Carib Scope

标签： Dominican Republic

多米尼加共和国

  • Partial closure announced for Las Américas Highway starting Friday night

    Partial closure announced for Las Américas Highway starting Friday night

    Drivers traveling through Santo Domingo will need to adjust their travel plans starting this weekend, as the nation’s Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) has confirmed a planned partial shutdown of the busy Las Américas Highway, alongside its northern and southern adjacent service roads. The infrastructure work is part of a broader, ongoing initiative to upgrade and improve the region’s major road networks.

    The primary task that will necessitate the closure is the dismantling of structural beams for a pedestrian overpass located at the 12-kilometer marker of the highway. This project follows a similar demolition operation completed earlier at the 10-kilometer point, as authorities systematically advance their highway improvement goals.

    MOPC officials have emphasized that the shutdown will be rolled out in a gradual, phased sequence to minimize disruption to daily travel. Critical to reducing traffic chaos, the agency confirmed that one of the two service roads flanking the main highway will stay open throughout the work period, maintaining at least limited vehicle access through the active construction zone.

    For motorists looking to avoid the area entirely, the Ecological Highway has been designated as an official alternate route that can accommodate diverted traffic during the operation. The entire project is scheduled as an overnight effort to limit impact on peak commuting times: it is set to kick off at 10:00 p.m. on Friday, August 21, and is expected to be completed and the roadway reopened by 6:00 a.m. the following day, Saturday, August 22.

  • Héctor Porcella proposes new Aviation Law and Civil Aviation Superintendency for Dominican Republic

    Héctor Porcella proposes new Aviation Law and Civil Aviation Superintendency for Dominican Republic

    In the Dominican Republic’s capital Santo Domingo, Héctor Porcella, a newly named senior adviser to the Executive Branch focused on civil aviation policy, has put forward a sweeping restructuring proposal to modernize the nation’s fragmented aeronautical sector. The plan calls for the passage of a completely updated national Aviation Law and the establishment of a dedicated Civil Aviation Superintendency, a single centralized body designed to unify regulatory and operational functions currently split across multiple separate government agencies.

    Porcella’s proposal comes shortly after President Luis Abinader swore him into the new advisory role and appointed him to the governing Civil Aviation Board (JAC), the nation’s current leading civil aviation authority. A former president of the JAC himself, Porcella brought decades of sector experience to his arguments for reform, emphasizing that consolidating dispersed institutional responsibilities would unlock major improvements in operational efficiency, governmental transparency, and responsible stewardship of public funds.

    “From my post as Adviser to the Executive Branch on all civil aviation matters, I stand firmly behind the need for a new, modernized Aviation Law,” Porcella stated in public remarks outlining his plan. He doubled down on the need for structural integration, arguing that a unified institutional framework is the only way to fix longstanding coordination gaps in the Dominican aeronautical sector.

    In addition to laying out his policy agenda, Porcella expressed gratitude to President Abinader for the appointment, noting that this position marks the first time in Dominican history that the national government has created a dedicated advisory role specifically focused on civil aviation policy.

    Policy analysts and sector stakeholders note that the proposal is expected to trigger extensive public and legislative debate over the future of the nation’s aviation regulatory architecture. Key points of discussion will likely include the exact scope of authority, core functions, and jurisdictional boundaries that the proposed new Civil Aviation Superintendency would exercise if approved.

  • Infotep to open new tourism and hospitality training center in Barahona

    Infotep to open new tourism and hospitality training center in Barahona

    BARAHONA, Dominican Republic — A new educational initiative designed to meet the booming demand for skilled tourism and hospitality workers in the country’s southwestern Enriquillo region is set to open this weekend, with Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader scheduled to lead the inauguration ceremony. The Guarocuya Technical and Professional Training School, developed and launched by the National Institute of Technical and Professional Training (Infotep), will repurpose the renovated facilities of the former Hotel Guarocuya for its new operations, kicking off its programming Saturday, August 22 at 3:00 p.m.

    The training center was conceived to address a critical gap in the regional tourism economy: a shortage of qualified workers trained in modern hotel management and hospitality operations. Unlike general workforce development programs, this institution will focus exclusively on building specialized skills aligned with the needs of the fast-growing tourism sector across the Enriquillo region.

    Infotep leaders have emphasized that the school’s development is directly tied to ongoing expansion efforts in Cabo Rojo, a major tourism hub located in the nearby province of Pedernales. As large-scale tourism development progresses in Cabo Rojo, industry analysts project significant growth in job openings across every segment of the local tourism value chain, from front-of-house hotel services to food and beverage management, tour operations, and hospitality entrepreneurship. The new training center is positioned to prepare local workers to fill these emerging roles, ensuring that community members can access the new economic opportunities generated by regional tourism growth rather than relying on external hiring.

    By locating the facility in Barahona, Infotep aims to serve workers across the entire Enriquillo region, cutting down on travel barriers for residents seeking skills training that can boost their employability and earning potential. The initiative represents a targeted public investment in aligning workforce development with regional economic development priorities, with the long-term goal of strengthening the Dominican Republic’s position as a top Caribbean tourism destination through a more skilled, competitive local workforce.

  • Regular gasoline and diesel to cost RD$3 more this week in Dominican Republic

    Regular gasoline and diesel to cost RD$3 more this week in Dominican Republic

    In response to skyrocketing international crude oil prices stoked by escalating geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran, the Dominican government is rolling out a new 1.312 billion Dominican peso (RD$) fuel subsidy this week to soften financial blow for local consumers, according to the nation’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MICM).

    For the pricing week running from August 22 to August 28, regulatory adjustments will see retail prices for regular-grade gasoline and regular diesel rise by RD$3 per gallon respectively. By contrast, premium gasoline, premium diesel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and residential natural gas will hold their current price points unchanged to avoid broader cost increases for households and businesses.

    Under the Dominican Republic’s fuel pricing framework, the new subsidy covers up to RD$101.48 per gallon of fuel, offsetting a large portion of the global price surge. With this latest injection of public funding, the cumulative total of fuel subsidies disbursed by the Dominican government since the start of 2024 has now crossed the RD$27 billion mark, underscoring the sustained pressure global energy volatility has placed on the nation’s public finances.

    Full adjusted pricing for the week of August 22–28 breaks down as follows: premium gasoline stays at RD$341.10 per gallon; regular gasoline climbs to RD$310.50 per gallon; regular diesel rises to RD$262.80 per gallon; premium diesel remains at RD$293.10 per gallon; aviation turbine fuel (Avtur) jumps RD$11.03 to RD$297.49; kerosene increases RD$12.10 to RD$336.70; Fuel Oil #6 gains RD$6.90 to hit RD$165.96; Fuel Oil 1%S rises RD$3.96 to RD$193.99; LPG holds steady at RD$135.20 per gallon; and natural gas stays at RD$43.97 per cubic meter.

    MICM officials traced the upward pressure on global fuel prices directly to renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran, a major crude exporter that controls strategic access to the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global oil supplies pass. The announcement of tougher U.S. economic sanctions on Iran, paired with the breakdown of diplomatic negotiations over security in the strait, has pushed West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude to its highest price level in the past month, driving up costs for crude and refined petroleum products worldwide, including the gasoline and diesel that dominate Dominican energy consumption.

    Even with the latest price adjustments, government authorities emphasized that current retail fuel prices remain within the bounds set by the administration’s national Anti-Crisis Plan, a policy package designed to shield Dominican consumers from global economic volatility. This framework includes the 90-day price stabilization measure announced on June 13, which has already capped sharp price increases for core fuel products through coordinated subsidy spending.

  • Magnitude 6.7 earthquake strikes southern Peru

    Magnitude 6.7 earthquake strikes southern Peru

    A powerful seismic event rattled southern Peru on Thursday, with tremors rippling across multiple regions of the Andean nation, new data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) confirms.

    According to the USGS, the quake struck at approximately 6:00 p.m. GMT, with its epicenter located in Parinacochas Province, part of Peru’s Ayacucho region. The site sits roughly 791 kilometers east of the country’s capital, Lima, and the USGS measured the earthquake’s depth at around 66.6 kilometers, putting it in the range of intermediate-depth seismic activity. The USGS logged the quake at a magnitude of 6.7.

    There is a discrepancy in magnitude measurements between the US agency and Peru’s national geoscience body, however. The Geophysical Institute of Peru has recorded a higher magnitude of 7.2 for the event, and estimates the epicenter was far deeper, at roughly 108 kilometers below the Earth’s surface.

    Despite the significant strength of the earthquake, which was felt across wide swathes of southern Peru, early official assessments have not recorded any deaths, injuries, or major structural damage to infrastructure. Seismologists note that the earthquake’s relatively deep origin likely worked to reduce the intensity of shaking and destructive impact on surface communities, a common dynamic for intermediate-depth seismic events that distribute energy over a wider area before it reaches populated areas.

  • Dominican Republic to participate in Fuerzas Comando 2026 in Paraguay

    Dominican Republic to participate in Fuerzas Comando 2026 in Paraguay

    A high-stakes multinational special operations military competition is set to bring elite troops from 21 countries across the Americas to Paraguay next month, marking the third time the South American nation has hosted the U.S.-led Fuerzas Comando exercise. Scheduled to run from August 24 to 28, the 2026 iteration of the event is organized by the United States Southern Command, continuing a long-running program designed to foster regional military collaboration.

    Paraguay’s top defense leadership has highlighted the unique value of this year’s gathering. Defense Minister Óscar Rodríguez emphasized that the competition will assemble some of the most highly trained military personnel from across the Western Hemisphere, with experts drawn from a diverse range of specialized military disciplines to test their skills and share expertise. General César Moreno, commander of Paraguay’s armed forces, noted that the immersive, collaborative competition is designed to deepen mutual trust and strengthen operational cooperation between participating nations across the region.

    At its core, the 2026 exercise centers on the cross-border exchange of specialized knowledge, tactical techniques and operational strategies tailored to modern special operations. Beyond the competitive elements, the event prioritizes reinforcing collective regional responses to transnational security threats that impact all participating nations, including transnational organized crime, terrorist activity, and large-scale internal crises. The full list of confirmed participants includes Argentina, the Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.

    Paraguay secured the right to host the 2026 edition during the closing ceremony of Fuerzas Comando 2025, which was held in El Salvador earlier this year. This is not the first time Paraguay has welcomed the competition: the country previously served as host in both 2006 and 2017, giving it extensive experience organizing the large-scale multinational event.

    The Fuerzas Comando 2026 exercise comes on the heels of another major regional military drill, Panamax 2026, which took place earlier this month in Panama. That exercise drew roughly 1,700 military personnel from nearly 20 countries across the region. In addition, Paraguay and the United States formalized their military cooperation framework last December with the signing of a bilateral Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which clarifies the legal status of U.S. military personnel operating in Paraguayan territory ahead of the 2026 competition.

  • Punta Cana Airport introduces AI technology to detect smuggling

    Punta Cana Airport introduces AI technology to detect smuggling

    In a landmark move for airport security innovation in the Caribbean, Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) has rolled out a cutting-edge artificial intelligence platform developed by Israeli tech firm SeeTrue, aiming to boost contraband detection capabilities at passenger security checkpoints.

    The new system has been seamlessly integrated with Leidos’ industry-leading ClearScan CT baggage scanners, combining advanced imaging technology with machine learning algorithms to deliver real-time analysis of luggage contents. Unlike traditional detection methods that often require additional secondary screenings that delay passenger flow, this AI-powered solution enables security officers to quickly and accurately spot hidden drugs and undeclared currency without disrupting regular processing operations.

    The modernization initiative is a collaborative effort between PUJ, global security technology provider Leidos, and local Dominican partner PBS Group. Airport officials framed the project as a proactive response to steadily rising international air travel volumes across the region, noting that the upgrade will simultaneously strengthen security standards, streamline operational efficiency, and expand the airport’s ability to process growing numbers of passengers annually.

    For SeeTrue, this deployment marks a historic industry first: it is the first time the company’s proprietary AI detection algorithms have been paired with ClearScan CT technology at any international airport, with a specific focus on targeting illicit drugs and unreported cash. The milestone cements both SeeTrue and PUJ’s reputations as pioneers in adopting next-generation security tools.

    Already recognized as the Best Airport in Central America and the Caribbean at the 2026 World Airport Awards, PUJ’s latest security upgrade further solidifies its standing as a regional leader in aviation security and technological innovation, setting a new benchmark for other airports across the Caribbean and Central America to follow.

  • Indotel awards radio spectrum to Viettel and Claro Dominicana

    Indotel awards radio spectrum to Viettel and Claro Dominicana

    In a landmark move set to reshape the telecommunications landscape of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (Indotel) has awarded radio spectrum blocks to Vietnamese military-run telecom group Viettel and local incumbent operator Claro Dominicana. The allocation is the final outcome of an international tender launched earlier this year, designed to expand the availability of high-capacity telecommunications services and intensify market competition across the country.

    The award decision, formalized through Resolution 73-2026, was passed unanimously by Indotel’s governing board, according to board president Guido Gómez Mazara. He emphasized that the tender process clears the way for Viettel to enter the Dominican market as an entirely new competitor, a shift that is projected to drive up service quality, disrupt stagnant pricing, and deliver tangible benefits to end consumers.

    Under the terms of the award, Viettel secured a total of 240 MHz of spectrum across three key frequency bands, packaged in a 20-year operating concession. The allocation includes 40 MHz in the low-band 700 MHz spectrum, which is prized for wide-area coverage, 100 MHz in the 2.3 GHz mid-band, and an additional 100 MHz in the 3.6 GHz high-band, both of which support high-speed 5G services. Before the concession can be activated, Viettel is required to establish a locally registered Dominican entity to hold the spectrum license, complying with national regulatory requirements.

    For existing market leader Claro Dominicana, the regulator allocated an additional 20 MHz of 700 MHz spectrum, which will be appended to the company’s current concession, extending through its remaining 15-year term.

    One 30 MHz block in the AWS band was included in the tender offering but failed to attract any qualified bids, leading Indotel to declare the spectrum unclaimed for this round of allocation.

    Both winning bidders are required to finalize their concession agreements or contractual addenda within a 90-day window from the award decision. To ease the financial burden of spectrum acquisition, tender rules allow up to 30 percent of the total payment obligation to be fulfilled through the execution of public telecommunications development projects selected and overseen by Indotel, tying private investment directly to national infrastructure expansion goals.

    The tender, first launched in February 2026, aligns with the Dominican Republic’s General Telecommunications Law 153-98 and the country’s official National Frequency Allocation Plan. Its core objectives are to increase available spectrum for mobile and fixed wireless services, attract new foreign direct investment to the sector, and strengthen the country’s digital telecommunications infrastructure to support growing demand for high-speed connectivity.

  • Residents protest in Licey al Medio demanding justice for Carolay Taveras

    Residents protest in Licey al Medio demanding justice for Carolay Taveras

    On Wednesday, widespread public demonstrations broke out across two communities in the Dominican Republic, as hundreds of local residents rallied to demand accountability for the death of 25-year-old Carolay Taveras Morel, who was killed in an alleged premeditated vehicle attack that is currently the focus of an official manhunt.

    Residents from Licey al Medio and Moca, joined by the victim’s family members, friends and other supporters, took to one of the region’s busiest thoroughfares to voice their anger. Protesters set fire to tires and blocked Duarte Highway at the key crossing connecting Licey al Medio and Canca la Reina, bringing vehicle movement through the high-traffic corridor to a standstill and creating major travel disruptions that impacted commuters and commercial traffic across the area for hours.

    Preliminary law enforcement accounts outline a violent chain of events leading up to Taveras Morel’s death. The victim was reportedly in the company of a second young person when a verbal dispute erupted between the pair and the alleged suspect, Darlin Martínez Ulloa, who is known locally by the alias “Darlyn Zaza.” Investigators say that following the altercation, Martínez Ulloa allegedly got behind the wheel of his vehicle and deliberately ran over both Taveras Morel and her companion, before immediately fleeing the scene to avoid capture.

    Emergency responders rushed both victims to local medical facilities, but Taveras Morel succumbed to her critical injuries shortly after arrival. The second victim remains in hospital care for their injuries, and law enforcement has not released any public update on their current condition as of Thursday.

    The Dominican National Police has formally named Martínez Ulloa as the prime suspect in the killing and has already secured an official arrest warrant from judicial authorities. Active search operations are currently ongoing across the region to locate the suspect and take him into custody. Law enforcement units were also deployed to the protest site to maintain public order, clear the blocked highway to resume traffic flow, and prevent any escalation of confrontation between demonstrators and local residents.

    In a public statement issued amid the demonstrations, officials have called on Martínez Ulloa to voluntarily surrender to authorities through established legal channels, rather than force law enforcement to extend the manhunt. Protesters, meanwhile, have made clear they will not end their public demonstrations until the suspect is apprehended and a full, transparent investigation into the killing is completed. They emphasized that they will continue blocking key infrastructure and staging public actions to demand full justice for Taveras Morel.

  • Jet Set Justice Movement calls Jalao “Antonio Espaillat’s second Jet Set”

    Jet Set Justice Movement calls Jalao “Antonio Espaillat’s second Jet Set”

    Nearly three months after the deadliest crowd disaster in Dominican Republic’s history claimed 236 lives at the Jet Set entertainment venue, grieving relatives and surviving victims gathered for a peaceful demonstration of remembrance and demand on Wednesday. The vigil took place outside Jalao, a popular nightlife spot located in the heart of Santo Domingo’s historic Colonial City, where participants carried hand-held candles and framed photographs of their lost loved ones to honor those who perished in the 2025 disaster.

    Organized under the banner of the Jet Set Justice Movement, attendees drew a direct connection between Jalao and Antonio Espaillat, the businessman at the center of the ongoing legal investigation into the Jet Set collapse. Movement representatives labeled Jalao “Antonio Espaillat’s second Jet Set,” pointing out that the venue shares identical core functions with the ill-fated Jet Set: it hosts large-scale public gatherings, live musical performances, dance events, and on-site alcohol sales, operating as a major nightlife destination for locals and visitors alike.

    According to timeline details shared by the movement, Jalao temporarily suspended operations on April 11, 2025, just three days after the catastrophic Jet Set tragedy unfolded. However, the venue was allowed to reopen its doors to the public barely three weeks later, on May 3, 2025, and immediately resumed hosting high-attendance events and live entertainment. This rapid return to full operation has raised sharp questions from victim families, who are challenging how an individual facing ongoing criminal investigation and formal legal proceedings tied to the country’s deadliest civilian disaster could retain the ability to operate a second, similar entertainment venue.

    The core demand of the gathering extends beyond regulatory scrutiny of Jalao: participants are calling on Dominican national and local authorities to release full, public documentation of all safety inspections, operating permits, approved maximum occupancy levels, emergency evacuation blueprints, and ongoing safety control protocols that have been applied to Jalao both before its initial closure and following its May reopening. Throughout the demonstration, participants maintained a peaceful posture, with no reports of clashes, property damage, or disruptions to local activity. Movement leaders emphasized that their primary goal is not protest for protest’s sake, but to secure greater institutional transparency and ironclad guarantees that a disaster of this catastrophic scale will never be repeated in the Dominican Republic.