2008 – Page 234

Taiwan has donated US$100,000 to the DR so that the country can continue its fight against bird flu. The donation was made by Taiwanese ambassador to the DR Isaac Tsai, and Public Health Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez received the funds on behalf of the Dominican government. The money will also be used to help towards …

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Nobel Prize-winning author Derek Walcott has arrived in the DR. The famed writer is the guest of honor at the XI International Book Fair in Santo Domingo, the main cultural event held annually in the DR, organized by the Ministry of Culture. Walcott, born in St. Lucia, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in …

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Former Central Bank director Carlos Despradel estimates that the DR’s current account deficit will equal US$4 billion in 2008, US$2 billion more than in 2007, as reported in Hoy. He says that last year’s deficit was covered by the flow of direct foreign investment. Despradel says that his forecast is conservative and depends on petroleum …

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Central American imports are flooding the Dominican market. The lower cost of electricity and government incentives have given Central American manufacturers an advantage over Dominican manufacturers now that there are no tariffs as a result of the DR-CAFTA free trade agreement. El Caribe newspaper focuses on Central American imports in a feature and editorial today, …

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The president of the National Council for Private Business (CONEP), Lisandro Macarrulla believes that the country should sign a new agreement with the IMF after the presidential election. In an interview with El Caribe, he said that after the election the focus should be on eliminating the distortions that have impeded the country from achieving …

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It may come as no surprise, with rising energy and petroleum costs and all, but the government’s energy subsidies are not sustainable, according to Manuel Diaz Cabral, president of the Dominican Republic Industries Association (AIRD). Cabral asks the rhetorical question, “What is the outlook when, during the first four months of the year, the RD$31 …

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The PLD has challenged the validity of 123 voting stations in Santo Domingo East, arguing that the presidents of those colleges are PRD loyalists. The PLD’s claim is sure to be one of many political challenges from all sides as the elections draw nearer. The PLD bases its claim on Electoral Law 275-97 that states …

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Former military colonel Pedro Julio (Pepe) Goico Guerrero has been acquitted of money laundering charges related to the Quirino Paulino narcotics trafficking case. Hoy reports that the National District Third Tribunal Court has found that there was not enough evidence to charge Goico and Ernesto Guevara Diaz. Goico had been charged with covering up the …

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Although their leader Vladimir Pujols is in jail serving a 30-year sentence, the Zayayines gang is continuing to cause havoc, and one reporter is feeling the brunt of that terror. Diario Libre reports that Jorge Luis Sencion, a key witness in the murder case of journalist Juan Andujar, is being threatened by Zayayin member Maikel …

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The Center for Emergency Operations has put 15 provinces as well as the National District on yellow weather alert due to a storm front forming in southeastern parts of the DR. Santo Domingo, the Nacional District, Puerto Plata, Santiago, Samana, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Espaillat, Duarte, Hato Mayor, El Seibo, San Pedro de Macoris, Monsenor Nouel, …

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