MercoPress https://en.mercopress.com/ South Atlantic News Agency en Copyright 2026, MercoPress. https://en.mercopress.com/web/img/en/mercopress-logo.gif MercoPress http://en.mercopress.com/ <![CDATA[Bullrich vows that Argentina's government will capture former guerrilla Apablaza for extradition to Chile]]> Apablaza, a former member of the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front, is identified by Chilean justice as the mastermind of the assassination of Senator Jaime Guzmán, architect of the 1980 Constitution Argentine senator and former Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said in Santiago on Tuesday that Javier Milei's government maintains "the firm determination" to locate Chilean former guerrilla Galvarino Sergio Apablaza, on the run since April 1 in Argentine territory, in order to extradite him to Chile. "If he is in Argentina, we are going to find him. That is the commitment of the Argentine president, it is the commitment of the government," Bullrich told local media during her visit to the Andean country, where she will meet with Chilean President José Antonio Kast.

]]> Tue, 05 May 2026 18:28:00 GMT <![CDATA[Chile's labor market hits 38 months of unemployment above 8% as growth forecast is revised down]]> INE attributed the increase to a 0.7% rise in the labor force, above the 0.5% registered by the employed population, which translated into a 3.3% increase in the total number of unemployed persons 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.

]]> Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:11:00 GMT <![CDATA[Kast–Paz rapprochement opens door to potential restoration of Bolivia–Chile relations]]> The diplomatic shift responds to a direct “mandate” from the presidents of both countries — far-right José Antonio Kast, who took office in Chile on March 11, and center-right Rodrigo Paz 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.

]]> Fri, 24 Apr 2026 19:49:00 GMT <![CDATA[LATAM and Aerolíneas Argentinas aircraft collide on the ground at Santiago airport with no injuries reported]]> Chile's Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) reported that both aircraft were immediately stopped and subjected to technical assessment in line with operational safety protocols 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.

]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:58:00 GMT <![CDATA[Chile closes ranks on Strait of Magellan sovereignty a week after Argentine admiral's remarks]]> The head of Argentina’s Naval Hydrography Service had stated that “the mouth of the Strait of Magellan is Argentine,” a claim that Chile’s foreign minister described as “unfounded.” 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.

]]> Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:57:00 GMT <![CDATA[Irregular Venezuelans in Chile want to leave but can't: no papers, no consulate, no return mechanism]]> Of the more than 336,000 migrants in irregular status in Chile, 75% are Venezuelan 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.

]]> Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:02:00 GMT <![CDATA[Chile launches deportation flights under Kast with 40 migrants expelled to Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia]]> The operation is not unprecedented in Chile. Under the government of Gabriel Boric (2022-2026), more than 20 deportation flights were carried out and roughly 4,500 people were expelled 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).

]]> Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:06:00 GMT <![CDATA[United Kingdom highlights close relationship with Chile in defense and security]]> Chilean Defense Minister Fernando Barros inaugurates the United Kingdom’s pavilion alongside Ambassador David Concar, RAF’s Mark Jackson, and Navy Captain Jason White Chilean Defense Minister Fernando Barros inaugurates the United Kingdom pavilion alongside Ambassador David Concar, Mark Jackson of the RAF, and Navy Captain Jason White

]]> Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:39:00 GMT <![CDATA[Chilean Air Force conducts first-ever aerial refueling of US F-35 fighters]]> The maneuver was carried out on April 4 in international airspace, as the fifth-generation fighters were en route to Santiago to participate in FIDAE 2026 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.

]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 21:36:00 GMT <![CDATA[Chilean President Kast backs Argentine claim over Falklands in first state visit to Buenos Aires]]> Milei thanked Kast “on behalf of the Argentine government for the traditional support of the Chilean government on the Malvinas Islands Question.” Photo: Juan Mabromata / AFP 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.

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