Chile

• Tuesday, January 3rd 2017 - 19:41 UTC

  Magallanes salmon harvest reaches 68.000 tons in 2016

  

  Salmon farming production in Magallanes region, extreme south of Chile reached 68.000 tons in 2016, a 30% increase over the previous year, according to Drago Covacich, head of the Magallanes Salmon and Trout farmers.

• Tuesday, January 3rd 2017 - 10:08 UTC

  Wildfire burns home and forces evacuation of hundreds in Valparaiso

  

  A wildfire ravaged woods and burned 100 homes in the hilly Chilean port city of Valparaiso, where authorities evacuated hundreds of people. At least 19 people were reported hurt after the fire broke out on the outskirts of the historic port city, the government said.

• Monday, December 26th 2016 - 05:50 UTC

  Chileans survive strong Christmas Day earthquake

  

  A 7.6/7.7 degrees earthquake affected five regions in southern Chile on Sunday but left no fatal casualties. “There is no loss of human life,” National Emergency Management Office (ONEMI) Director Ricardo Toro said.

• Tuesday, December 20th 2016 - 08:19 UTC

  Macri and Bachelet agree on a Mercosur-Pacific Alliance meeting in first half of 2017

  

  Argentina and Chile agreed to organize a major Mercosur, Pacific Alliance trade blocks' meeting during the first half of 2017. Last Friday Chilean president Michelle Bachelet and her cabinet were in Buenos Aires with peers Mauricio Macri and ministers as part of an agenda of regular meetings to address a joint agenda.

• Tuesday, December 20th 2016 - 07:00 UTC

  Chile sanctioned with fine and stadium ban for eighth bout of homophobic chanting

  

  Fifa hit Chile with a two-match stadium ban and a 30,000 Swiss franc (US$29,000) fine on Monday for a fresh bout of homophobic chanting by their fans. The Copa America champions are barred from playing at their Santiago home stadium for matches against Paraguay and Ecuador next year.

• Sunday, December 18th 2016 - 23:57 UTC

  Argentine Navy ship sets sail on Antarctica PANC mission to relieve Chile's Lautaro

  

  The Argentine Navy's ARA Islas Malvinas set sail Friday enroute to Antarctica to take part in the joint operation with the Chilean Navy in the “Combined Naval Antarctic Patrol” -- better known for its Spanish acronym PANC (Patrulla Antártica Naval Combinada) -- to control maritime traffic and address environmental issues in the area.

• Saturday, December 17th 2016 - 09:13 UTC

  Macri's Argentina back from world isolation except from Venezuela and Iran

  

  Argentine President Mauricio Macri said Friday that “we have come from years of isolation and bad relations with almost all countries except Venezuela and Iran.” He added that “this year we have experienced a Copernican change in that sense.”

• Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 08:20 UTC

  Heat wave in Santiago breaks century old record, 37.3 Celsius

  

  A heat wave brought blistering temperatures to the streets of Chile's capital, Santiago, on Wednesday and broke a century-old record as thermometers reached 37.3 Celsius. Chile's meteorological service called the event extreme, while the health ministry advised residents to wear light clothing, drink water and avoid outdoor activities.

• Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 07:12 UTC

  Bachelet furious with Economy minister who accepted an inflatable sex doll as a Xmas gift

  

  A Twitter storm blew up Wednesday in Chile over a business association's Christmas gift to the economy minister: an inflatable sex doll “to stimulate the economy.” The X-rated doll was a gift from the Association of Manufacturing and Services Exporters (Asexma) to Economy Minister Luis Felipe Cespedes at its annual dinner Tuesday night.

• Tuesday, December 13th 2016 - 08:49 UTC

  First loan for an Andes tunnel to connect Argentina with Chile as part of Mercosur road net

  

  The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a US$40 million loan that will allow for bidding to begin for the Agua Negra tunnel, which will connect San Juan province in Argentina with that of Coquimbo in Chile. The tunnel is key to improving trade integration between the two countries and the rest of Mercosur through a new corridor that will connect the Atlantic and the Pacific from Porto Alegre, Brazil, west to Coquimbo, Chile.