Chile

SANTIAGO, Feb 9 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — New groups of specialists from Mexico and Colombia arrived Wednesday in Chile to help contain the wildfires in the center-south of the country, which have already devastated more than 290,000 hectares.    

The Mexican contingent of the National Forestry Commission, with experience in dealing with this type of emergency in Central America and Canada, will be assigned to the region of La Araucanía.

SANTIAGO, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chile has declared 26 communes in the country's south-central region to be wildfire risk areas as forest fires continue to rage, which have claimed 26 lives and burning 286,198 hectares so far, the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) said Tuesday.

The communes, or communities, have been placed on "red alert" given the chance of a large fire breaking out, Conaf Executive Director Christian Little said at a press conference.

SANTIAGO, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least five people died in southern Chile due to raging forest fires, which have consumed at least 8,333 hectares, official sources said Friday.

Interior Minister Carolina Toha told reporters that four people had died in the commune of Santa Juana in the Biobio region, one of the areas most affected by the fires some 550 km south of the capital Santiago.

They were either overtaken by the fire and burned or had an accident when they tried escaping the fire, she said.

22 Dec 2022; MEMO: Chilean President Gabriel Boric has announced that during his presidency his country will raise the level of its representation in the Palestinian territories to an embassy. Boric made the announcement in a speech on Wednesday evening at a Christmas celebration with the Palestinian community in Santiago, during which he also stressed that Palestinians are "a people who exist, who resist, who have a history."

SANTIAGO, Nov 17 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Minutes before deadline, officials from the Chilean/Brazilian carrier Latam and the Pilots Union reached over the weekend an agreement which deactivated what seemed an unavoidable strike. The reason for the strike dates back to 2020, when Latam fired 240 pilots and cut the remaining professionals salaries by 30%.

SANTIAGO, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Chilean authorities on Thursday said they found the body of a British astronomer who went missing in mid-September at an observatory in the north of the country, where he had arrived for a scientific research visit.

Authorities conducted an extensive search for Thomas Marsh, of the University of Warwick, across a vast area of the La Silla observatory, located in an arid, mountainous area 600 kilometers (373 miles) north of Chile's capital, Santiago.

17 Sep 2022; MEMO: The Israeli Foreign Ministry has summoned Chile's ambassador to rebuke him after Chilean President Gabriel Boric cancelled the credential ceremony for the new Israeli ambassador to Santiago, Israeli media reported on Friday.

Sept 17 (Reuters) - Chilean Foreign Ministry scheduled for September 30 the acceptance of Israeli Ambassador's credentials, days after a diplomatic tussle was seen in the South American country.

The dispute began on Thursday when Chilean Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejola informed newly appointed Israeli Ambassador Gil Artzyeli that Chilean President Gabriel Boric was postponing a meeting to accept his credentials until October. 

16 Sep 2022; MEMO: Chilean President, Gabriel Boric, yesterday refused to accept the credentials of new Israeli Ambassador, Gil Artzyeli, due to Israel's killing of Palestinians.

Artzyeli had been scheduled to present his credentials to Boric as a formality, but the Chilean government informed him that the ceremony had been cancelled, before he was instructed to leave.

SANTIAGO, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Chile will go back to the drawing board to redraft its Augusto Pinochet-era constitution after a new text got overwhelmingly rejected in a historic referendum vote on Sunday, a blow to the country's progressives, including young President Gabriel Boric.

Boric on Monday held meetings with political and social leaders over how to salvage plans for a new constitution, bruised by the vote that saw some 7.9 million Chileans reject the proposal against 4.9 million in favor, a larger-than-expected landslide loss.