2004 – Page 89

India’s Foreign Affairs Minister Rao Inderjit Singh will arrive in the DR this Sunday for an official three-day stay. The Fernandez administration has plans to begin formal relations with India, opening a first-time embassy in India. The focus would be to strengthen a hi-tech business relationship. News sources indicate that the Fernandez administration is also …

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The United States Embassy is reportedly pressuring the Dominican Senate to modify the tax reform proposals currently under review there. Reports say the US wants to amend Paragraph 9 of Article 11, which calls for an additional sales tax of 25% on locally made soft drinks manufactured with sweeteners with high fructose content. Sources in …

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During the first weeks of the new PLD administration, there has been no shortage of accusations flying back and forth in the press. Currently, the publicity surrounding former Attorney General Victor Cespedes Martinez, who issued a prison release for his first cousin for purported “humanitarian” reason, has produced a new arrest warrant for the cousin, …

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Wanted: 68 OMSA buses somewhere in Santo Domingo and Santiago. The Pandora’s Box that is the Metropolitan Office for Bus Service (OMSA) is beginning to open up. In addition to searching for 68 buses that have disappeared, the new officials are also planning to reduce personnel and are investigating a possible fraud that involves drivers …

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Diario Libre publishes a Page 2 commentary that urges the government to forego the tradition of awarding government jobs to those who were active in the political campaign. Homero Figueroa says we should learn from the founder of the Japanese Tokugawa Iyeyasu dynasty, who refused to wear a borrowed hat in battle, only to don …

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AMET officers have issued 167 summonses for littering to an equal number of drivers. Even people walking the streets can and will be issued a summons for throwing garbage on the street. While public opinion is divided on this, most of it is nit picking since AMET agents are not supposed to be charged with …

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Olympic gold medalist in the 400-meter hurdle race and local hero, Felix Sanchez, runs again today in the Memorial Van Damme, TDK Golden League meet in Brussels, Belgium. The race is scheduled to take place at 21h20m, or 3:20pm local time, with the competition to be aired on Channel 15 from 1pm to 4pm. Sanchez …

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United States Secretary of State Colin Powell met with Dominican President Leonel Fernandez in Panama yesterday, where the two discussed the reactivation of the IMF Stand By Agreement, and the support that the US would give such a move. Powell expressed his interest that the DR renew the IMF agreement. The news was relayed to …

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The top leadership of Dominican businesses have united with PLD party leaders in their rejection of a wage hike as part of the tax reform package, particularly the 30% wage increase proposed by Senator Ramon Alburquerque. Elena Viyella de Paliza, the head of CONEP, told reporters that her group was opposed to the wage increase …

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The Ministry of Industry & Commerce has decided to place inspectors at propane distributors’s sites in order to ensure the fuel is being sold is for domestic and not industrial or other use. They will also be tasked with making sure no price speculation is attempted given propane’s current nationwide scarcity. The Listin Diario’s Bredyg …

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