UK's ambassador to Mexico (and ex to Chile, 2009/2014) has been removed from his post after a video of him jokingly pointing at staff what appears to be a high-powered rifle circulated online, causing controversy.
Argentina's ruling Frente de Todos (FdT) was quick to celebrate Gabriel Boric's win in Sunday's presidential runoff in Chile.
The UK is supporting and helping finance the development of a 20 million-dollar small scale renewable energy project in Chile. The project will be financed from the joint UK-Germany NAMA (Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action) Facility and Chile's is only one in four of 47 projects worldwide that applied for this funding and reflects the quality of the Chilean application.
Chilean Foreign Affairs Minister Alfredo Moreno has said that the UK has been granted Observer Status of the Pacific Alliance. The announcement was made by Moreno during his recent visit to Europe. The Pacific Alliance is made up of Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico and is consolidating as the fastest growing group in the region.
In another demonstration of the close links of Chile and Britain, members of the 14th Fire Brigade from the city of Santiago de Chile officially received the fourth bell of the old Compañía de Jesús Church which was completely destroyed by a devastating fire that also killed over 2.500 people in 1863, almost 150 years ago.
This week a Chilean court found two retired naval officers guilty in connection with the kidnapping, torture and murder of a Chilean-British citizen in September 1973; UK Ambassador Jon Benjamin made a statement about the verdicts in trial of those accused.
Chilean lawmaker Gabriel Ascencio is promoting a program of scholarships for students from his constituency in the south of Chile to travel to the Falkland Islands to learn English and become proficient in the language.
In an anticipation of Tuesday’s qualifier between Argentina and Chile for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, UK ambassador in Chile Jon Benjamin got muddled in a “twitter incident” involving the Falklands/Malvinas for which later he had to apologize.
British musician Roger Walters has fascinated his Argentine audiences and press reports on his shows could not be better. However the former Pink Floyd lead singer incursion into politics has not been such a success.
British ambassador in Chile Jon Benjamin said that if Lan flights to the Falkland Islands from Chile are suspended this can only be interpreted as an “economic blockade” of the Islands and strongly suggested that the administration of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez is trumpeting the Malvinas card pushed by “domestic interests”.