2007 – Page 108

Most marathon runners train by running long distances, but Bernardo Martinez says that carrying large sacks at a warehouse in the Villa Maria area of Santo Domingo has trained him to run a 40-kilometer marathon in the German capital Berlin on 29 September. Martinez, who is being sponsored by the Ministry of Interior and Police, …

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Danilo Vicioso and Mercedes Aybar captured high point trophies in the 40-44 and 35-39 age group respectively at the recently held II Pan-American Master Swimming Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The pair were part of the 11-swimmer strong Dominican team that competed at the swim meet from 30 August to 4 September. Vicioso, who …

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For the first time in Dominican political history, a presidential candidate will be listed by a coalition of 14 or more political parties, headed by the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), as reported in Hoy. With eight months still to go for the 16 May 2008 presidential election, of 21 political organizations recognized by the Central …

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The Central Electoral Board wants to halt the early start of the campaigns for the presidential election set for May 2008. According to Diario Libre, the JCE is trying by all possible means to halt the flood of media attention, the use of inaugurations for political purposes, and public displays of party colors. However, it …

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The International Monetary Fund has released a study that shows an improvement in the Dominican balance of payments. According to an article in El Caribe, the IMF predicts a balance of payments result that will go from -2.2% of the GDP to -1.6% of GDP between 2007 and 2008. This favorable forecast is contained in …

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Standard & Poor’s Rating Services says the Dominican Republic risk factors have improved. The ratings agency raised the long-term sovereign credit rating on the DR to a B+ from a B, with a stable outlook. The stable outlook reflects continued strong economic prospects and the rising international reserves. S&P, however, kept the short-term sovereign credit …

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Bautista Rojas Gomez, the Minister of Public Health, has told reporters from El Caribe newspaper that the recent start up of the Family Health Service (SFS), while marked by some glitches, is moving forward, and that the pending issues will be resolved. One issue that apparently confounded the minister was the lack of prescription pads …

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The Dominican Republic and the United States have signed a US$35 million agreement aimed at improving the quality of governance, economic growth, health and education. The sum of US$35 million is for just the first year. The agreement was signed by the Minister of Economy, Planning and Development, Temistocles Montas, the Charge d’Affaires of the …

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The president of the National Council for Private Business (CONEP), Lisandro Macarrulla, warns that the poor quality of public education in the Dominican Republic has contributed to a sort of social segregation that only intensifies the economic differences. As the keynote speaker at the Business Forum for Quality Education, Macarrulla pointed to studies that show …

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The National Council of Securities (CNV) has approved a new bond issue for the AES-Andres electricity company. The issue is for US$25 million. AES is the second energy company to use the securities market and they are also the second to issue bonds in United States currency. The bonds will be placed in minimum values …

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