
Starting this Monday and until 4 May, the Chilean navy is celebrating the Month of the Sea, edition 2016, and has chosen Punta Arenas in the extreme south of the country as the epicenter of the event which includes the visit of president Michelle Bachelet on 3 May.

The former president of Chile, Patricio Aylwin, has died aged 97 of natural causes, his family reported. Aylwin, a centre-right Christian Democrat, became president in 1990 and oversaw the transition to democracy following 17 years of military rule under General Augusto Pinochet.

A Chilean court Friday brought formal tax fraud charges against the daughter in law of President Michelle Bachelet in a scandal the leftist leader tearfully admitted was a painful ordeal. The case first came to light a year ago and has shocked the public in Chile, which is ranked by Transparency International as one of the least corrupt countries in Latin America.

The widow of American conservationist Doug Tompkins, who died last month while kayaking in South America's Patagonia region, says she'll build on her husband's legacy of protecting threatened ecosystems in Argentina and Chile.

It has been a bad year, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet told a Santiago newspaper this week, admitting that corruption scandals have sapped confidence in the country's institutions while sparking a reform drive that should bear fruit going forward.

Chile’s Congress has approved a law granting free university education to many of the country’s students. The law was approved by both houses of the legislature last week before Christmas. The measure is a pillar of President Michelle Bachelet’s reform promises and is expected to aid about 200,000 students at state universities.

Argentine president Mauricio Macri pledged full support for Mercosur which he defined as a 'long term strategic project', called for a quick trade agreement with the European Union and closer ties with 'our partners from the Pacific Alliance'.

Chilean president Michelle Bachelet called for a convergence among governments of South America despite the political and ideological differences, and anticipated that Chile will strongly promote the rapprochement between Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance.

The fragile relations between neighboring Chile and Peru appeared to unwind further Saturday, after Peruvian President Ollanta Humala officially recognized an administrative district in a disputed border area. The Chilean government promptly sent a protest note to Peru strongly rejecting the law because it concerns unquestionably Chilean territory.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet announced this week the creation of the Nazca-Desaventuradas Marine Park, giving Chile claim to the largest marine reserve in the Americas -- as well as the Easter Island Marine Park, which will be the third-largest fully protected marine area in the world.