the confiscation of 10 kilos of cocaine by Punta Cana security corps (CESA) agents from 34-year-old Jose Miguel Villalona Nicolas, an employee of E.T. Heinsen, when he tried to smuggle the shipment on board an airplane headed for Holland. He claimed that Police second lieutenant Miguel Rosario, a National Drug Control Department …

Read more…

In the face of recent articles that draw attention to the fact that there are over 1,100 unfinished public works projects, some of which date back 20 years, President Leonel Fernandez has embarked on a series of visits to places like Pedernales and Santiago Rodriguez, and promised even more public works. In an unusual move, …

Read more…

The Metro system proposed by the current administration has come under widespread criticism and, apparently there is more coming. Specialists, according to the El Caribe, consider the projected metro system to be a very costly project for the Dominican Republic. Today the Council of Government, headed by President Leonel Fernandez, will listen to the details …

Read more…

In an interview with El Caribe newspaper, Spaniard Alfonso Vegara, president of the International Society of City and Regional Planners, proposed new alternatives for the urban renewal of Santo Domingo and joined the bandwagon of those saying that the city is at a crossroads. The city’s future has been in headlines after President Fernandez gave …

Read more…

University medical graduates are expected to perform a one-year apprenticeship at one of the health centers around the country. From the largest hospitals to the tiniest rural clinics, the newly graduated doctors serve under very differing circumstances. Local universities churn out more than 1,200 new doctors each year, but the Ministry of Public Health only …

Read more…