18-year old Dominican model, Maite Tiburcio, is optimistic she will reach the finals in the Top Model of the World contest in Egypt. Already she was selected among the 40 participants for the photo shooting at the Meraki Resort in the Hurgada beach area. The contest is taking place in the beach area. The finals will be on Saturday, 15 December 2018, at the same Meraki Resort. In 1996, the title was won by Dominican Selinee Mendez.
Prior to being named the Dominican Top Model, in 2017, Tiburcio had won the Princesa Miss Beauty Teenager RD 2017 title.
The director of the Fideicomiso RDVial, Eyla Vargas announced that the renovated toll station is in operation with four new lanes since Tuesday, 11 December 2019. The toll station was expanded to 17 booths, with three rapid pass lanes, a return lane, and one lane to be used only for motorcyclists.
During the announcement, Vargas urged motorists to purchase a rapid pass to improve traffic flow and save time.
The tollbooth is located a short distance west of the Punta Caucedo Port and Las Americas International Airport on the highway that links the capital city of Santo Domingo with eastern tourism destinations.
The announced investment of US$600 million in the construction of high rises and hotels in Macao, in northern Punta Cana beach area, including an 18 floor tower for the Hotel Moon Palace, has been agreed to by the majority of the members of the community as it is seen as a great opportunity to increase economic development of the municipality.
Interviews carried out among the local population have confirmed their approval but have insisted that the authorities and the private investors allow them unrestricted access to the beach at Macao.
Those interviewed recalled that the beaches that were once full of mosquitoes, wild boars and terrapins and that hunting was a favorite activity. The old-timers are amazed at the transformation and development of the beach areas.
Uvero Alto which was where people from Macoa used to go to look for crabs is now full of hotels. Some are concerned that their artisanal fishing and foraging for wildlife in Macao is coming to an end because of development. However, many local residents welcome the investment as it will provide employment opportunities specially for the young people.
PUERTO PLATA.- On the occasion of the opening of its new 5-star Resort & Spa in Puerto Plata, the Spanish chain Senator Hotel & Resort will bring the Colombian singer and songwriter Carlos Vives to Puerto Plata with his concert at the La Puntilla amphitheater.
In a press release sent to this medium, it is specified that it will be next Saturday, December 22, starting at 8:30 p.m., when Carlos Vives winner of the Latin Grammy, will do his performance in Puerto Plata.
From now on, there is a great expectation for the concert that has been offered by the outstanding Colombian artist, author of the songs “La Gota Fría”, “La Tierra del Olvido”, “Déjame entrar en tu Mirada”, among other hits that will entertain 4 thousand people.
The show will take place on the occasion of the Christmas holidays in addition to the inauguration of the Senator Puerto Plata Spa Resort 5 Stars, located in the beautiful, historic and tourist bay of Maimon in the western part of Puerto Plata.
Cabarete sportsmen and tourists rescued and released a large Hawksbill Turtle that had been dragged onto the shore entangled among the Nylon Maya of a chinchorro, last Monday afternoon at Kite Beach, in front of Punta Goleta.
Rains of congratulations for such a considerable action in favor of an endangered species, such as the Hawksbill Turtles.
Every so often in different beaches of Sosúa, these species visit us and vent in our sands, including Sosúa beach.
On Thursday, 6 December 2018, the oldest known Dominican in the country died, as reported in Listin Diario. Jaime (Jaimito) Vicente was born in January 1901 in Hondo Valle, Elías Piña, and would have been 118 on 28 January 2019. He was a farmer, and enjoyed singing, especially bachatas, as reported in Diario Libre.
He lived to see two US interventions, the regimes of Ramón Cáceres and Horacio Vásquez, the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina, and the long governments of Joaquín Balaguer and Leonel Fernandez.
According to statistics, only Jeanne Calment, from France, aged 122 and Sarah Knauss of the United States, at 119, are older than him. There are another seven citizens of Japan, United States, Canada, Jamaica and Italy who reached more than 117 years old.
Even though Hondo Valle is a poor area on the border with Haiti, there are many citizens there who work up to an advanced age with mentally agile.
Vicente leaves behind an extended family. He had 15 children all with his one-time late wife, Angela Encarnación (Lola) who died in 2005 at 78 years. He is survived by six daughters and one son. His eldest daughter is Celia, who is 90 years old. He had 47 grandchildren and 114 great-grandchildren.
The board of the National Commission in Defense of Competition, (Procompetencia) has announced a fine of RD$46 million against the Cervecería Nacional Dominicana (CND) for the abuse of its ‘dominant position’. The CND is the manufacturer of Presidente beer, now under ownership of Ambev, a Brazilian brewing company that is itself owned by Belgian company Anheuser-Busch InBev.
The fine was immediately rejected by the company. The fine is the maximum sanction established by law, and corresponds to 3,000 minimum salaries as announced in a press conference held by the director of Procompetencia, Yolanda Martínez.
Procompetencia also ordered CND to stop what they called abusive behavior and the cancelling of contracts underwritten under these conditions.
Procompetencia said that CND “was abusing its dominant position holding more than 98% of the market, imposing restrictions which had neither objective or economic justification, such as the imposition of resale prices, closing markets by means of exclusive distribution contracts, commercialization, promotion and publicity, restrictions of the visibility and space in the competitor brand displays”.
CND said that it would appeal to the Higher Administrative Court (TSA) and that its commercial activities, defending that its activities are carried out in the spirit of free competition with transparency.
Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas signed cooperation agreements in economics, academics with the government of Serbia. A framework for facilitating travel with Serbia was also agreed upon. It would allow for visa-free travel for 60 days in either country. The agreement was signed by Vargas and the Serbia minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dačić in Santo Domingo.
Vargas signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Establishing a Joint Work Group for Promotion of Trade, Investment and Productive linkages. The plan is to promote cooperation in trade and investment for bilateral benefit.
Another Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Ministry of Foreign Relations diplomats training center (Instituto de Educación Superior en Formación Diplomática y Consular del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de República Dominicana) and the diplomacy academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia for collaboration between both training centers.
The Attorney General has revealed the names of five of seven persons who are known to have perished in the Polyplas plastics factory blast in Villas Agrícolas in northern National District on Wednesday, 5 December. The victims are: 46-year old Claudio Hernandez Jimenez; 49-year old Julio Salazar Mejia; 31 year old Ronny Vargas; 44 year old Jose Alberto Encarnación and 49-year old Manuel Esteban Rosario Ramírez, a contractor for the company. Of these, four worked in the company, and one was a contractor, as reported in Diario Libre. The National Institute of Forensic Sciences is working to identify the corpses of two women that could be Rosa Melia Núñez and Maria Altagracia Garabito, both Polyplas employees who are missing.
Kelvin Garabito, brother of 28-year old Polyplas employee María Altagracia Garabito, has not been able to locate his sister. The woman appears in a YouTube video she filmed shortly before the explosion. He fears the worst.
98% of the employees were evacuated before the blast, said corporate affairs director Alvaro Sousa. One of the dead, Encarnación, reportedly died after he re-entered the factory to rescue a woman and was caught in the blast.
In an update on the tragedy, the director of the National Health Service (SNS) Chanel Rosa Chupany said that of 66 persons who received medical attention of hospitals, 43 have been discharged. Two of those remaining in the hospital suffered critical burns.
The rescue authorities announced on Saturday, 8 December 2018, that they would continue efforts to search the blast site until everyone had been located. The recovery teams are now using heavy machinery to lift the rubble as dozens of person watch and carry out vigils under the watchful eye of military and police personnel stationed in a cordon around the area. According to plant officials, there were some 288 person employed at the facility.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Works announced it is assisting with the repair of at least 63 homes in nearby neighborhoods that were affected by the explosion. The Ministry of Education said they are working so that the two public schools in the area can resume classes on Wednesday, 12 December. The Ministry of Public Health contracted the Instituto de la Familia (Idefa) and Centro para el Desarrollo y la Interaccion Constructiva (Cedic) to offer psychological counseling to the community.
In a paid advertisement published in national media on Monday, 10 December 2018, Polyplas explains that the natural gas escape that caused the explosion occurred when a tanker-truck from their supplier Propagas suffered a leakage at around 11:23am. Safety protocols were enacted at 11:27 am. The company is awaiting the report by experts on the accident.
The explosion comes 15 years after a propane gas explosion at a propane facility at Calle Pedro Livio Cedeño corner Moca in Villas Agricolas resulted in burns affecting 20 persons. The Villas Agricolas is an old time industrial area that today is mixed use.
UPDATE: Five days after the Wednesday, 5 December 2018, tragic explosion at the Polyplas plastics factory in Villas Agrícolas, Distrito Nacional, the director of the Center for Emergency Operations, Juan Manuel Mendez announced rescue operations had concluded after no more missing persons had been reported related to the explosion. The toll of the accident is eight dead, 103 injured and 25 families affected. Efforts are now concentrated at the site on the removal of debris and cleanup.
Three more of the injured are hospitalized at the Ney Arias Lora burn unit, with serious burns at 50% of their bodies. The Ministry of Public Works is assisting 63 houses in the neighborhood that were affected by the explosion.
The deceased have been identified as: 55 years old Rafael Contreras Báez; 46-year old Claudio Hernandez Jimenez; 49-year old Julio Salazar Mejia; 31 year old Ronny Vargas; 44 year old Jose Alberto Encarnación; 49-year old Manuel Esteban Rosario Ramírez, a contractor for the company. The National Institute of Forensic Sciences is working to identify the corpses of two women that could be Rosa Melia Núñez and Maria Altagracia Garabito, both Polyplas employees who are missing.
The Fire Department issued their preliminary report on the accident establishing the explosion originated in the natural gas escape at the time when the fuel was fed from a Propagas tanker truck to the main tank of the factory. The report states: “It is presumed by the statements of the operator that when he realized the leak he tried to stop it but it was too late”. The truck operator, Jimmy Gutiérrez, told firefighters that the gas leak disoriented him and the burns he received “restricted his movements delaying his shutting off the emergency valve of the truck’s tank.
It is reported that Gutiérrez asked the Polyplas staff to “turn everything off”, but he says he was told by the security of the company that they could not do so “because the whole system would be shut down.” The report of the Fire Department states that it could not verify if the company had leak detection devices. Nor was it possible to verify if the emergency alarms worked.
The 2010 Constitution was amended in 2015 to allow for then President Danilo Medina to run for a first re-election. Now his followers want Congress to amend the constitution again so he can stay in power. President Danilo Medina has said he will announce his decision regarding seeking a reelection in March 2019. The ruling PLD has majority in both houses of Congress.
During a major political event held in Santiago, the country’s second largest city, former President Leonel Fernandez urged that the government contribute to the strengthening of democracy by respecting the Constitution. Polls show Fernandez as the most popular ruling PLD party candidate into the 2020 general election.
Campaigning for the PLD nomination, Fernandez said a new government of his would start the construction of the freight and passenger train to connect Caucedo Port near the Las Americas International Airport with Bonao, La Vega, Santiago and Puerto Plata. He also announced he would expand the state university in Santiago. He promised to rescue Yaque del Norte river, build Merca-Santo Domingo wholesale market, expand and modernize Manzanillo Port, works at the Jose Maria Cabral y Baez public hospital and complete the expansion of the Navarrete-Puerto Plata highway.
In Santiago, Fernandez has received backing of Mayor Abel Martínez, who served as president of the Chamber of Deputies for many years under Fernandez administrations. Merengue legend Johnny Ventura participated in the political event opening.
Fernandez says he has the backing of 1,586,000 followers and says that by March 2019, over two million persons will have signed as supporters.
