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Thursday, May 19, 2016

Puerto Rico News Digest For May 19, 2016


AGP DECLARES ROAD AGENCY EMERGENCY

















From ABC News:

"Puerto Rico's governor on Wednesday again used a state of emergency 
decree to protect one of the island's struggling public agencies from law
-suits and preserve dwindling liquidity as the U.S. Congress works on a 
bill to restructure the island's $70 billion public debt. The order allows Pu-
erto Rico's Highways and Transportation Authority to suspend the transfer 
of toll revenues to bondholders and imposes a stay on legal claims, Gov. 
Alejandro Garcia Padilla said. That will allow the government to pay con-
tractors and avoid paralyzing safety and improvement projects, he said..."


TOWNS WASTE $35M ON VANITY PROJECTS


From The San Juan Daily Star:

"The Office of the Comptroller said Tuesday that in a period of six years
more than $35 million has been squandered in municipal works and proj-
ects that are not used by the public. The data comes from 35 different si-
tuations in 17 municipalities between 2011 and 2016, according to Inter
News Service. In the municipalities of Culebra, Luquillo, Naranjito and
Vieques, $27.3 million was spent for activity centers, and in Aibonito,
Culebra, Peñuelas, Rincón and Río Grande, $2.3 million was spent for
recreation areas, and in Gurabo, Santa Isabel and Vega Baja, $1.2 million
was spent for the installation of monuments, structures and bronze plaques..."


BILL CLINTON STUMPS FOR WIFE IN PR


From Caribbean Business:

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton promised Puerto Ricans on Tuesday
that his wife, Hillary Clinton, will fight for equal treatment of the econo-
mically struggling island if she’s elected president. He also said she backs
immediate action to restructure the island’s $70 billion public debt as the
local government warns it is running out of money for essential services...
Clinton visited the island ahead of the June 5 primary, and officials say the
Democratic presidential candidate herself will come before the vote. Verm-
ont Sen. Bernie Sanders visited on Monday..."


PR LOSES MAJOR CONVENTION TO ZIKA


From News Is My Business:

"The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) conf-
irmed Tuesday the cancellation of its upcoming convention slated to take pla-
ce in San Juan, due to concerns related to the Zika virus, Akram Atallah, first
president of ICANN’s global domains division, said. It is the second consecu-
tive event the organization in charge of coordinating the maintenance and pro-
cedures of several databases related to the namespaces of the internet has relo-
cated this year over the mosquito-borne ailment. Earlier this year, ICANN ann-
ounced it was moving the ICANN56 convention from Panama City, Panama,
to Helsinki, Finland..."


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