2008 – Page 146

The much-discussed personal identification card known as the “cedula” will not be issued to Haitians by Dominican authorities, the head of the Central Electoral Board (JCE), magistrate Julio Cesar Castanos Guzman clarified yesterday. According to explanations from the president of the JCE, there is confusion regarding a project of the Organization of the American States …

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A third date for the signing ceremony for the full Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union, the Caribbean Community plus the Dominican Republic has been announced for 2 September in Barbados, as reported by the Nation News, Barbados’ leading newspaper. The agreement involves 15 Caribbean states and 27 European Union countries. The Nation …

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The New York Mets baseball club has invested US$8 million in their new baseball academy near Boca Chica in the south of the Dominican Republic to produce Major League prospects. President Leonel Fernandez threw the opening pitch at the ceremonies. At the event, Omar Minaya, the Mets’ general manager and Jeff Wilpon, the Mets’ president …

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The Fernandez administration seeks congressional approval to add RD$31.6 billion to this year’s government spending. The Presidency called for Congress to extend the legislature through 15 August. Hacienda Minister Vicente Bengoa said that funds will come from a RD$10.9 billion reduction in current spending, RD$500 million in PetroCaribe petroleum purchases financing from Venezuela, and capital …

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The government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have declared the documentation of 300,000 indigent persons a “national priority.” Vice President Rafael Alburquerque and UNICEF country representative Tad Polad made the announcement during a meeting at the Central Electoral Board (JCE) with JCE president Julio Cesar Castanos Guzman. Alburquerque explained once provided with IDs …

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The Central Electoral Board (JCE) of the Dominican Republic will be lending its full support to assist its sister organization in Haiti to provide identity documents to Haitians living in the Dominican Republic, according to a report in El Caribe. The announcement comes at a time when the JCE has unveiled thousands of instances of …

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The Minister of Industry and Commerce has issued a statement where it postpones its decision on whether gasoline stations can sell propane gas to vehicles. The National Association of Gasoline Retailers (Anadegas) fill-up stations want to become “service stations,” offering consumers gasoline, diesel, propane and natural gas, when it becomes available. The National Association of …

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Agriculture Minister Salvador Jimenez says this year the DR will export US$90 million worth of cacao, equivalent to 40,000 metrics tons. The Minister explained that in the first six months of the year the country exported 24,000 metric tons of cacao. Jimenez says that a metric tone of Dominican cacao is sold for as much …

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The Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel) has ordered Codetel to give Dgtec access to a set of blocked phone numbers within the next 24 hours. Indotel originally assigned the numbers to Dgtec. Indotel is also ordering Dgtec to reprogram its call deflection policies to only allow the service only when the user is connected to the …

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OTTT denied that it had prohibited Caribe Tours from operating its buses on the new Santo Domingo-Samana tollway. Asonahores yesterday protested recent decisions of OTTT that have impeded Caribe Tours, a leading bus company, from offering its service on the route to Samana and Cap Haitien.