Dominican Republic

SANTO DOMINGO, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Luis Abinader, the Dominican Republic's new president, pledged on Sunday to strengthen healthcare amid the COVID-19 pandemic and fight corruption, during his first presidential speech.

"COVID-19 has exposed the country's serious institutional weakness ... this is an opportunity to overcome our structural deficiencies," he said after being sworn in.

The Dominican Republic has registered more than 85,000 cases of infection and 1,400 deaths from the disease, which has impacted tourism, one of the island's leading industries.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was shot in the back by a gunman who mistook him for the real target, another man who was seated at the same table at an outdoor cafe, Dominican officials said Wednesday.