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[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.

]]> Tue, 07 Apr 2026 05:05:00 GMT <![CDATA[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.

]]> Mon, 06 Apr 2026 01:07:00 GMT <![CDATA[Argentina offers reward for fugitive Chilean ex-guerrilla Apablaza ahead of Kast visit]]> The manhunt comes days before Chilean President José Antonio Kast's first official visit to Buenos Aires Argentina's government on Friday offered a reward of 20 million pesos — roughly $14,000 — for information leading to the capture of Galvarino Apablaza, former leader of the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front (FPMR), wanted by Chilean courts as the alleged mastermind of the 1991 assassination of Senator Jaime Guzmán and the kidnapping of businessman Cristián Edwards.

]]> Fri, 03 Apr 2026 21:38:00 GMT <![CDATA[Bolivia: probe into ring that stole and adulterated fuel imported through Chilean ports]]> YPFB tanker trucks with a capacity of up to 33,000 liters allegedly were illegally offloading between 700 and 1,000 liters at the Chilean ports of Arica and Iquique Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz on Tuesday denounced the existence of an international ring dedicated to stealing and adulterating gasoline and diesel imported into the country, with operations detected in Chile, Argentina, and Paraguay. According to the president, the scheme originated under the previous management of Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB), the state-owned fuel supply company.

]]> Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:37:00 GMT <![CDATA[Chile's new government freezes migrant legalization, eyes deportations]]> “Chile has been undermined by illegal immigration,” and “organized crime,” Kast said. However, Chile still has one of the lowest homicide rates in Latin America: 5.4 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025. President José Antonio Kast's government has suspended a decree drafted by the previous administration of Gabriel Boric that would have regularized some 182,000 people who entered Chile irregularly and voluntarily registered with immigration authorities.

]]> Tue, 31 Mar 2026 02:11:00 GMT <![CDATA[Sharp fuel price hike in Chile triggers first protests against Kast government]]> Kast defended the measure as a matter of fiscal honesty. “Speaking the truth gives us peace of mind. The alternative was to push the nation deeper into debt. That ends up costing more,” he said Chilean President José Antonio Kast's government faced its first street protests since taking office on March 11 this week, after a historic fuel price increase hit consumers and rapidly eroded public support for the far-right leader.

]]> Sun, 29 Mar 2026 22:04:00 GMT <![CDATA[International project validates renewable hydrogen energy systems in Antarctica]]> INACH Director Gino Casassa said the green hydrogen pilot plant design is backed by approximately 200 million Chilean pesos in funding from GIZ and the European Union A delegation of Chilean and European authorities and institutions completed a technical visit to the "Profesor Julio Escudero" research station operated by the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) on King George Island, where progress was presented on a pilot renewable hydrogen and energy infrastructure project designed to validate hybrid energy systems in one of the planet's most demanding environments.

]]> Thu, 26 Mar 2026 01:48:00 GMT