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Dominican Republic
Tata Motors on Wednesday said it has forayed into the Dominican Republic market through a strategic partnership with Equimax, its authorised distributor. The launch marks a significant milestone in the company's global expansion strategy and introduces a tailored portfolio of commercial vehicles designed to meet the evolving needs of the region's logistics, infrastructure, and last-mile delivery sectors, the Mumbai-based auto major said in a statement. "The Dominican Republic presents a high-potential market aligned with Tata Motors' commercial vehicles' global growth ambitions. With its growing economy and infrastructure, our advanced commercial vehicle solutions are well-positioned to support national development goals," Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles Head International Business Asif Shamim said. Tata Motors said its commercial vehicles are sold in over 40 countries worldwide, with a portfolio that spans sub-1-tonne mini-trucks to 60-tonne heavy-duty trucks and 9- to 71-seater ...
The owner of an iconic nightclub in the Dominican Republic whose roof collapsed in April and killed 236 people was arrested on Thursday along with his sister. Antonio Espaillat and Maribel Espaillat have not been charged in the case, although authorities have 48 hours to present any charges before a judge. "Both defendants displayed immense irresponsibility and negligence by failing to physically intervene to prevent the club's roof from collapsing, as it ultimately did, causing 236 deaths and more than 180 injuries," the Dominican Republic's Attorney General's Office said in a statement. Prosecutors accused the Espaillats of trying to intimidate or manipulate company employees, adding that they could serve as witnesses in the case. An attorney for the Espaillats could not be immediately reached for comment. The Espaillats were arrested after being interrogated for several hours. A government-appointed committee that includes international experts is still investigating what caus
Dozens of people lingered outside the Dominican Republic's forensic institute late Wednesday for news of their loved ones still missing more than a day after a roof collapsed at an iconic nightclub, killing at least 184 people. A growing number of them donned face masks and began complaining about a bad odour as they pleaded with officials to give them information about their loved ones. Earlier in the day, National Institute of Forensic Pathology officials read the names of 54 victims they had identified so far. We cannot wait until nighttime! said one woman who was waiting for news of a relative whose name she did not hear. We're going to go crazy! Officials called for calm, saying they had already delivered at least 28 bodies to their families but did not yet have a tally of all the bodies recovered. Late Wednesday, officials raised the number of dead to at least 184, with dozens more injured. The authorities are selling us false dreams! cried out Jos Snchez, whose brother and
At least 27 people died and 160 others were injured in the Dominican capital early Tuesday when the roof collapsed at an iconic nightclub where politicians, athletes and others were attending a merengue concert, authorities said. Crews were searching for potential survivors in the rubble at the one-story Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, said Juan Manuel Mndez, director of the Centre of Emergency Operations. We presume that many of them are still alive, and that is why the authorities here will not give up until not a single person remains under that rubble, he said. Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi, was among the victims. Meanwhile, the injured include former Major League baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel, legislator Bray Vargas and merengue singer Rubby Prez, who was performing when the roof collapsed onto patrons, officials said. His manager, Enrique Paulino, whose shirt was spattered with blood, told reporters at the scene that the concert beg
The family of missing 20-year-old Indian student Sudiksha Konanki has asked police in the Dominican Republic to declare her dead, according to US media reports. Konanki, a citizen of India and a permanent resident of the United States, was last seen on March 6 at the Riu Republic Resort in Punta Cana town. She has gone missing while on vacation in the Dominican Republic and US federal law enforcement agencies are working with authorities in the Caribbean country in the probe into her disappearance. Despite an extensive search, her body has not been found. Dominican Republic National Police spokesperson Diego Pesqueira said Konanki's family has sent the agency a letter requesting a declaration of death, NBC News reported on Tuesday. The Konanki family did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night. Meanwhile, authorities in the Dominican Republic have confiscated the passport of the man who is the last person known to have been with Konanki, according to a sourc
The US authorities have identified a 24-year-old man as person of interest in the case of a 20-year-old Indian student who has mysteriously gone missing during a spring break visit to the Dominican Republic. Sudiksha Konanki, a citizen of India and a permanent resident of the United States, was last seen on March 6 at the Riu Republic Resort in Punta Cana town. She has gone missing while on vacation in the Dominican Republic and US federal law enforcement agencies are working with authorities in the Caribbean country in the probe into her disappearance. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, Konanki's hometown in Virginia, said Joshua Riibe was seen with Sudiksha at a resort before she went missing, spokesperson Chad Quinn told USA TODAY. Though Konanki's father has asked local authorities to broaden the investigation, Quinn said the case is not a criminal investigation, so Riibe is not considered a suspect in Konanki's disappearance. "This particular individual may have been the la
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday that it will prohibit US airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days after gangs shot two planes and the United Nations will temporarily suspend flights to Port-au-Prince, limiting humanitarian aid coming into the country. Bullets hit the Spirit Airlines plane when it was about to land Monday in the country's capital, injuring a flight attendant and forcing the airport to shut down. Photos and videos obtained by The Associated Press show bullet holes dotting the interior of a plane. On Tuesday, JetBlue announced that its plane had also been shot while departing Port-au-Prince on Monday. The shootings were part of a wave of violence that erupted as the country plagued by gang violence swore in its new prime minister after a politically tumultuous process. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the agency documented 20 armed clashes and more roadblocks affecting humanitarian operation during the violence Monday. The Port-au-Prince airpo
The US secretary of state and the leader of the Dominican Republic held private talks Friday on a range of issues, from human rights, economic prosperity and regional security. However, the crisis in violence-wrecked Haiti dominated the discussions. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the Dominican Republic for a one-day visit after landing in neighbouring Haiti on Thursday to support a UN-backed mission led by Kenya to fight rampaging gangs there. Blinken said he spoke with Dominican President Luis Abinader about the latter's concerns regarding Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. Abinader told reporters that his administration is concerned over the apparent lack of resources for the mission and the thousands of inmates who escaped after gangs raided Haiti's two biggest prisons earlier this year as part of a coordinated attack. Haiti's crisis has caused a surge in migrants trying to enter the Dominican Republic, Abinader said, addin
The government on Wednesday approved a proposal to sign a protocol for setting up a Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) between India and Caribbean nation Dominican Republic. A decision in this regard was taken in a meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here. The joint committee, an official statement said, will provide a platform for the exchange of information between various authorities and their counterparts. "This would help in facilitating trade of goods and services and consequentially help in better employment opportunities for professionals in both the countries," it said. The Cabinet "approved the proposal for signing of a protocol for the establishment of JETCO between the (Indian) Department of Commerce and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic," the statement said. At present, there is no bilateral institutional mechanism between the two nations on trade and commerce, it added. India primarily imports gold fr
The Union Cabinet Thursday approved separate memorandum with the Netherlands, Dominican Republic and Ecuador on cooperation in the field of medical products regulation, an official statement said. The cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was apprised of the three Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) which were signed between the Health Ministry's Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and the respective regulatory authorities of the three countries. The MoU between the CDSCO and the Directorate General for Medicine, Foods and Sanitary Products Organizations of Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistant of Dominican Republic was signed on October 4 last year. Issues of substandard and falsified medicines moving in the international markets, and interaction amongst regulatory agencies are facilitated through the MoU, it stated. Convergence in the regulatory practices could help increasing export of medicines from India and consequentially create employment ...
A 5 magnitude earthquake struck the northwest Dominican Republic on Friday near the border with Haiti. The tremor occurred at a depth of 19 kilometers just west-northwest of Las Matas de Santa Cruz, according to the US Geological Survey. Officials in the Dominican Republic said the quake was felt in the border town of Montecristi all the way south to the capital of Santo Domingo. It was the strongest earthquake to hit the country this year, Dominican geologist Osiris de Len said. Jenrry Castro, mayor of the northwest town of Villa Vazquez, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that minor damage was reported in two schools. Products also fell off supermarkets shelves in the area, he said, adding that crews were inspecting all schools and municipal buildings in the town. The quake occurred in an area that has become a flashpoint in an ongoing border dispute between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. No immediate damage or injuries were reported in Haiti. The island of Hispaniola