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The Dominican Republic is preparing to launch its biometric passports with embedded electronic chips to replace the machine-readable version, with authorities assuring the public that the project will incur no direct cost to the state. The development follows months of procurement challenges and is part of the government’s broader efforts to enhance travel security and streamline passport services. The initiative adopts a payment-per-passport model, where the supplier company shoulders the costs of production and related investments. According to , the government will only pay for passports issued to citizens, ensuring taxpayers face no additional financial burden. The details provided on the cost structure of the new contract to issue the Dominican Republic’s biometric passports do not clarify whether a supplier has been selected yet. The contract and production details are classified information as a matter of national security under Presidential Decree . The General Directorate of Passports (DGP) projects that by the end of 2024, over 800,000 of the legacy passports will have been issued, signaling high demand as the country transitions to the new electronic system. The Dominican’s machine readable passports are supplied by and local partner Pastoriza SRL under a contract signed in 2017. De La Rue’s citizen identity business was in 2019, and HID’s citizen identity business was just . The Dominican Republic’s national ID cards are printed on Toppan printers, according to , through a contract to Copy Solutions International, and . The ID cards are also going through a . the high demand shows that the modernization effort will require facilities with better connectivity and sufficient space to accommodate the necessary technology needed for the e-passports. To address these issues, the DGP says it will relocate to a new rental facility. The new passports will feature biometric security measures, including polycarbonate materials and embedded microchips storing fingerprint and facial recognition data, in a bid to ensure compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. Dominicans with expired passports will be prioritized to receive the new , which will be available beginning mid-2025, according to Dominican Today. The initiative faced hurdles earlier this year when the original tender process for the chip passport implementation was suspended in September, . The Public Procurement and Contracting Directorate (DGCP) temporarily halted the process due to irregularities, and signs of violation in regards to the principles of participation during the process. The DGCP notes that 25 domestic and international companies expressed interest in bidding on the passport issuance contract, but only two bids were received. This follows by the DGP was issued in search of digital identity service providers to install new infrastructure that will allow the issuance of electronic passports, which closed by May 27, 2024. | | | | |Alex Ovechkin has a broken left fibula and is expected to be out four to six weeks, an injury that pauses the Washington Capitals superstar captain’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record. The Capitals updated Ovechkin’s status Thursday after he was evaluated by team doctors upon returning from a three-game trip. The 39-year-old broke the leg in a shin-on-shin collision Monday night with Utah's Jack McBain, and some of his closest teammates knew it was not good news even before Ovechkin was listed as week to week and placed on injured reserve. “Everyone’s bummed out,” said winger Tom Wilson, who has played with Ovechkin since 2013. “We were sitting there saying: ‘This is weird. Like, it’s unbelievable that he’s actually hurt.’ It’s one of those things where like, he’s going to miss games? I’ve been around a long time, and it’s new to me.” Ovechkin in his first 19 seasons missed 59 games — and just 35 because of injury. Durability even while throwing his body around with his physical style is a big reason he is on track to pass Gretzky’s mark of 894 goals that once looked unapproachable. “He doesn’t go out there and just coast around,” Wilson said. “He’s played 20 years every shift running over guys and skating. He’s a power forward, the best goal-scorer ever maybe, and he’s a power forward that plays the game really hard.” Ovechkin surged to the top of the league with 15 goals in his first 18 games this season. He was on pace to break the record and score No. 895 sometime in February. “You know when goal-scorers start scoring, it’s dangerous,” said defenseman John Carlson, who has been teammates with Ovechkin since 2009-10. “There was a bit of that in the downs that everyone was feeling about it too, of course. We see him coming to the rink every day, we know what’s at stake. You never want anyone to get injured, but there’s a lot to it and certainly he was playing his best hockey in years.”
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