DR News
A tropical storm hit Caribbean tourist destination Montesinos Beach in the Dominican Republic, flooding its beaches with over a thousand tons of plastic and garbage.
Although the Caribbean nation is typically known for its blue seas and sandy white beaches, it is currently littered with plastic bottles and styrofoam takeout boxes, according to a statement by Parley for the Oceans, a non-profit environmental organization that works to reduce plastic waste in the world’s oceans.
Piles of plastic waste—most notably the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”—are usually far from human settlements. However, workers have collected over 60 tons of waste on Montesinos Beach in the Dominican Republic’s capital city Santo Domingo since last week, and the mucky waves continue to carry more waste ashore.
The plastic waste is flowing from the Ozama River, where people, often living in informal settlements, have taken to dumping their trash; up to 90,000 tons per year. According to Lorraine Chow of EcoWatch, the trash was pushed ashore by a recent storm.
Parley for the Oceans’ founder Cyrill Gutsch indicated that this piling up of plastic waste was not an unusual occurrence.
“What we’re seeing here is, unfortunately, the new normal,” said Gutsch. “The plastic wave you’re seeing here is material that got flushed down the rivers. It’s not something that gathered for a long time. One strong storm can cause this.”
Once it is out in the open, plastic breaks down and releases chemicals that are impossible to capture. Wildlife trapped in the debris and humans affected by the toxic particles in the waves are all at risk, local environmentalists said.
More than 500 public workers and volunteers have been dispatched to clean up the scene, and the Dominican Republic’s navy and army are also assisting in the effort. After just three days, workers had collected 30 tons of plastic off of the beaches. As teams use pikes, shovels, and excavators to lift the garbage, they are met with new waves washing more waste ashore.
Machinery and trucks have been sent in to deal with the massive tide of plastic, much of which will have to be sent to landfills because it is mixed and contaminated.
Parley is working to transform a portion of the recycled plastic into Ocean Plastic—a material used to create products like Adidas shoes that raise awareness and help fund the campaign against ocean plastic. So far, six tons of plastic have been recovered for this cause. Adidas plans to contribute to the solution by making 1 million pairs of running shoes out of 11 million plastic bottles recovered from the ocean by next year.
Along with assisting the clean-up effort, Parley is trying to implement the AIR strategy (Avoid, Intercept, Redesign) across the island. The strategy focuses on identifying the root of the problem and working with policy-makers to improve the island’s waste and recycling infrastructure.
The plastic on Montesinos Beach is just a small fraction of the trash that is being dumped into the water, as most of it gets washed out to sea. A recent study found that coastal countries alone sent 8 million tons of plastic trash into the oceans in 2010. Another report predicted that in just over 30 years, plastic will outweigh fish in the ocean.
Gutsch explained that recycling isn’t enough to fix the global plastic problem. “Even if you recycle [plastic] and even if you use it in the best possible way, it always leaches chemicals,” he said. “A better solution is drastically cutting back on single-use plastics.”
If action is not taken to fix the global plastic problem, many worry that within a few decades, the larger pieces of debris could break up into microplastics, which are much harder to remove from the ocean.
“Garbage emergencies like this are urgent reminders that we need to act fast,” Parley says in its statement. “Unless urgent action is taken, scenes like this will become more common all over the world in the coming years as we reach a plastic tipping point.”
Source: manufacturing.net
Aug 14, 2018
Frontier Airlines is adding the Florida city of Sarasota to its route map as part of a broader 11-route expansion that also will return the carrier to Fort Lauderdale.
Frontier’s flights from Sarasota (airport code SRQ) begin Dec. 10, when the “ultra-low-cost carrier” begins twice-weekly seasonal service to Cleveland (CLE).
Beyond the Sarasota-Cleveland service, Frontier announced 10 additional seasonal routes that beef up its presence at airports in Florida, Ohio and the Dominican Republic. Among airports getting the most new routes were West Palm Beach (four), Cleveland (three) and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic (three).
Also added to Frontier’s winter schedule are routes to Fort Lauderdale from both Trenton, New Jersey, and Islip/Long Island, New York. Those routes shift service to Fort Lauderdale that Frontier operated to Miami last year. At the time, Frontier had ended its Fort Lauderdale service in favor of Miami. Now, Frontier will again be flying from both of South Florida’s two busiest airports.
Frontier also turned to New York LaGuardia for a winter-schedule update, announcing seasonal daily flights to Orlando that begin Nov. 15.
Frontier’s announcement is the latest in a flurry of new routes announced by the airline. Just last week, Frontier announced six new routes from Fort Myers, Florida, on Tuesday and followed that up a day later with 11 other new routes and an entirely new city (Tucson).
The full schedule details of the routes included in Frontier’s Monday announcement:
Sarasota, Florida
Cleveland: Two weekly flights begin Dec. 10; seasonal
Fort Lauderdale
Islip/Long Island, New York: Schedule details not specified
Trenton, New Jersey: Schedule details not specified
Orlando
New York LaGuardia: Daily service begins Nov. 15; seasonal
West Palm Beach, Florida
Cleveland: Three weekly flights begin Nov. 15; seasonal
Columbus, Ohio: Two weekly flights begin Nov. 16; seasonal
Pittsburgh: Two weekly flights begin Nov. 17; seasonal
St. Louis: Three weekly flights begin Nov. 15; seasonal
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Cincinnati: Friday-only flights begins Jan. 11; seasonal
Cleveland: Three weekly flights begin Jan. 6; seasonal
St. Louis: Three weekly flights begin Jan. 5; seasonal
Source: wcnc.com
Aug 14, 2018
TORONTO, Aug. 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sunwing has confirmed that they will be returning to Sudbury this winter and will be adding a new flight service to Montego Bay. The travel company has operated from Sudbury for the past 11 years, but this coming season will mark the first time that they have offered local residents two different destinations for their winter escape. The new flight service will depart Thursdays between December 20, 2018 and April 11, 2019. In addition, the tour operator’s perennially popular seasonal flight service to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic will operate weekly from December 19, 2018 until April 3, 2019.
Lined with sparkling white-sand beaches, Montego Bay—or “MoBay” as it’s affectionately known—offers the ideal ambience for both relaxation and adventure. Travellers can experience all the destination has to offer with an array of Sunwing Experiences, from reggae and culture tours to visits of one of the island’s historical plantations. They could also take a tranopy tour of the island’s lush interior or scale world-famous Dunn’s River falls.
President of Tour Operations, Andrew Dawson, for Sunwing explained that the move to expand the number of destinations from Sudbury this coming winter was a result of consumer demand and feedback from our travel agency partners in the Greater Sudbury region. “Our seasonal Sudbury flight service has been consistently well received so we were delighted to be able to add Jamaica, another one of our most popular destinations.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Sunwing back to Greater Sudbury for their 12th season,” said Todd Tripp, CEO of the Greater Sudbury Airport. “Punta Cana has always been a popular sun destination choice for Sudbury travellers and we are delighted that Sunwing is doubling their flight service over the 2018/2019 winter season to now offer Montego Bay, Jamaica as an option. Both Punta Cana and Montego Bay provide local travellers with excellent winter escape choices.”
Sunwing offers a wide range of resort options in Montego Bay including Sensatori Azul Beach Resort Jamaica, which now also benefits from an adults only section. Situated on the shores of the famous Seven Mile Beach, this resort is both family and adult-friendly with cooking classes for kids, an exciting Splash Park, as well as an exclusive beach and pool area that comes with butler service for adults who upgrade to the Premium Couples room category.
Popular among families, the recently-renovated RIU Palace Tropical Bay welcomes guests with new modern rooms, a redesigned pool area, an action-packed RiuLand Kids Club with an enlarged pool and playground, as well as a new lounge bar and café. Featuring an enviable beachfront, the resort also offers guests many complimentary activities included such as kayaking, water volleyball, windsurfing, boogie boarding and snorkelling. Plus, vacationers who travel with Sunwing will enjoy exclusive RIU®-topia inclusions such as unlimited à la carte dining, spa discounts and much more.
All vacation packages include return flights on Sunwing Airlines where passengers can look forward to starting their vacation off in style with award-winning inflight service that includes a welcome sparkling wine toast, buy on board Sunwing Café menu with selections inspired by Food Network Canada Celebrity Chef, Lynn Crawford, and backpacks for children filled with games and toys.
To book your next all inclusive vacation visit www.sunwing.ca or contact your travel agent.
Source: globenewswire.com
Aug 14, 2018
Texas Rangers pitcher Bartolo Colón’s persistence paid off and on Tuesday, 7 August 2018, he pitched seven innings to land his No. 246 career win and pass Nicaragua’s Dennis Martínez in number of wins. It was his sixth try at the milestone win. His last win had been on 30 June. The Texas Rangers won the game 11-4. Colon said the heavy run support helped him settle in after a shaky start to his outing.
The 45-year old Dominican born pitcher said, as reported by MLB: “It was a long journey, but it finally came,” Colon said. “And it feels good.”
“It’s pretty incredible to watch, to be part of,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said of Colon’s milestone. “… I got to watch Bartolo in 1995 when he was a young guy with a blazing fastball that just wiped everybody out. Watched him throughout his career, been part of teams that have faced him.
“To be fortunate enough and blessed enough to be his manager for a period of time, to sit and watch, and to know what he means to a group of guys inside that clubhouse, number of teammates along the way. … They’re probably saluting and maybe even tipping a glass to him in congratulations.”
Source: DR1, USA Today
Aug 9, 2018
Former Central Bank governor and Dominican ambassador to the USA, economist and historian Bernardo Vega shared in a feature in Acento on 7 August 2018, his opinions on what to expect from the signing of diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.
Vega speculates that it is possible that before the end of the year, President Danilo Medina would accept an invitation to travel to Beijing and then will be when the country will learn of the bilateral plans.
He says to get an idea of what to expect, one should study what Costa Rica and Panama have gained from signing with China.
Vega explains that Costa Rica received a US$100 million football stadium, and aircraft to fight drug trafficking. It also benefited from China buying Costa Rica bonds at below market rates. The Chinese have provided financing to build a Police Academy and provide vehicles for that institution. The Chinese also contributed to the extending of a highway and improvements to their Chinatown. He says the most important benefit of the relationship, nevertheless, has been the construction of industrial parks where Chinese companies can skirt trade barriers now imposed by US President Trump. Vega points out that China has gained much more from the 2011 establishing of diplomatic ties than Costa Rica, where he says the impact has been relatively low.
As for Panama, that established diplomatic relations with China in 2017, he writes that China is the main client of the Colon Free Zone, where China warehouses its goods and re-exports to the rest of the Western Hemisphere. He observes China is also the second largest client of the Panama Canal after the USA. He observes that Panama is a service economy (the canal, banks, warehousing) with little farming and industry. Some 23 agreements that have been signed along these lines and Panama, as well as Costa Rica, are working on the signing of a free trade agreement.
Air China has initiated flights to Panama via Houston, Texas. An estimated 130 million Chinese travelers, that spend on average 25% of their travel budget on shopping, more than other travelers. But he observes earlier experiences of travel to Costa Rica and Cuba has been disappointing, and the Chinese prefer to vacation in nearby Asia beach destinations such as those in Indonesia and Australia. Likewise, he says the Chinese tourists have their peculiarities and require special details.
Vega focuses on two points that could be convenient to the Dominican Republic in regards to China. This is that the country attract Chinese export companies that generate jobs and that China buy our sovereign bonds at subsidized rates. Vega highlights that a free trade agreement definitely is not of interest to the Dominican Republic.
He writes that it is tempting to replace Odebrecht with mega Chinese infrastructure projects, but he urged the government to avoid this temptation. “The Chinese are as corrupt as Odebrecht. I doubt that they are interested in buying Catalina because they prefer to build the projects themselves. Developing the port of Manzanillo and adding natural gas plants make sense. The United States already exports that gas to our country and Panama. Our generation is concentrated between Macoris and Haina and a natural disaster would affect us a lot.” [China has already signed a memorandum of understanding in this direction.]
Source: DR1, Acento
Aug 9, 2018
The Migration Department (DGM) has announced that in July 10,832 foreigners were deported or not admitted to the country. According to the report, of the 10,832 some 3,721 from Brazil, China, Colombia, Haiti, Hungary, Pakistan, Switzerland, Venezuela and Vietnam, were deported and 7,111 were not allowed to enter the country by air, land and sea.
As far as air passengers are concerned, the report says that in July 718,564 people arrived by air and 721,930 left, with the majority arriving and leaving from Punta Cana in La Altagracia province.
By land there were 24,133 people entering and 20,133 leaving, mainly via the border crossing at Jimani, followed by Dajabon, Elias Piña and then Pedernales.
By sea, there were 90,963 arrivals and 90,458 departures, mostly from Maimon in Puerto Plata and La Romana.
The report says that during the month of July, 176 Dominicans returned to the country having completed jail sentences in 19 countries and in addition 78 foreigners returned voluntarily to their home countries. During the month 1,061 residencies were issued to people from 59 countries.
Source: DR1, Almomento
Aug 9, 2018
On Tuesday 7 August, the United States authorities repatriated a group of 74 Dominicans who had completed jail sentences for different crimes. Of the group 29 were convicted of drug related offences, and the other for murder, forgery, state fraud, rape, kidnapping, arson and other crimes. The group arrived in the afternoon and were immediately taken to the Refugee Center in Haina for processing. Those with no outstanding warrants were then handed over to their families.
With this group, the number of repatriated Dominicans so far this year has reached 1,062, which is 11% increase compare to the same time last year.
Source: DR1, Hoy
Aug 9, 2018
In Las Galeras, in Samaná, a Frenchman was murdered on Sunday, 5 August 2018.
51-year old Christophe Claude Michel Bachats, had been living in the country for over 14 years and 11 months in Las Galeras. He died of his wounds after having been shot three times, according to the medical examiner Doctor Julián Emilio Boden.
According to his Dominican partner, they were returning to their home, he on his motorcycle and she on a scooter, when they heard shots and Michel Bachats was injured. The body was sent to the Institute of Forensic Science in San Franciso de Macoris for an autopsy and the case is still under investigation.
Source: DR1, Elnuevodiario
Aug 9, 2018
The National Institute for Transit and Terrestrial Transport (Intrant) has begun to take public transport vehicles off the road that do not meet the new regulations and guarantee the safety of the users.
During an operation carried out by the Department of Supervision and Control of Sanctions (DSCS) of Intrant, vehicles were confiscated at kilometer 9 of the Duarte Highway and at the intersection of Maximo Gomez with San Martin. The impounded vehicles did not have proper authorization to operate for public transport as the law says that Intrant and the City Halls have to authorize inter urban vehicles according to the type of services, needs, geographic conditions and the demand for the service, always guaranteeing the safety of the passenger.
The vehicles have to be the property of the operators or they need to hold a document where the driver is authorized to use the vehicle for public transport.
The president of the National Union of Unified Transport Owners (CNTU), William Pérez Figuereo, warned that Intrant was obligated to take action, noting the high number of ramshackle vehicles in the fleet.
Intrant also announced the changing of transit direction of several roads in the Naco neighborhood to reduce traffic bottlenecks.
Source: DR1, Eldia
Aug 9, 2018
The film, that tells the story of Dominican wrestler Jack Veneno, won 15 of the 17 La Silla awards, the Oscars ceremony for the local cinematography industry. The film was directed by Tabaré Blanchard, who won awards for best film, best director, best script (Blanchard, Riccardo Bardelino, Miguel Yanull, Marien Zagrella), best production, production design, editing, special visual effects, art direction, costumes, make up, directing, musical score, sound track, among others.
Carpinteros by Jose Maria Cabral won three awards, including best actor and best actress for Jean Jean and Judith Rodriguez, and the best drama award.
In comedy, the best was “Todas las mujeres son iguales” by David Maler.
The best documentary went to Yanillis Perez for Jeffrey. The best song of the year is “La vida en el barrio” by Carlos Alberto Rivas (Voces de la Calle).
The La Silla Awards are organized by the Dominican Association of Cinematography Industry Professionales (Adocine), directed by Juan Basanta.
A posthumous tribute was celebrated for recently deceased movie maker 61-year old Fernando Báez, who had tragically died in a vehicle accident on 3 July 2018.
Source: DR1, Elcaribe
Aug 9, 2018
