Chile

• Wednesday, April 29th 2026 - 15:11 UTC

  Chile's labor market hits 38 months of unemployment above 8% as growth forecast is revised down

  

  Chile's unemployment rate stood at 8.9% during the moving quarter from January to March 2026, a 0.2 percentage point increase over twelve months, according to data released on Wednesday by the National Statistics Institute (INE). The figure exceeded market expectations, which projected 8.6% according to the Bloomberg consensus, and completes 38 consecutive months with the indicator above 8%, confirming a structural weakness in the Chilean labor market that remains one of the main concerns of President José Antonio Kast's administration, in office since March 11.

• Friday, April 24th 2026 - 19:49 UTC

  Kast–Paz rapprochement opens door to potential restoration of Bolivia–Chile relations

  

  The foreign ministers of Bolivia, Fernando Aramayo, and Chile, Francisco Pérez Mackenna, agreed on Friday to deepen bilateral ties and advance a joint economic agenda, amid a decisive diplomatic rapprochement between the two countries after nearly five decades without ambassador-level relations. The meeting, held at an event organized by the Chamber of Industry, Commerce, Services, and Tourism (Cainco) in Santa Cruz, concluded a two-day official visit by the Chilean minister.

• Thursday, April 23rd 2026 - 22:58 UTC

  LATAM and Aerolíneas Argentinas aircraft collide on the ground at Santiago airport with no injuries reported

  

  Two commercial aircraft collided on the ground at Santiago's Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport on Wednesday evening in an incident that left no injuries but forced the rescheduling of both affected flights. The collision occurred at around 8:00 p.m. local time, when a LATAM Airlines Airbus A321 struck a stationary Aerolíneas Argentinas Boeing 737 that was holding on the apron awaiting clearance for take-off.

• Wednesday, April 22nd 2026 - 10:57 UTC

  Chile closes ranks on Strait of Magellan sovereignty a week after Argentine admiral's remarks

  

  A week after remarks by Argentine Rear Admiral Hernán Montero on the eastern mouth of the Strait of Magellan went viral, the Chilean government has consolidated a unified stance in defense of its sovereignty, while internal debate has shifted toward the executive's handling of the communications response.

• Monday, April 20th 2026 - 18:02 UTC

  Irregular Venezuelans in Chile want to leave but can't: no papers, no consulate, no return mechanism

  

  As President José Antonio Kast's government ramps up its campaign against irregular immigration with deportation flights and promises of mass expulsions, thousands of undocumented Venezuelans in Chile face a paradox: they want to leave but cannot do so legally. Without valid passports, without Venezuelan consular services in the country and without a formal voluntary return mechanism, they are trapped between a government that does not want them and a homeland they cannot reach.

• Friday, April 17th 2026 - 11:06 UTC

  Chile launches deportation flights under Kast with 40 migrants expelled to Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia

  

  The government of Chilean President José Antonio Kast carried out its first deportation flight of irregular migrants on Thursday, expelling 40 people on a Chilean Air Force (FACh) Boeing 737 that made stops in Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia. The 19 Colombians, the last group to disembark, arrived in Bogotá shortly after 8:00 p.m. local time. The 17 Bolivians and four Ecuadorians were dropped off previously in La Paz and Guayaquil, respectively. Each deportee traveled accompanied by an officer from Chile's Investigative Police (PDI).

• Monday, April 13th 2026 - 10:39 UTC

  United Kingdom highlights close relationship with Chile in defense and security

  

  Chilean Defense Minister Fernando Barros inaugurates the United Kingdom pavilion alongside Ambassador David Concar, Mark Jackson of the RAF, and Navy Captain Jason White

• Thursday, April 9th 2026 - 21:36 UTC

  Chilean Air Force conducts first-ever aerial refueling of US F-35 fighters

  

  The Chilean Air Force (FACh) completed for the first time an aerial refueling operation involving two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighters, in a milestone that demonstrates growing interoperability between the two countries and the level of modernization achieved by Chile's military aviation.

• Tuesday, April 7th 2026 - 05:05 UTC

  Chilean President Kast backs Argentine claim over Falklands in first state visit to Buenos Aires

  

  Chilean President José Antonio Kast formally backed Argentina's sovereignty claim over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands, South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands and surrounding maritime areas during his first state visit to Buenos Aires, where he met his counterpart Javier Milei at the Casa Rosada.

• Monday, April 6th 2026 - 01:07 UTC

  Chile and Argentina seek to “confront common enemies” in Kast's first state visit

  

  Chilean President José Antonio Kast departed Sunday on his first official trip abroad to meet his Argentine counterpart Javier Milei in a state visit centered on security, organized crime and the extradition of former guerrilla member Galvarino Apablaza.