2005 – Page 31

El Caribe reports on United States ambassador Hans Hertell’s speech to Ibero-American University (Unibe) students in Santo Domingo yesterday, in which he listed the benefits of the forthcoming DR-CAFTA agreement, and said that by joining the treaty with the US and the Central American nations, the Dominican Republic “was entering an exclusive circle” by joining …

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Hoy carries the comments of a leading Free Trade Zone employer, who claims that unless the current power crisis is resolved, Dominican Free Zone factories will not be able to compete with others in the region. Simon Torres Fernandez of Industrias Femar in Santiago says that the benefits of the forthcoming free trade agreement will …

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The exporters’ association Adoexpo has expressed its opposition to the 20% increase in port duties, announced last week by Presidential decree. Adoexpo president Jose Antonio Flaquer Lopez said that this should not have been done without reviewing the state-run port authority’s operational costs. He claimed that his association had not been consulted in the lead …

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Diario Libre quotes national coordinator of property registration Wilson Gomez as saying that the falsification of property titles is a “mafia activity” on a par with drug cartels. It has powerful tentacles that reach across the country and beyond, moving millions in the process, said Gomez. This “mafia” involves many law firms and government officials, …

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The public hearing held yesterday to discuss the proposed multi-million dollar artificial island project off Santo Domingo’s Malecon seafront avenue was a rowdy affair, according to today’s papers. 25 out of the 27 speakers opposed the project, and the controversial island’s promoters were heckled and booed by those present. In favor of the project, apart …

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All this morning’s papers carry the story that the Senate has approved the sale of all land and buildings in and around the site of the proposed tourist development at the Sans Souci port area in Santo Domingo. Only one Senator, Jesus Vazquez (PRD, Nagua) opposed the move, which was passed by 20 votes to …

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Today’s El Caribe leads with a report that the government is considering a radical change to its fleet of vehicles, as part of the recent fuel saving measures. The proposal is to convert all government-owned vehicles to run on natural gas (LPG) instead of conventional gasoline. The government is negotiating a contract with an Argentinian …

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A headline article in online newspaper Clave Digital reveals that business consultant Luis Alvarez Renta, who was found guilty of major financial irregularities in a Miami court last week, is pointing his finger firmly and squarely at Baninter president Ramon Baez Figueroa. Alvarez Renta blames Baez Figueroa for the colossal fraud that brought down the …

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All today’s papers report on the 20-year prison sentences handed down to the four men who raped the 16 year old daughter of the Dominican ambassador in Canada, Eduardo Tejera. The crime was committed in Santo Domingo in August 2004, as the teenager was returning home with a friend. The latter was beaten up and …

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Agapito Sanchez, the Dominican former world bantamweight boxing champion who was murdered in Santo Domingo earlier this week, was given his final send off by friends, family and fans yesterday. Hundreds of people attended his funeral, including prominent figures from the world of sports and politics, according to press coverage of the event. Sanchez was …

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