After a fortnight virtually in hiding, Chile's former Undersecretary of the Interior Manuel Monsavle came back into the limelight Friday in Viña del Mar. His whereabouts had been unknown since resigning following rape charges filed against him.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Monday accused Brazil's Foreign Ministry of being an agent at the service of the United States, which would explain his country not being admitted as an associate member of BRICS, unlike Cuba and Bolivia.
The recent sex scandal involving former Interior Undersecretary Manuel Monsalve took its toll Sunday on the ruling coalition of President Gabriel Boric Font during the first round of municipal elections in which the opposition UDI, RN, and Evópoli emerged as the strongest rightwing forces nationwide with victories in 121 communes. Boric's allies prevailed in 111 and the Republicans of former presidential candidate José Antonio Kast in 8, including a surprising one in Puente Alto. All in all, Chile Vamos became the strongest political force nationwide.
The departure of Manuel Monsalve as Chile's Interior Undersecretary seems to have been the beginning instead of the end of the problem for the Government of President Gabriel Boric Font. For starters, Monsalve's successor Luis Cordero admitted Thursday that there whereabouts of the man facing rape charges were unknown.
The Chilean Navy's icebreaker AGB-46 Almirante Viel received her combat flag during a cermony at the Talcahuano Naval Base. Viel Captain Juan Pablo Henríquez took delivery on Tuesday of the symbolic item from Chilean Maritime League President Admiral (ret.) Edmundo González.
A recent study conducted by the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) and the University of Santiago de Chile (USACH) reveals that citizens in Ecuador, Costa Rica, Chile, and Uruguay are increasingly open to harsh punitive measures, or mano dura, as a response to rising insecurity.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font's approval ratings fell sharply, according to a survey by pollsters Cadem Plaza Pública released in Santiago during the weekend. The head of state was found to only have a 27% positive image after the sex scandal involving former Interior Undersecretary Manuel Monsalve, who resigned days after the case against him was filed and only when he failed to keep it from public knowledge.
Chile's President Gabriel Boric Font chose Luis Cordero to replace Manuel Monsalve as Undersecretary of the Interior following the latter's resignation amid an alleged rape scandal currently under investigation, Interior Minister Carolina Tohá announced.
Manuel Monsalve turned in his resignation Thursday as Chile's Interior Undersecretary amid rape allegations. I have been informed during the course of this week that there is an accusation against me, of which I do not know the details, Monsalve said. I have not committed any conduct constituting a crime, he added while insisting that the reason for his departure was not to have any privilege during the investigation. Monsalve's alleged victim is a woman of legal age who works as an official at the Interior Undersecretariat.
Chilean authorities used a thermal drone to locate in the Magellan Strait area and later rescue a fisherman from the Pacific Ocean, it was reported Monday. The man later identified as Sergio Brito was wearing adequate clothing, thanks to which he survived the cold temperatures. In addition, he clung to seaweed while waiting for Carabineros and the Navy.