1.   An RCN spokeswoman said the increase was confined to New York and there are no plans for similar hikes in the Boston area.

2.   Health insurance premiums for employers rose by double digit percentages last year and similar hikes are predicted for the next enrollment period.

3.   If the human services workers are given raises, he said, others would demand similar hikes and the state could not afford it.

4.   Similar hikes in diesel fuel hit local and long-haul truckers hard.

5.   The Arizona increase follows similar hikes by local telephone companies in other parts of the country.

6.   A similar hike last year triggered a boycott of state and privately-run transport services that led to rioting.

7.   Any rise in U.S. interest rates is usually followed by a similar hike in Hong Kong because the Hong Kong dollar is pegged to the U.S. dollar.

8.   Seeking a similar hike, postal workers on Monday chose the north and east of the country for the latest in a series of brief stoppages.

9.   Wheat flour, a staple food for Afghans, and fire wood have also seen a similar hike compared to the prices which prevailed five days ago.