2008 – Page 294

The possibility of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with neighboring Haiti is stirring a lot of enthusiasm in government and commercial circles. The National Council for Private Business (CONEP), the Young Entrepreneurs Association (ANJE) and the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Melanio Paredes, all expressed approval for such a deal. According to El Caribe, Conep …

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Ignacio Mendez, the president of the Federation of Industrial Associations (FAI), says that because of the intense election campaign now under way, much of the pending investment in local projects is stalled due “to the uncertainty” surrounding the process. Mendez says that the politicking that goes on during the election campaign affects new investment initiatives, …

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Juan Hubieres, the bearded transport union leader, is in the midst of some complicated election maneuvers. In an article in Hoy newspaper, he is quoted as saying that three different sources have offered to exonerate his union from the payment of RD$500 million it owes on vehicles acquired under various government-sponsored programs. The “quid”, of …

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The Consumer Rights Foundation wants the Dominican Republic to obey the Hydrocarbon Law (112-00), and thereby adjust the current prices of fuels, which have continued to increase for the third week in a row. The key issue is to index the Dominican price of gasoline to the true cost of the petroleum purchased. According to …

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Yet another incident has marred the already tense situation along the border near the city of Dajabon. This time, a businessman, Teofilo Reyes de Aza, was seized by alleged drug traffickers while on a business trip to Haiti. According to initial reports, Reyes de Aza, a resident of Villa Gonzalez, was kidnapped while doing business …

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Two young economists have worked out that Dominicans are spending a lot of money sending money back home. According to Diario Libre, economists Frank Valenzuela and Hector Frias, the president and executive director of the Quisqueya Foundation, calculate that nearly US$700 million was spent between 2000 and 2007 in sending remittances to the Dominican Republic. …

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No, this is not news of a new airline. An article in Listin Diario quotes a study carried out by the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC) and foreign researchers that showed the level of pollutants in Santo Domingo’s air. According to the study, some of the substances identified were vanadium, magnesium, manganese, chlorine, sodium …

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Two separate incidents in Arroyo Vuelta, a short stretch of highway between the Piedra Blanca crossroads and La Cumbre on the Duarte Highway that links Santo Domingo with Santiago, led to a 13-vehicle pile-up early Saturday morning in which 14 people were injured. As has happened before, the crash involved a truck that swerved to …

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A very large fire has destroyed a fiberglass Jacuzzi and shower stall manufacturer on the outskirts of the capital. The blaze, which could be seen from the Duarte Highway, destroyed Agua Technologic, a family-owned business. According to eyewitnesses, the fire started at around 8 o’clock on Saturday night, but fire crews did not arrive until …

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Northbound vehicles on Tiradentes Avenue in Santo Domingo cause accidents every day at the corner of Heriberto Pieter Street, despite the presence of Metropolitan Transit Authority officers on the corner, according to Hoy reporter Llennis Jimenez. Drivers, in too big a hurry, cross the double line in order to get to the intersection faster, causing …

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