Carib Scope

标签： Dominican Republic

多米尼加共和国

  • Aerodom announces new international routes and more flights for Puerto Plata

    Aerodom announces new international routes and more flights for Puerto Plata

    One of the Dominican Republic’s most popular coastal tourism hubs, Puerto Plata, is set to welcome more international visitors this year as Gregorio Luperón International Airport (POP) advances an expansion of its global flight network, adding new routes to Canada and boosting regular service to Panama.

    Aerodom, the airport operator that forms part of the global Vinci Airports network, has confirmed a permanent capacity increase from one of Latin America’s leading carriers: Copa Airlines. Starting immediately, the airline will ramp up its weekly service between Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport and Puerto Plata from three flights to four. The expanded schedule will create more flexible connection options for travelers traveling to and from dozens of destinations across Central and South America, leveraging Copa Airlines’ strategic hub in Panama to cut down on layover times and expand access to Puerto Plata’s renowned beaches and tourist attractions.

    For the upcoming 2024-2025 Northern Hemisphere winter travel season, two major Canadian carriers will roll out new direct seasonal services to the Dominican destination, both launching on December 15. Air Transat will introduce a new weekly flight connecting POP to London, Ontario, a growing market for leisure travel to the Caribbean. Meanwhile, WestJet will launch a weekly seasonal route from Winnipeg, extending direct access to Puerto Plata for travelers in the Canadian prairies who previously faced longer connecting itineraries.

    Beyond expanding its route network, Gregorio Luperón International Airport has also cemented its reputation for delivering high-quality passenger experience. The airport has been recognized four times by the Airports Council International (ACI) with the globally respected Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Award, including a 2025 honor as the best airport in Latin America and the Caribbean in the under 2 million annual passengers category. This award, which is based on direct feedback from passengers across metrics including check-in experience, terminal cleanliness, and staff service, underscores the airport’s ongoing commitment to meeting the needs of growing visitor numbers while maintaining service standards.

  • 4.5-magnitude earthquake shakes Samaná, felt in Santo Domingo

    4.5-magnitude earthquake shakes Samaná, felt in Santo Domingo

    A moderate 4.5-magnitude earthquake rattled coastal areas of the Dominican Republic early Monday, triggering tremors that reached the capital region but leaving no harm or destruction in its wake, local officials confirmed.

    The seismic event was recorded at 1:01 a.m. local time, researchers from the Seismological Institute of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) confirmed. Mapping data places the earthquake’s epicenter roughly 16.9 kilometers south of the town of Sánchez, in the northeastern Samaná province, with the tremor originating at a depth of 14.7 kilometers below the Earth’s surface.

    Prominent Dominican geologist Osiris de León noted that shaking from the quake was widespread across the region. Residents across the entire Samaná Peninsula reported feeling the tremor, with perceptible movement also registered in Nagua, the broader Northeast region, Bajo Yuna, Monte Plata, and the densely populated Greater Santo Domingo area.

    As of mid-morning Monday, national emergency and geological authorities have not received any reports of human casualties, injuries, or structural damage to buildings or infrastructure across the affected regions. The country’s emergency management agencies remain on standby to monitor any aftershock activity and respond to potential secondary impacts.

  • President Abinader attends installation of new bishop of La Vega Diocese

    President Abinader attends installation of new bishop of La Vega Diocese

    LA VEGA – A landmark ceremonial event unfolded this week at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in La Vega, where newly appointed Bishop Andrés Napoleón Romero Cárdenas was formally installed as the top leader of the Diocese of La Vega. The installation followed an official appointment by Pope Leo XIV, with Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Piergiorgio Bertold presiding over the formal religious gathering. Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader was in attendance to mark the historic occasion for the regional Catholic community.

    In his inaugural homily delivered moments after taking office, the new bishop laid out a clear vision for his tenure leading the diocese. Romero Cárdenas committed to guiding a faith community rooted in proximity to local residents, built around open dialogue and collaborative partnership, while intentionally steering clear of partisan political divides. He emphasized his intent to work constructively alongside government officials, educational establishments, local business groups, and community-focused organizations to advance shared public good across the diocese’s coverage area.

    Beyond collaborative governance, Romero Cárdenas reinforced his dedication to upholding the Dominican Republic’s long-held religious and cultural heritage. He highlighted core values that will anchor his pastoral work: respect for life, support for family structures, a commitment to justice and peace, investment in education, upholding human dignity, and advancing meaningful action for environmental protection.

    Among his key pastoral priorities, the new bishop singled out youth ministry as a central focus for growth in the coming years. He announced concrete plans to expand and strengthen existing support programs for young people, delivered through coordinated cross-community pastoral initiatives designed to meet the evolving needs of the diocese’s youth population.

    The Diocese of La Vega is one of the Dominican Republic’s larger regional Catholic jurisdictions, serving four provinces: La Vega, Hermanas Mirabal, Monseñor Nouel, and Sánchez Ramírez. Across its service area, the diocese oversees 63 individual parishes and supports a roster of more than 120 active priests serving local faith communities.

  • Santo Domingo Este Malecón closed today for Central American and Caribbean Games triathlon

    Santo Domingo Este Malecón closed today for Central American and Caribbean Games triathlon

    Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – Ahead of the triathlon competition kicking off as part of the XXV Central American and Caribbean Games 2026, local transportation authorities have formally announced temporary traffic restrictions along a key coastal corridor in the capital’s eastern district.

    The National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (Intrant) confirmed Monday, August 3, that the entire stretch of Santo Domingo Este Malecón, officially known as Avenida España, will be closed to all motor vehicle traffic for 11 hours on the day of the event. The shutdown is set to begin at 3:00 a.m. and will remain in place until 2:00 p.m., giving event organizers time to set up race infrastructure before the competition and clear the course for regular use once the triathlon concludes.

    In an official statement, Intrant has urged all drivers who typically travel along the corridor to adjust their travel plans in advance to prevent unexpected delays and congestion at nearby access points. To help commuters and commercial vehicles reroute smoothly, the agency has identified three primary alternate routes: Las Américas Avenue, Estados Unidos Avenue, and Mirador del Este Avenue, all of which are designed to accommodate increased traffic volume during the closure.

    To further assist road users, Intrant confirmed that all details of the temporary closure have already been updated and integrated into the popular Waze real-time navigation application, allowing app users to automatically receive rerouting suggestions when planning trips through the affected area. Additionally, uniformed traffic officers have been deployed to key intersections and diversion points along the restricted zone. These personnel will be on site throughout the closure to manually direct vehicle flow, respond to unexpected congestion issues, and uphold overall traffic safety for both race participants and road users during the event.

  • Dominican Republic holds first National Oceans Forum to strengthen marine conservation

    Dominican Republic holds first National Oceans Forum to strengthen marine conservation

    In a landmark gathering focused on safeguarding one of the Dominican Republic’s most critical natural assets, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC), has convened the country’s First National Oceans Forum in the capital city of Santo Domingo. The cross-sector event brought together a diverse cohort of stakeholders, including senior government representatives, leading academic researchers, private sector leaders, civil society advocates, and global organization experts, all aligned around the shared goal of advancing progressive ocean governance and responsible long-term management of marine resources.

    Framed by the theme “The Ocean as the Foundation of Sustainable Prosperity,” the forum carried a clear core mission: to elevate ocean conservation from a niche environmental concern to a central priority on the Dominican Republic’s national policy agenda, while establishing a collaborative foundation for the development of the country’s first formal National Ocean Strategy.

    Speaking at the opening of the event, Environment Minister Paíno Henríquez framed the forum as a transformative milestone for the nation’s approach to marine and coastal ecosystem management. He underscored that the long-term future of the Dominican Republic is inextricably linked to the ecological health of its surrounding seas, noting that continued degradation of marine habitats would put economic and social progress at risk across multiple sectors.

    Attendees across sectors echoed that sentiment, emphasizing a little-known but critical fact: the ocean makes up approximately 90 percent of the Dominican Republic’s total national territory. Beyond its ecological importance, this vast marine resource is the backbone of many of the country’s most vital economic sectors, from world-renowned coastal tourism that draws millions of visitors annually to small-scale and commercial fisheries that support millions of livelihoods. It also underpins the social and economic stability of hundreds of thousands of residents living in coastal communities across the nation.

    Over the course of the forum, participants dove into robust discussions centered on the most pressing threats facing the country’s marine ecosystems. Key challenges highlighted included accelerating climate change impacts such as ocean warming and acidification, growing levels of marine plastic and chemical pollution, worsening coastal erosion that threatens communities and infrastructure, and unsustainable overfishing that depletes fish stocks critical to food security and economic activity. Alongside these challenges, attendees explored a wide range of untapped opportunities to expand the country’s sustainable blue economy, balancing economic growth with long-term conservation of marine resources.

    officials also used the forum to call for urgent systemic changes to ocean management, including more effective coordination across disparate government agencies, the adoption of science-backed policy frameworks to guide decision-making, and scaled up investment in conservation initiatives across all levels of governance. Organizers confirmed that the National Oceans Forum is set to become an annual recurring event, designed to sustain cross-sector collaboration, strengthen national ocean governance frameworks, and advance the long-term protection of the Dominican Republic’s irreplaceable marine resources for future generations.

  • Aneudys Santos apologizes to U.S. ambassador Leah Francis Campos over offensive remarks

    Aneudys Santos apologizes to U.S. ambassador Leah Francis Campos over offensive remarks

    Nearly two months after making derogatory, faith-targeting comments about United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Leah Francis Campos, Dominican television personality Aneudys Santos has issued a formal public apology, acknowledging his actions were unjustified and wrong.

    In a video statement circulated across his personal social media channels, the prominent broadcaster opened by directly addressing Campos, noting he owed an apology to her first as an individual and a woman, and second in her official capacity as the diplomatic representative of the U.S. government. Santos went on to distance himself from the inappropriate language he used, describing his original comments as erratic, undeserved, and unnecessary. He emphasized that he fundamentally opposes calling into question any person’s religious beliefs, a core line of criticism he leveled at Campos that he now admits was out of line. Invoking shared Christian values of forgiveness, he urged the ambassador to accept his public apology.

    Santos also provided context for his original confrontation, explaining that his criticism grew out of political disagreement: he had opposed Campos’ decision to join the public debate surrounding revisions to the Dominican Penal Code and related discussions of freedom of expression. Even as he clarified the root of his disagreement, he took full personal ownership of the offensive language he deployed, explicitly denying claims that he was acting on behalf of any third party when he made the original remarks.

    The public apology marks a resolution to a diplomatic friction point that emerged after Santos first shared his offensive video targeting Campos. At the time, the ambassador had publicly reaffirmed her commitment to freedom of expression while responding to the derogatory comments directed at her.

  • Dominican ambassador receives Duarte busts for Saudi Arabia and Djibouti

    Dominican ambassador receives Duarte busts for Saudi Arabia and Djibouti

    In a formal ceremony held in advance of the Dominican Republic’s 2027 national Independence Day and Homeland Month celebrations, the Dominican Republic’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Andy Rodríguez Durán accepted two sculpted busts of Juan Pablo Duarte, the nation’s iconic founding father, from representatives of the Duartian Institute.

    This handover marks a key step in the Dominican Republic’s initiative to share its foundational historical heritage with the global community. Per the planned installation schedule, one of the two bronze busts will be placed in Djibouti, a country that falls under the diplomatic accreditation of the Dominican Embassy based in Riyadh. This placement will make the sculpture the second official public monument to Duarte located on the African continent. The first official Duarte bust was unveiled in Egypt in 2023, when Ambassador Rodríguez Durán was serving in a diplomatic posting there.

    The second bust, which portrays Duarte in his historic role as a military leader of the Dominican independence movement, will remain on permanent display at the Dominican Embassy’s headquarters in Riyadh, serving as a permanent reminder of the nation’s founding ideals for visitors and diplomatic staff alike. Alongside the two sculptures, Ambassador Rodríguez Durán also received an official Dominican national flag and a curated collection of books and institutional publications that detail Duarte’s life, contributions, and enduring legacy.

    Wilson Gómez Ramírez, president of the Duartian Institute, emphasized during the ceremony that his organization has long prioritized expanding global awareness of Duarte’s transformative role in Dominican history. The institute remains dedicated to preserving his ideals and extending recognition of his legacy beyond Dominican borders to international audiences. For his part, Ambassador Rodríguez Durán expressed sincere gratitude to the Duartian Institute for its ongoing work to safeguard the patriot’s legacy and create opportunities to share it with communities across the globe, noting that the installations will strengthen cultural diplomacy and highlight Dominican national identity in the Middle East and Africa.

  • Dominican Republic launches Paris artist residency program with France

    Dominican Republic launches Paris artist residency program with France

    A groundbreaking new cultural initiative aimed at elevating Dominican visual artists onto the global stage has been jointly launched by the Dominican Republic Embassy in France and Banco de Reservas via its Banreservas Cultural Center. Dubbed the “Dominican Republic x Cité internationale des arts” program, the project will open doors for creators from the Caribbean nation to conduct three-month artistic research residencies in one of the world’s most iconic cultural capitals: Paris.

    The residency scheme is developed in close collaboration with Cité internationale des arts, a long-renowned European leader in hosting international artist residency programs that has nurtured creative talent from across the globe for decades. Under the three-year rolling plan running from 2026 through 2028, six Dominican artists will earn spots in the program, with two creators selected annually to take up their residency in Paris.

    To remove financial and logistical barriers for participating creators, the program provides comprehensive support for selected artists. This includes fully covered accommodation in the city, a dedicated private studio space to develop new work, access to one-on-one professional mentoring from established arts practitioners, and a monthly stipend that covers everyday living costs and local transportation throughout the residency period.

    Eligibility for the program is open to any Dominican visual artist currently based in the Dominican Republic, whose proposed creative project carries conceptual or contextual ties to Paris or France. A wide range of creative disciplines are accepted, covering traditional mediums such as painting, sculpture, and photography, as well as contemporary practices including installation art, digital art, performance art, and interdisciplinary cross-medium work.

    The application window for the first round of residencies is open now, and will close on August 30, 2026. Names of the inaugural selected artists will be publicly revealed in October that same year, timed to coincide with the annual Dominican Week in France celebration.

    Speaking on the launch of the initiative, Dominican Ambassador to France David Puig emphasized the program’s broader strategic role beyond supporting individual artists. Puig noted that the residency scheme strengthens bilateral cultural diplomacy between the two nations, expands the global footprint of Dominican creative talent, and lays the groundwork for long-term collaborative artistic partnerships between creators and cultural institutions in the Dominican Republic and France.

  • Immigration control Drones and patrols: this is how the operation that ended with 47 arrests unfolded

    Immigration control Drones and patrols: this is how the operation that ended with 47 arrests unfolded

    In coordinated border surveillance and immigration enforcement missions carried out across two northern Dominican provinces, the Dominican Republic Army (Ejército de República Dominicana, ERD) has apprehended 47 Haitian nationals who entered the country without valid immigration documentation.

    The operations, which leveraged modern drone technology to enhance situational awareness and detection capabilities, unfolded across targeted locations in Dajabón and Santiago Rodríguez provinces, both positioned near the Dominican-Haitian border that has long been a focal point for irregular migration activity.

    In the first high-profile intercept, soldiers stationed at the Masacre border outpost, working alongside the military’s specialized drone unit, spotted and detained 16 undocumented migrants during routine area patrols. The group was composed of 14 adult men and two adult women, all of whom had crossed into Dominican territory without completing required immigration checks.

    A second seizure took place in the Los Cañaverales sector of Los Miches, located within Dajabón province, when troops from the ERD’s 10th Infantry Battalion again used aerial surveillance to track and intercept another group of 14 unregistered Haitian nationals. That group included 13 men and one woman, bringing the total number of detentions in Dajabón to 30.

    Further inland in Santiago Rodríguez province, troops assigned to the La Leonor detachment intercepted the final group of 17 migrants in the Coquí community, which sits along a common irregular entry route. This group included 15 adult men, one adult woman, and one unaccompanied minor, all caught immediately after crossing into Dominican territory illegally.

    Following their detainment, all 47 migrants were first transferred to local military command centers for initial processing, before being formally handed over to the Dominican Republic’s General Directorate of Migration (DGM). The DGM will now oversee the official repatriation process, carried out in full compliance with the country’s existing immigration legislation.

    In a statement outlining the mission, the ERD emphasized that it maintains 24/7 surveillance, mobile patrols, and targeted interdiction operations across the entire shared border and other high-risk areas under its jurisdiction. These persistent efforts are designed to curb unauthorized entry of foreign nationals, dismantle transnational criminal networks that profit from migrant smuggling, and reinforce overall Dominican national security.

  • “Ezequiel” surrenders, implicated in the death of “El Rubito” during a fight in Santiago

    “Ezequiel” surrenders, implicated in the death of “El Rubito” during a fight in Santiago

    In a development that brings a high-profile homicide investigation one step closer to resolution, Dominican National Police announced Saturday that Alexander Torres Lora, a suspect linked to the fatal stabbing of Domingo Andrés Acevedo Peña, has turned himself in to authorities. Torres Lora, who is known by the aliases “Ezequiel” and “El Sade”, surrendered at the regional headquarters of Cibao Central, accompanied by his family members and a representative from a local media outlet, following days of coordinated investigative tracking by law enforcement.