2000 – Page 15

The National Police suspects a foreman of attempted murder of about 25 persons employed in a San Cristóbal farm in the Southwest. The workers and the owner of the farm, Salustiano Nova were apparently intoxicated. A medical report suspects Gramosolex, an insecticide poisoned their breakfast. Of the 25, five persons have died, and several others …

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The Internet service of Codetel, the leading telecommunication company in the Dominican Republic, hit rock bottom yesterday when for six hours most of the country could not access the Internet. According to an article in El Caribe newspaper the shut down was caused by problems in one of their links to the supplier company in …

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The Dominican Republic won the 40th Central American and Caribbean Table Tennis men’s team gold and women’s team silver medals yesterday. The event is taking place in Santiago. Roberto Brito defeated Omar Flores of Guatemala to win the gold medal. The DR was not the favorite to win the gold. The team’s standings were: Men’s: …

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The President announced yesterday a 25% increase in the cost to refill a 100 lb. tank of propane gas. The 100 lb. refill will now cost RD$432.67 (up from RD$325). The 50 lb. tank will now cost RD$216.34 (up from RD$145) and the 25 lb. tank will cost RD$108.76 (up from RD$65). The government also …

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President Mejía authorized a RD$365 million allotment for the organization of the 2003 Pan American Games in the 2001 National Budget. This would be a first of a series of annual payments in order to fund the preparation of the most important regional sports event. The President also approved that a local company with local …

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Local consumers are suffering the effects of government protection to producers. Sugar prices are at a high, reflecting a government decision earlier this year to limit imports to those made by sugar producers, versus allowing industrial users and wholesalers to import to fill their own and consumer needs. A recent Ministry of Industry and Commerce …

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Hatuey de Camps, president of the incumbent Partido Revolucionario Dominicano, denounced that the distributor companies are installing industrial counters when replacing old counters in residences. The industrial counters reportedly bill users at higher rates than the domestic counters. Consumers in the DR are said to be charged the highest electricity rates in the Western Hemisphere. …

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Miguel Angel Hernández Núñez is the new Dominican Ambassador before the government of Taiwan. He recently presented his credentials after arriving there on 29 November. The DR is the only Spanish-speaking country in the Caribbean that maintains relations with Taiwan.

Negotiations continue in Congress regarding the passing of tax bills that would increase government revenues. The government will be soon reducing import taxes and needs to compensate for a reduction in income. Likewise, the government has said it needs more money to carry out its social programs and pay the high fuel bill. Latest results …

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