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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, July 21st 2025 - 15:51 UTC

Chile

  • Saturday, March 29th 2025 - 09:05 UTC

    Covid-19 cases on the rise in Chile

    “A very strong risk communication campaign is needed to get vaccinated,” Paris underlined

    Chilean health authorities recorded 98 casualties attributable to Covid-19 between Jan. 1 and March 22, 2025, with a total of 5,191 confirmed cases. The fatalities were 76.5 years old on average with an almost equal distribution between genders, while patients with chronic conditions like hypertension or diabetes were affected the most.

  • Friday, March 28th 2025 - 10:03 UTC

    Chile: Boric picks Cordero for newly-created Security Ministry

    “There are no simplistic solutions,” Cordero admitted

    Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font Thursday created the country's Security Ministry and appointed Luis Cordero to head it. Cordero, who is serving as undersecretary of the Interior following the scandalous departure of Manuel Monsalve, will take up his new post effective April 1.

  • Thursday, March 27th 2025 - 09:55 UTC

    Seven Chilean fishermen arrested in clash with carabineros

    Eight law enforcement officers were injured but are out of danger, General Espinoza said

    Seven people were arrested, and several law enforcement officers were injured Wednesday as artisanal fishermen in the Chilean region of Maule clashed with carabineros during a protest on Route 5 South near San Javier. The demonstrators blocked the highway to protest against the so-called Fracking Law bill, which was to be voted on in the Senate. All eight injured officers were reported to be out of immediate danger.

  • Tuesday, March 25th 2025 - 10:08 UTC

    Southern Chile hit by ravaging fires

    A red alert has been declared, and authorities are coordinating the fire extinguishing and relief efforts

    Forest fires in south-central Chile have caused widespread destruction over the past few days in multiple regions, such as La Araucanía, Biobío, Ñuble, and Los Ríos, with more than 15,000 hectares ravaged.

  • Tuesday, March 25th 2025 - 08:21 UTC

    Non-flying birds relocated from Argentina to Chile where they neared extinction

    Choiques are non-flying birds playing a key role in distributing seeds in their long-distance displacements

    Conservationist groups from Chile and Argentina have undertaken a project to transfer 15 Patagonian rheas (also known as choiques) from Argentina’s Patagonia Park in Santa Cruz to Chile’s Patagonia National Park in the Aysén Region, in an initiative led by Rewilding organizations of both countries and supported by the Tompkins Conservation Foundation.

  • Monday, March 24th 2025 - 08:22 UTC

    IDB annual assembly hosted by Chile, focused on private sector engagement

    The event marks the 65th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the IDB and the 39th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of IDB Invest

    The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and IDB Invest will hold the 2025 Annual Meetings of their Boards of Governors in Chile on March 26-30. Economic and financial leaders from the Bank’s 48 member countries and the private sector will address key development challenges and opportunities in the Latin America and Caribbean region, including combating poverty and hunger and harnessing innovation to foster growth and sustainability. 

  • Saturday, March 22nd 2025 - 10:27 UTC

    Chile's Central Bank keeps benchmark interest rate unchanged

    “Uncertainty about the outlook for the global economy has increased significantly since the previous meeting,” the Central Bank panel admitted

    Chile's Central Bank unanimously decided Friday to keep the monetary policy interest rate at 5%, thus responding to market expectations. It was the second consecutive month the rate has been held steady, reflecting caution amid heightened global economic uncertainty driven by geopolitical risks and US tariff announcements under President Donald Trump. These factors have impacted US growth prospects and inflation expectations, prompting the Federal Reserve to pause its rate cuts.

  • Friday, March 21st 2025 - 10:55 UTC

    Boric signs Chile's pension reform into law

    Approving a reform to the AFP system “cost a lot,” Boric admitted

    Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font Thursday signed into law the new pensions reform introducing changes to the retirement mechanism in force since Augusto Pinochet Ugarte's military dictatorship (1973-1990). The new law will become effective starting in September 2025 and be fully implemented by 2035. It provides for a mixed system with contributions from workers (10%), employers (8.5%), and a new state-backed social security component, in a move to boost pensions by 14% to 35% for 2.8 million senior citizens, thus addressing the low payouts from privately-managed Pension Fund Administrators (AFPs) currently giving about half the country's retirees about US$ 350 monthly when the minimum wage stands at US$ 500.

  • Thursday, March 20th 2025 - 13:37 UTC

    Bolivia's oil supply from bad to worse

    Tumiri urged protesters to allow passage

    A lorry carrying crude oil from Chile to Bolivia for refining overturned in Lauca National Park, Arica, Chile, spilling approximately 10,000 liters of oil, thus causing significant environmental contamination. Firefighters initially contained the spill, but damage to flora and fauna is still being assessed by Chile's National Forestry Corporation (Conaf).

  • Thursday, March 20th 2025 - 09:48 UTC

    Chilean Lower House Speaker resigns her post

    Cariola was giving birth when her apartment was searched by the prosecution, which sparked controversy

    Chilean Congresswoman Karol Cariola, who is on maternity leave, turned in her resignation as Speaker of the Lower House after private chats in which she criticized President Gabriel Boric Font were leaked. Cariola is also under investigation for alleged influence peddling after she asked former Santiago Mayor and fellow Communist Irací Hassler to help a Chinese businessman “friend,” as other private conversations would have proven. She was also quoted as saying that Boric was “a shitty human being” and the current government, “the worst thing that has happened to us.”