2007 – Page 304

Former President Hipolito Mejia and President Leonel Fernandez held a meeting at the Presidential Palace last Thursday. The meeting was arranged by Monsignor Agripino Nunez Collado, coordinator of the constitutional reform debates. Diario Libre speculates that President Fernandez was seeking to gain Mejia’s support for the constitutional reform bill that is to be presented to …

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The Dominican Republic ratified and promised to respect the Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against People with Disabilities at a ceremony at the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C. yesterday. The agreement obliges the DR to adopt the legislative, social, educational, labor-related, or any other measures needed to eliminate …

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Doctors at CEDIMAT in the government hospital complex Plaza de la Salud have saved the life of 15-year old Hairo Rodriguez Cruz, who suffered from rheumatic cardiopathy, complicated by bacterial endocarditis. Rodriguez had one of the valves in his heart replaced. The valve that was replaced had been infected. The young boy from Bayona, in …

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The Government Council is planning to support a program aimed at reducing the unemployment rate to 13.4% with the creation of 200,000 new jobs. When Leonel Fernandez took office the unemployment rate was 19.7% and the current rate stands at 16.4%. Labor Minister Ramon Fadul says that so far 286,000 new jobs have been created …

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Judges at the Central Electoral Board (JCE) have submitted an inquiry to the Chamber of Accounts to determine the legality of the RD$66,000 incentive payments for judges. The judges at the JCE have decided not to receive the extra payment until the Chamber has ruled on the matter. The question about the legality of the …

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Miguel Melenciano, director of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) office in New York City, defended himself yesterday against accusations that say that the JCE in New York is also part of the mafia that provides fake cedulas to Dominican and Colombian drug traffickers. Melenciano questioned where the information released by the National Intelligence Department (DNI) …

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The Dominican government’s case against the AES Corporation in a US court resumes this coming 16 February. In advance of the hearing, the law firm Burke Pyle LLC of Philadelphia and Washington, DC deposited a motion in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on 22 January 2007 for summary judgment against …

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AES Dominicana, which runs EdeEste, is suing the Dominican government for US$700 million in a New York City court. The lawsuit was brought specifically against the State Run Electric Companies (CDEEE), the Energy Superintendence and the National Energy Commission (CNE). The lawsuit claims that the Dominican government violated its contractual obligations and claims that the …

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According to Listin Diario the DR-CAFTA agreement is still in limbo due to resolutions passed by Industry and Commerce Ministry. Listin writes that the free trade agreement will remain on hold until the DR and the US can come to an agreement on the issue of fuel transportation. This appears to be the last hurdle …

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President George W. Bush has cut all military aid for countries in Latin American, but will continue to provide some aid to Colombia and El Salvador in the areas of training and military education. The 2007-2008 budget removes all types of military aid for the Dominican Republic, Chile, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.