Chile

• Wednesday, July 22nd 2015 - 06:20 UTC

  Chilean congress makes unprecedented mea culpa on several corruption cases

  

  The Chilean Congress made an unprecedented mea culpa on Tuesday for a series of corruption cases involving lawmakers that have eroded public confidence in the institution. In the first review of the state of the Congress in its 204-year history, lawmakers acknowledged the damage caused by corruption, including accusations of tax fraud leveled against four opposition figures, two of them members of Congress.

• Thursday, July 9th 2015 - 06:41 UTC

  Chile's inflation picks up in June, despite persistent weak economic growth

  

  Chile's inflation picked up and beat expectations in June despite persistently weak economic growth. The consumer price index rose 0.5% in June, as prices for transportation, housing and basic services increased, the government's stats agency said on Wednesday.

• Wednesday, July 8th 2015 - 07:21 UTC

  Chile official involved in 2018/2022 World Cup inspections, suspended by FIFA

  

  The official chosen by FIFA to inspect 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosting candidates was banned from football for seven years for breaking ethics rules. FIFA’s ethics committee gave no reason for its decision to suspend Harold Mayne-Nicholls, a former president of Chile’s soccer federation who is disputing the sanction.

• Friday, July 3rd 2015 - 08:16 UTC

  Magallanes Region retains second lowest unemployment rate in Chile

  

  Unemployment in Magallanes Region, extreme south of Chile reached 4% in the March/May quarter, which is 1.2 percentage points higher than a year ago, and 0.3 percentage points more than the previous mobile quarter, according to the latest report from the country's Stats Office, INE.

• Friday, July 3rd 2015 - 06:26 UTC

  Falklands' war: Chilean top commentator defends Chile's role in supporting UK

  

  Only a few hours off from Saturday's last match of the 2015 Copa America when the best South American team will emerge, the rivalry between finalists Argentina and hosts Chile has erupted strongly and the Falkland Islands' issue is not absent from aggressive chants and insulting messages in the social networks.

• Thursday, July 2nd 2015 - 06:24 UTC

  Chile insists with Pacific Alliance/Mercosur intelligent convergence

  

  Chile will insist at the two-day Pacific Alliance summit which took off on Wednesday in Paracas, Peru, that a convergence with Mercosur is needed to ensure the integration of Latina America, and this is more evident now that both groupings face similar challenges such as falling prices for commodities, normalization of US monetary policy and an international context of slow growth.

• Monday, June 29th 2015 - 07:05 UTC

  End of Copa America for Chile's “Finger of God” Jara: three matches suspension

  

  Chile defender Gonzalo Jara will miss the rest of the current Copa America after being suspended for three matches for sticking his finger up an opponent's backside and feigning injury during a match.

• Wednesday, June 24th 2015 - 07:15 UTC

  Driest June in Santiago in fifty years worsens pollution in the midst of Copa America match

  

  Chile's capital Santiago has experienced the driest June in half a century, leading to unexpected headache-inducing levels of contamination and Andean ski slopes bereft of snow, with no rain clouds on the horizon. There has been zero precipitation in the month to date in Santiago, the first time that has happened in fifty years, according to meteorology records.

• Thursday, June 18th 2015 - 06:40 UTC

  Chilean striking teachers take to the streets; million students with no classes

  

  Thousands of striking teachers have taken to the streets in the Chilean capital Santiago to protest against education reform plans. The peaceful rally held on Wednesday turned violent when clashes erupted between riot police and a group of protesters, which led to the arrest of a number of people.

• Thursday, June 18th 2015 - 06:34 UTC

  Punta Arenas rescues semi-submersible rig stranded in the port's muddy bottom

  

  A semi-submersible rig of Chinese origin commissioned to Total and which grounded 200 meters from the coast in Punta Arenas following strong winds and tides that let it lose from its moorings in the port, has been rescued on the high tide. Apparently the huge vessel has not suffered major 'visible damages', reports La Prensa Austral.