2000 – Page 196

The Argentinean film, "Yepeto," won the "Ciguapa de Oro," the main prize of the leading Dominican film festival, "Muestra de Cine Santo Domingo." The film festival is ended on Sunday, but because of popular demand will continue showing of films through Wednesday, 8 March at the Diamond theaters.

The Asociación de Industrias Farmaceuticas Dominicanas, Inc. says that behind the movement to get the President to veto the recently passed Intellectual Property Bill is that the pharmaceutical multinationals oppose competition from national manufacturers in their attempt to preserve their high profits. All the fuss is merely business lobbying by pharmaceutical companies attempting to keep …

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Minister of Industry and Commerce Luis Manuel Bonetti explained that the bill was prepared with the assistance of consultants from the World Intellectual Property Organization. "Nobody can be penalized, that’s what the arbitrage department of the WTO is for," he says. He explained that Uruguay was excluded from the 301 listing of the US government …

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El Siglo newspaper reports that 17 slum barrios will benefit from a 10-year, US$22-million program to improve basic infrastructure in Santo Domingo. The program, "Saneamiento de Barriadas Marginales" will favor the most impoverished barrios in the capital city of the Dominican Republic. Self-sustainable programs will be put in place for garbage collection, potable water and …

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DR1 reported erroneously yesterday that Rafael Gonzalez Pantaleon had been extradited to the US from Amsterdam. Gonzalez is still in Amsterdam. Minister Eduardo Latorre denied that Gonzalez Pantaleón was on an official mission to Kuwait as originally reported in the press. González was arrested in Amsterdam where he made a transit stop on his way …

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The Listin Diario reports that 15,000 Dominicans have died when attempting to make it to Puerto Rico by boat. The news report says there has been a decline in the number of boat trips as of 1996, when the Fernández government instituted new controls. 75% of the deaths occurred from 1980 to 1990. The report …

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Rafael Molina Morillo, former executive editor of the Listín Diario newspaper, has relaunched his Ahora Magazine. The magazine was the DR’s first newsweekly, first appearing in 1962, but eventually being discontinued. Molina Morillo sold Ahora Magazine and the El Nacional publications company to the Corripio Group in 1978. The Corripio Group is now backing Molina …

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The government granted construction material companies 60 days to extract aggregate from riversides. The Academy of Science protested that the government did not adhere to the recommendations made by the commission it called to study the problem of the effect of removing construction materials from Dominican rivers. The Academy of Science said that the government …

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The Junta Central Electoral ordered the closing of Dominican schools Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week. The presidential election is slated for Tuesday, 16 May. Public schools are used to set up voting stations. The measure affects private schools, probably out of a sense of equity. Schools will resume classes on Thursday, 18 May.

The Senate voted favorably on Sabrina de la Cruz Vargas (PRD) and Teófilo Regus Comas (PLD) as substitute judges for Ana Teresa Pérez and Leonel Rodríguez Estrella, respectively. The third judge substitute is pending the recommendation of the PRSC.