2004 – Page 91

Industry & Commerce Minister Francisco Javier Garcia informs that the price of propane gas will vary weekly, indexed to the cost of fuel and the exchange rate, in the wake of the government’s decision to eliminate the propane gas subsidy to business and industry. The move represents savings of RD$2.76 billion of a total of …

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President Leonel Fernandez appointed retired Major General Luis A Luna Paulino of the Air Force as the new director of Civil Defense, to replace retired Admiral Radhames Lora Salcedo. Luna will now head disaster prevention and relief efforts. Marino Feliz Terrero was appointed director of the Oficina Nacional de Derecho de Autor (ONDA), the copyright …

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The Fernandez government has designated the 25th day of the month as its once-a-month payday for government employees. The Mejia administration had done its payroll twice a month, once on the 10th and again on the 25th. The new measure goes into effect as of 25 September, as was confirmed by Finance Minister Vicente Bengoa. …

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Most schools in the Dominican Republic reopen their doors on Monday, 6 September. According to his agenda, President Leonel Fernandez will participate in an event at the Profesor Juan Bosch School in the slum area of La Puya, in Arroyo Hondo to ring in the new school year. Some 2.5 million children return to classes …

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The president of the Association of Restaurants and owner of the Scherezade Restaurant, Elizabeth Schecker, expressed her concern for the rising costs affecting restaurants. She said that most restauranteurs will choose not to pass on the more than doubling in the increase of the cost of propane gas to their customers, out of fear for …

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Sigma Alimentos, a leading Mexican alimentary company, announced the acquisition of all assets and brands of Productos Sosua, the cold cuts and dairy factory based in Puerto Plata. The purchase of Productos Sosua follows that of Productos Checo, acquired by Sigma in 2003. Sigma reports that Productos Sosua had sales of US$40 million last year. …

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Corn syrup producers of the United States have requested that US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick intervene to remove a paragraph from the text that would penalize companies using the cheaper corn syrup as a sweetener with a 25% surcharge. The Chamber of Deputies has included the additional charge in the tax reform bill currently under …

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Chief of police Major General Manuel de Jesus Perez Sanchez reported the arrest of two of the four delinquents who, disguised as police, assaulted and sexually violated a minor at the gateway of her luxury high rise in Santo Domingo on Friday. The 16-year-old and her father, economist Eduardo Tejera went public with the case …

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Priest Domingo Espinal of the Inmaculada Concepcion parish, accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy, was detained at the Palacio de Justicia jail of Ciudad Nueva. Espinal was a protege of former President Hipolito Mejia, who employed him as the chaplain of the Presidential Palace church and promoted him to the rank of lieutenant colonel …

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With forecasts that predicted the storm would be at a distance of 140 miles from the Dominican Republic as it passes this afternoon over the North Coast, Frances has kept to its US weather service forecast track (NHOA) and has headed north. This course moves it away from the Dominican Republic. With the exception of …

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