2006 – Page 55

US Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Hans H. Hertell has commended Dominican politicians for quickly approving, after a first reading, the remaining bills opening the way for the country’s entry into DR-CAFTA, but at the same time urged the government and its officials to expeditely approve the bills, during the remaining reading. Hertell, quoted in …

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Venezuela and Guatemala have ended their 44-round political boxing match in a draw and have decided to select Panama as an alternative choice for a seat on the United Nations Security Council. This now excludes the DR, which for a few weeks had been mentioned as a possible consensus candidate for the position. Guatemala beat …

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Dominican ambassador to the United States Dr. Flavio Dario Espinal says that the electricity crisis in the country is like the sword of Damocles, affecting quality of life and business competitiveness, especially for small and medium-sized businesses. Hoy quotes Espinal as saying that the country’s entrance into DR-CAFTA should open a debate on how to …

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The explanation for President Leonel Fernandez’s 1:10 minute-meeting with President Bush on 25 October followed by a 45-minute meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice the next day could be filtering through. Press coverage of the trip had reported that the US had decided to aid the Dominican Republic by providing radar equipment and …

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According to Hoy newspaper, on average 27.8% of children in the northwestern border town of Dajabon and the neighboring Haitian town of Ouanaminthe (Juana Mendez) become sexually active before the age of 10. The study, presented by Catholic Relief Services and UNICEF says that 4,302 AIDS cases have been administered with 363 positive results, a …

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Diario Libre is reporting that the real reason that the Santo Domingo Metro is experiencing delays in the construction process isn’t because an excavation machine has been damaged, as is being reported, but because there have been landslides and cave-ins on the project site. Geologist Osiris de Leon says that this is because Metro officials …

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Public transport sector drivers have declared that they will increase the costs of riding on a bus or shared taxi (“publico”) if the government decides to remove the subsidy on propane gas (GLP), as was announced yesterday. Listin Diario reports that drivers in Santiago have said they will double prices if the subsidy is removed. …

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El Caribe newspaper reports that the Chamber of Deputies has ratified the Treaty of Budapest on the International Acknowledgement of the Deposit of Microorganisms with regards to Patent Material. The agreement considers industrial property, which is found in Chapter 15, and requires administrative and legislative action and is necessary for the implementation of DR-CAFTA. The …

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According to Diario Libre, 10% of people who go to hospitals in the Dominican Republic are Haitian and speak Creole, which most Dominican doctors don’t understand, making it difficult to treat those patients. In order to deal with this dilemma, the medical school at Eugenio Maria de Hostos University will start offering Creole classes to …

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The Army has announced that it has dismissed 15 military personnel in the last two months for a series of crimes, including drug consumption and trafficking, bribery, revealing sensitive information and general misconduct. Armed forces spokesman Hector Lizardo Jorge said that these dismissals send a message to the public and to the forces themselves that …

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