Chilean Institutions and Legal Casesactive

The Immersive Museum Las Condes (MUI) has already opened its doors, as a renewed space that positions itself as the first permanent audiovisual immersive museum in Chile. The project, developed by the Municipality of Las Condes and its Cultural Corporation, is part of the commemorative activities for the 125th anniversary of the commune and represents a comprehensive transformation of the old interactive museum, incorporating a new concept based on immersive experiences. It features four immersive rooms, more than 290 square meters of projection surface, 76 m² of LED screens, 42 million pixels, 16 state-of-the-art motion sensors, and immersive sound, according to details from the MUI. In this way, visitors will find experiences that combine art, cutting-edge technology, and large-format audiovisual content. Each tour has a maximum capacity of 65 people, and each experience will last approximately 50 minutes. Las Condes mayor, Catalina San Martín, stated: “The inauguration of the new MUI marks one of the main milestones of the 125th anniversary celebration of Las Condes.” “We are providing Chile with a pioneering museum that incorporates new technologies to bring art and culture closer to audiences of all ages. It positions the commune as a reference in cultural innovation.” The space will be inaugurated with the exhibition Ceiba: the tree that connects the mun…

Banmédica and Vida Tres filed two damages claims demanding nearly 9 billion pesos from the Chilean Treasury for patrimonial damages caused during the implementation of the new Explicit Guarantees in Health (GES) decree. In the legal actions, which Pulso had access to, the insurers accuse a regulatory inconsistency that, in their view, directly violates their fundamental rights and the sustainability of the private system. On December 1, 2025, UnitedHealth Group (UHG) announced the sale of all its stake in Empresas Banmédica (through its parent company Bordeaux Holding SpA) to the purchasing consortium formed by the Brazilian investment group Patria Investments (operating through Healthcare MX Holdings S. L.) and the Chilean investment fund Linzor Capital. But the sale process has not yet concluded, and the Americans remain the controllers. According to their respective pleadings, the GES Decree 29/2025 issued by the Ministry of Health came into effect on December 1, 2025, which forced the ISAPREs to immediately provide the new coverage for 90 health problems to their affiliates. However, they allege that, through Circular IF/N° 520, the Superintendence of Health instructed that the new price (Prima GES 2025) could only begin to be charged starting from the quote paid in February 2026. According to the document, this…

Mauricio Bravo, vice dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Development, discussed this morning on the streaming program Desde la Redacción de La Tercera the reform to the School Admission System, as well as the project submitted by the Executive that seeks to postpone the transfer to SLEP until 2040. Regarding the first point, the vice dean stated that from his point of view, the reform to the SAE "is on the right track," as it directly addresses the weaknesses of the admission system. "In the technical table, there was quite a consensus regarding that diagnosis, that the SAE was extremely rigid, that it did not allow solving certain problems that were typical of institutional educational projects," he said. In this regard, he indicated that the project aims precisely, through the complementary mechanism of mutual choice, to create an opportunity for parents to learn more about the educational project in a closer way. "At the table, there was a lot of criticism about that, that it was an inhumane system, that it was not close, etc.," he stated. Along these lines, the academic indicated that "it could not be outright dismissed" that the introduction of these new variables might open a space for discrimination, but he also pointed out that one cannot start from a basis of distrust. "There are human beings, there are people who can make certain mistakes, but I also believe that we cannot start a...

Trump announced $3 billion in investments for critical minerals mining to reduce US reliance on China. The funding aims to create jobs.

China’s rare earth producers have reported or anticipated hefty first-half profits, with Beijing’s use of the strategically critical minerals as leverage in trade relations with Japan and the United States not appearing to impede normal activity. The geopolitical factor – US President Donald Trump announced more than US$2 billion of domestic mining investment on Friday, widely viewed as diversifying the country’s rare earth supply chain away from China’s near-monopoly – has helped drive up...

MR. DIRECTOR: In the discussion about municipal financing, it is worth remembering that territorial equity has not been the result of a single reform nor the patrimony of a single political sector, but the outcome of a gradual process, from the creation of the Municipal Common Fund in 1979 and its consolidation in the Municipalities Law, to subsequent reforms that expanded its sources of funding, such as Laws No. 19,816, 20,033, 20,237, and 20,922. (2016) Therefore, the establishment of the Mining Royalty should be understood as a historic milestone, strengthening municipal financing, and creating specific contributions to the MCF, including the Mining Municipalities Fund and the Territorial Equity Fund, incorporating new resources for municipalities with high dependence on the MCF and lower own revenues. For this reason, at least the expressions of Mayor Catalina San Martín are striking and uninformed, as she is unaware of this history when she claims that “the opposition was in government and never raised the issue of the Municipal Common Fund” and that “the left led the AChM and never, never raised this issue,” amidst statements about municipal compensations. Maintaining the quality of the debate is essential. Because this project, promoted in the previous government, represented a concrete advance, where the wealth generated by a strategic activity contributes more directly to local development, in a context where municipalities are fulfilling increasing functions…

A dispute between two crew members of a fishing boat ended with a 39-year-old man dead and another detained in the Bahía Mansa area, next to Puerto del Hambre and about 56 kilometers south of Punta Arenas. The incident occurred during Saturday night aboard a small vessel that was anchored in the area. "Two crew members of a small vessel that was anchored in the Bahía Mansa area had a dispute and subsequent fight, resulting in one of them dying," explained Subprefect Roberto González, head of the Punta Arenas Homicide Brigade. The victim had multiple stab wounds. At the time of the discovery, his identity was unknown, so specialists from the Regional Criminalistics Laboratory (Lacrim) conducted an analysis of his fingerprints and determined he was a 39-year-old Chilean citizen. The accused had three active arrest warrants. The procedure was initially carried out by personnel from the Maritime Police of the Punta Arenas Port Authority, who later reported the details to the Public Prosecutor's Office. "Once they reported to the Public Prosecutor's Office, all procedures were entrusted to the Punta Arenas Homicide Brigade," González said. During the early hours of Sunday, detectives from that unit, along with a criminalist doctor and Lacrim specialists, traveled to Bahí…

The Chamber of Deputies will decide this Monday on the idea of legislating the constitutional reform project to limit President José Antonio Kast's power to grant individual pardons. The project was presented by the deputies of that time - December 2025 - Daniella Cicardini, Lorena Fries (FA), Daniel Manouchehri (PS), Vlado Mirosevic, Helia Molina, Javiera Morales, Alejandra Placencia, and Héctor Ulloa. According to the parliamentarians, the initiative seeks to establish that this authority of the President cannot be exercised regarding persons convicted of crimes against humanity. Specifically, the project proposes adding that statement to an inciso of article 32 No. 14 of the Constitution that limits this power. Although the President currently has the authority to grant individual pardons, the authors of the project pointed out that this power should have an explicit constitutional limit when it comes to crimes against humanity. In this regard, the parliamentarians stated that those crimes "cannot be subject to mechanisms that reduce or eliminate the effects of sentences, and they base the proposal on Chile's international commitments on human rights." Nevertheless, the initiative remains in the first constitutional process and pending a vote in the Chamber, after the Constitution Committee rejected the initiative in general in January 2026. Thus, it will be the Chamber that has the final say so…

During a strategic checkpoint in Cuya, a town in the Arica and Parinacota Region, the Investigative Police (PDI) arrested two suspects wanted for homicide in La Cisterna. Commissioner Sebastián Contreras Machuca of the Homicide Brigade (BH) of the PDI explained that during a strategic checkpoint, detectives "proceeded to check two individuals of Colombian nationality, who had a warrant at the request of the South BH." This was for the murder of another foreigner in Santiago on August 6. Upon detecting them, personnel from the Arica Investigations Brigade executed the arrest warrant issued by the Public Prosecutor's Office. Both suspects will be brought before the Guarantee Court this coming Monday for their respective detention hearing.

The Minister of Finance, Jorge Quiroz, announced this Sunday that he will convene a cross-sectoral commission to address the administrative statute, an initiative he linked to fiscal consolidation. "I will soon convene a cross-sectoral commission, led by an independent economist, to handle the issue of the government's administrative statute," Quiroz said in an interview with Estadio Nacional of TVN. The Secretary of State explained that the focus of the body will specifically be the administrative statute and maintained that, to consolidate fiscal reordering, it is "extremely important to have an administrative statute consistent with the times." Quiroz described the matter as complex, requiring a slower process, and mentioned the need for conversations with the academic world and technical experts from various sectors. "It is a national issue and requires our attention," he affirmed. When asked when the commission would start operating, he replied: "We hope to get it going next week." Mega-reform and Constitutional Court During the interview, Quiroz also addressed the mega-reform and expressed being "happy" with the process. The minister stated that one of the lessons learned is that structural changes can be made in Chile quickly. Regarding the requests submitted to the Constitutional Court, he affirmed that the body usually resolves "with a lot of ...

An investigation by Lighthouse Reports, The Financial Times and Le Monde traces the possible export of uranium from the Democratic Republic of Congo back to a confidential International Atomic Energy Agency memo obtained in 2024. Chinese mining group CMOC, which owns the main site examined in Katanga, disputes the findings.

"Minister, we have a problem." It was near noon on Wednesday, July 22, and the Undersecretary of the Interior, Máximo Pavez, had just entered the office of the minister of that department, Claudio Alvarado. He was holding a printed paper. And his face showed that there was no good news. That morning, he had received an email from Corthorn Health, a toxicology laboratory that in May had won a contract in record time—18 days—with the National Service for the Prevention and Rehabilitation of Drug and Alcohol Consumption (Senda), to detect illegal drug or psychotropic substance use among the country's top authorities. Ministers and undersecretaries had undergone hair sample testing in June, and the results were in their inbox. Pavez quickly realized there was a problem. Among the tests, one was positive: that of the Undersecretary of Finance, Juan Pablo Rodríguez, the right-hand man of the minister of that department, Jorge Quiroz. Amid key days for the processing of the mega-reform— which was dispatched by Congress on Tuesday and in which Rodríguez had played an important role— the news hit like a cold shower. They were facing a crisis. That was what both—Pavez and Alvarado—quickly discussed, aware that it was one of the most complex situations faced by the administration of José Antonio Kast and…

MR. DIRECTOR: I appreciate that the President has announced an agenda of more than 30 initiatives against organized crime and that a good part of them — the ones already in process and the new ones — are being debated in Congress. The seriousness of the criminal phenomenon, and in particular the consolidation of organized crime structures in Chile, justifies this legislative effort. That said, I have reservations. I do not see the need for a constitutional reform that enshrines security as a duty of the State. Our Constitution already contains, in various provisions, references to that duty; an additional declarative norm will hardly mark a before and after. I fear it is more of a symbolic than an effective proposal. I also miss concrete prevention measures: early investment directed at children and young people in vulnerable situations, who are the most exposed to starting criminal careers. Without that preventive component, the prosecutorial emphasis remains incomplete. I also think it is a mistake not to have urgently included the processing of the financial intelligence bill already advanced in Congress, particularly the possibility of lifting bank secrecy in administrative proceedings to investigate organized crime. It is a tool that countries with greater institutional development in this area already use, and which is now indispensable. Finally, I believe the government should seek a cross-party agreement for the processing of this age…

MR. DIRECTOR: The Executive presented a bill to Congress to adjust the Public Education Law that deserves careful analysis. The project aims to improve the transfer of municipal establishments to the new Local Education Services. 2029 is the maximum deadline for the installation of SLEP, and it would be delayed until 2040. If approved, the system's installation would take 23 years from its enactment in 2017, almost a quarter of a century. It would be prudent to seek a more effective and demanding solution so that the Executive Power (current and future) commits to a date no later than 2032 to complete the system's installation. A fundamental problem of the Public Education Law is the flexibility allowing municipalities that, de facto, are governed by certain political colors, have higher incomes, and a socioeconomically more favored population to maintain public schools. This proposal deepens that laxity, risking fragmenting public education and creating structural inequalities. This occurs in early childhood education, where four public funding systems generate inequalities in investment per child. Fragmentation creates inequalities, limits effectiveness and efficiency. A productive conversation and political agreements are needed to strengthen institutional stability rather than fragment it. Finally, in SLEP there are intermediate leaderships, directive…

It is hard to imagine a better week for President Kast's government because, alongside the rapid approval of the Reconstruction Law in Congress—a bold set of proposals through which the Executive hopes to boost the economy and employment—the President announced a comprehensive security agenda on national television, which includes around 30 bills—some already in progress and others to be introduced soon—promising that "Chileans will regain their freedom, and criminals and drug traffickers will lose theirs forever." Less than five months into the government, it is certainly a significant political achievement that the government has been able to deploy the two most important agendas it came into power with in such a short time: growth and crime fighting, precisely the issues Chileans care about most. In other words, far from being mere ideological obsessions or revolutionary ambitions—as opposition sectors insist on portraying these programmatic priorities—they are reforms that align fully with the central concerns of the citizens, although the true effectiveness of these measures remains to be proven. Reconnecting with the main concerns of Chileans and fostering hope among the population is something that r…

It may still be very present the recent World Cup, with Spain's extraordinary victory, but this week it appeared to me in a football context. If the government and opposition were teams competing to advance to the next round, it could be said that the ruling party is winning 2-1, despite the opposition not having scored any goals. The Reconstruction project, love it or not, is an undeniable political success. Its text goes to the heart of center-right ideas; it is enough to say that it lowers taxes for the first time since 1990 and that its entire architecture aims to focus on investment and economic growth. During its processing, the opposition was divided between those who self-excluded and, as always, accused that the right governs for the rich; those who tried to dialogue, but at the first raised eyebrow from the Communist Party and the Broad Front, they retreated; and the PPD senators who even reached an agreement that ultimately succumbed to "progressive" pressure. Ultimately, the same opposition that recently called for dialogue and agreements around their initiatives now discovered that bad agreements also exist and that it is a "duty" to vote against what they consider setbacks. They are within their rights, but in the end, the PPD senators achieved more, influencing an important part of the text that even survived the rupture with the government, than the rest of the opposition, which preferred irrelevance...

The damages caused by the frontal system in the agriculture of Los Ríos began to be assessed this Saturday by the Minister of Agriculture, Jaime Campos. The authority reported that his department's teams are deployed in the communes of the region to compile a register that will allow for measuring the impacts and defining aid distribution. During the morning, the authority held a meeting with the regional presidential delegate, Vicky Carrasco, the regional Secretary of Agriculture, Rodrigo Emilet Bahamonde, and the regional directors of the dependent services to evaluate the effects of the latest weather event. According to Campos, the preliminary assessment indicates that, "in general terms, the regional agriculture has supported, has resisted this last climatic emergency," although there are sectors and producers that recorded damages. Among the main identified impacts are vegetable crops, particularly due to the blowing off of shed and greenhouse roofs and the flooding of agricultural lands. The minister also warned of difficulties in feeding livestock because part of the prairies remains flooded, which forces an increase in the distribution of forage and feed for animals. Additionally, there may be an impact on the production calendar. Campos stated that during the upcoming week it will be possible to determine whether soil conditions will force a delay in the planting of the upcoming crops.

The main suspect in a failed homicide that occurred in May in the city of Curicó, located in the Maule Region, remains in preventive detention. The events took place in public, in the Santa Lucía neighborhood. The victim was shot in the lower part of his body with a shotgun and sustained serious injuries, remaining hospitalized for more than two months. Following orders from the Public Prosecutor's Office, detectives from the Homicide Brigade were able to establish the identity and involvement of the suspect in the failed homicide. The prosecution obtained a search and entry warrant that allowed the raid of three homes in the Aguas Negras sector for the same case. In addition to arresting the alleged attacker, the officers detected drugs during the operations. For this reason, they captured two additional people in a flagrante delicto situation, including a minor. "We are in a position to formalize charges for simple homicide, illegal possession of ammunition, and also for small-scale drug trafficking crimes," detailed Prosecutor Rodrigo Pizarro. The three detainees are Chilean. The main suspect in the failed homicide remains in preventive detention, while the other detainees have different precautionary measures.

Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Brigade (Bicrim) of Peñaflor arrested a Peruvian citizen in the act who had been wanted for several months and had been previously identified through various television reports. Subprefect Mauricio Bustos, head of Bicrim Peñaflor, explained that unit officers were patrolling the area when one of them recognized the individual. According to him, the detectives continued to monitor what was happening in the area and later established that the man had just participated in the theft of a cell phone. According to Bustos, the device was on the dashboard of a vehicle that was stationary and had an open window. The individual had extended an arm to remove the phone without initially noticing that a minor was inside the car. “This immediately caused him to act differently and, taking advantage of his size, he managed to intimidate the girl, then fled,” the police chief stated. While escaping with the phone, the man was intercepted by PDI officers. Later, the minor’s father arrived at the scene, and after talking to her, approached where the detectives and the detainee were. Bustos indicated that the police reported the procedure to the Public Prosecutor’s Office and proceeded with the arrest of the individual. The PDI also stated that during the procedure…

It was during the Christmas season, in 2025, when the then Minister of the Interior, Álvaro Elizalde, received at La Moneda the president and senator of the Socialist Party, Paulina Vodanovic; the then head of the Interior Government Division, Andrés Santander; and the former vice president of the PS, Eduardo Bermúdez. At the meeting, the attendees discussed the future of socialism. Thus, the possibility was raised that Vodanovic would become president of the Senate in 2026 — which ultimately did not happen — and that in 2027, when it is time to renew the leadership of the PS, Santander would assume as leader and Bermúdez as secretary general. This bet has been defended by Elizalde with several figures he has spoken with. The idea is simple: Santander belongs to an internal sector of the Socialist Party called “Grandes Alamedas,” considered the strongest within the party today, so it is not far-fetched that this time he would become the president of the organization. Meanwhile, the “Tercerism,” a faction of the former Minister of the Interior, Vodanovic, and Bermúdez, would step back to assume the second most important position in the PS. But there is a problem. This plan does not convince everyone in the party. For this reason, Elizalde is aware that everything will end with the possible entanglement of the election and that this will lead to a procession of leaderships from different sectors of the party asking him to, as he already did between 2017 and 2022, lead…

The National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) warned on Friday night of a weather event that will affect the Coquimbo Region due to wind and snowfall in its mountainous area. This follows the forecast by the Chilean Meteorological Directorate (DMC) for normal to moderate wind in the mountain range of the region, with an estimated intensity between 40 and 60 km/h, with gusts of up to 70 km/h, until next Monday the 10th. Similarly, the DMC projected normal to moderate snowfall, with a probability of snowstorms, in the same mountainous area from Tuesday the 11th morning to Wednesday the 12th. This is caused by atmospheric instability, which could leave estimated snow amounts between 25 and 35 centimeters in the mountain range north of Vicuña. Considering these facts, and in coordination with the Regional Presidential Delegation of Coquimbo, Senapred declared the weather event. A measure that allows for the preparation of necessary resources to prevent it from growing in extent and severity, minimizing negative effects on people, their property, and the environment.

Mr. Director: Protecting is the first thing a society must do when someone faces a situation they did not choose. No woman chooses for her life to be in danger due to pregnancy, no one expects a diagnosis of fetal inviability, and a girl does not decide to become pregnant after a rape. The three grounds exist to respond to these situations without the State adding new violence. The “Listen to Her Heart” project reverses that duty: before an abortion, the doctor must inform about the embryonic or fetal heartbeat and offer to listen to it; if the woman declines, they must deny the procedure. It is not information to care for, but a test of obedience that turns the healthcare team into custodians of a doctrine and threatens the free exercise of medicine. Cruelty becomes clear when abstract notions are abandoned: in the case of rape, 13 years old is the age that concentrates the highest number of cases. Forcing these girls to listen to the pregnancy’s heartbeat does not repair the violated life; it prolongs over them the will of others, now clothed with the authority of the State. Chilean society understood this difference: 86% accept abortion at least under some circumstances, and two-thirds reject this mechanism. There is not a silenced majority to rescue, but a minority that seeks to use the healthcare system to impose its morality. A democracy can hold different convictions about abortion. What…

It has been surprising how the episode that led to the removal of the former Undersecretary of Finance—after a hair test came back positive for drug use, a claim that has been strongly rebutted by the former official through other private tests that showed no traces of consumption—ended up escalating into a serious political problem for the government. Senator and President of the Republican Party, Arturo Squella, entered into an open conflict with the Minister of the Interior as well as with the undersecretary of the department—even suggesting that the latter should leave his position—while the Minister of Finance himself has defended the management of the former official, not hiding his desire for him to be reinstated. Although the tension among the authorities has decreased in recent days, this episode has revealed a series of problems within La Moneda in handling complex situations. Clearly, it has become evident how poorly the government managed this case, requesting the removal without waiting for the results of a re-test, causing obvious damage to the reputation of the affected official, and exposing fragile protocols regarding a highly sensitive matter, considering the zigzagging of versions about the reintegration. But from a political perspective, it has also laid bare the problems between the government and the parties that support it.

After sharing posts that generated controversy and disagreement among government authorities, former president Gabriel Boric (FA) returned to social media on Friday afternoon, but this time to show his visit to the commune of San Ramón, in the south of the Metropolitan Region. "Today, with the mayor of San Ramón Gustavo Toro, we toured to see firsthand the recovery of public spaces, to think about future dreams, and to talk with neighbors," he began by saying in an Instagram post. He then detailed that this municipality "was taken over for a long time by an irresponsible authority linked to drug trafficking," but managed to move forward "breaking stigmas and restoring to its community the dignity it deserves." This refers to the former mayor of San Ramón, Miguel Ángel Aguilera, who was convicted of unjustified patrimonial increase and money laundering, and was ordered to pay a fine of $246 million, along with facing four years of imprisonment. In his post, Boric also paid his respects to the workers of the "municipality, health, education, sanitation, social leaders, market vendors, and organized youth who day by day fight for a better Chile." He concluded by saying: "How powerful it is when politics is at the service of its people." View this post on Instagram This new post from the former broad front leader…

President Kast's government took a giant step by passing the pending article of its National Reconstruction project on Tuesday. With 27 votes in favor and 22 against, the Senate approved the regulation that compensates municipalities for revenue losses due to the exemption of contributions for the elderly. This defeated the opposition mayor's uprising, which, attacking the principle of legality, sought to intervene in the powers of the Executive and Legislative branches. For the first time in 35 years, the country will see its tax burden decrease and will take the opposite path to the deterioration of investment following the harmful tax reform of Michelle Bachelet's second government. In this management, the work of the economic team led by Minister Jorge Quiroz and supported by the political leadership of Minister Claudio Alvarado stood out. The economy rebounding also inspires hope. The next day, President Kast announced a robust security initiative, with more than 30 projects, to be led by Minister Martín Arrau. But these government projections, which could recover support after the rise in fuel prices, are overshadowed by other actions that do not show the same maturity as their economic advances and security proposals. The reason for this, I believe, lies in the lack of understanding of some of the founding elements of this government, such as the definition...

The President appeared on Wednesday to celebrate the approval of the mega-reform. But his national address gave the impression that the government's main economic reform was presented less as the beginning of a new phase than as a milestone that allowed moving on to the next. Kast spoke of investment, growth, employment, and improving the lives of Chileans, then changed the scene to announce a constitutional reform, more than thirty projects against organized crime, and a goal: to pass them before Christmas. Security ceased to be just one priority among others and became the presidential cause. The sequence was clear. Kast appeared to close the economic chapter but chose security to inaugurate his presidential prominence. He took credit for the legislative success of the mega-reform, though not necessarily its political significance. It remains associated with the Minister of Finance. Quiroz designed it and negotiated its approval. According to the latest Criteria poll, 39% of those who know him identify him as the most powerful minister in the cabinet, but he is also the least valued and the least close to people's problems. The point is not how much the reform affects his evaluation but how much his image influences the public judgment of the reform's intentions. 33% believe that the mega-reform will create jobs, while 50% think it will benefit large companies and wealthier individuals.

After achieving a resounding success with the mega-reform of the Minister of Finance Jorge Quiroz, the government has moved on to its second phase, which will be marked by an ambitious agenda against organized crime and terrorism led by the Minister of Security Martín Arrau (Republican). Along with giving a new legislative boost to 19 bills that are already being processed, the Executive will submit nine messages with new bills and, not satisfied with all that, will introduce a constitutional reform focused on public security. Part of this constitutional reform will include a provision establishing the creation of a registry of organizations linked to organized crime and terrorism. The goal of this is to have this list have constitutional rank so that the rights and guarantees of individuals linked to these gangs can be affected. In fact, it is expected that mere membership in one of the organizations on the registry could lead to early seizure of assets. By addressing issues related to property rights, the idea is to modify aspects of Article 19. Along with that, the aim is for mere membership in one of these organizations to be considered a crime in itself. Sources from the Executive mention that they have been looking at the Italian model for this idea, which has a similar concept in its legal and constitutional framework, which even allows for...

The heavy rains that affected the Coquimbo Region last month caused severe damage in various localities in the area. The mudslides caused by the frontal system destroyed homes, cut off roads, and left hundreds of families facing not only the loss of their homes but also difficulties in staying connected. One such case was Doris, who had been living for four years in the Islón sector, in the La Serena commune. One night during the frontal system, the creek bordering her house turned into a river that ultimately made the house she had bought with her husband after their retirement unusable. The Entel and Levantemos Chile emergency truck Amid this scenario, the Mobile Emergency Operations Center (COE) of Entel and Desafío Levantemos Chile was deployed in the Coquimbo Region to support coordination efforts and provide connectivity to affected communities. This is a truck that will travel through areas such as Islón, Vicuña, and Paihuano, serving as a support point for both emergency teams and residents. The vehicle is part of Entel's First Response Program and was specially designed to operate in disaster situations. Among its features are SIM cards with data, mobile equipment for those affected, solar panels, satellite connection via Starlink, a zone for charging electronic devices…

The former Minister of Public Security, Luis Cordero, addressed on Thursday night the Anti-Organized Crime and Terrorism Agenda (ACOT) announced by President José Antonio Kast, referring to the new constitutional state of emergency that the government is evaluating and the role that the Armed Forces would have in it. He began by stating that the initiative involves risks: "First, because it is ultimately the recognition of the transformation of the Armed Forces into matters of internal order and public security. And that implies transforming from the constitutional mandate, but secondly, it involves transforming the stage of preparation." "Police work requires training that is diametrically different from the way and manner in which the Armed Forces are educated, because they fulfill institutionally different roles," Cordero said in conversation with CNN Chile. He then warned that "undertaking an initiative of this nature, without considering these aspects, carries a very great risk," adding that "the way police handle this type of situation involves a set of trainings and procedures with protocols that the Armed Forces are unaware of." "I believe it is very appropriate for politics to understand that police institutions and the Armed Forces are based on long-term periods and are beyond a single administration, and harming them with bad decisions is very negative..."

Within the framework of her first public account, the Minister of Health announced that the upcoming decree of Explicit Guarantees in Health (GES) 2028-2031 will seek to progressively incorporate all cancers, a measure that has been well received by various expert voices - also by parliamentarians - and undoubtedly by the citizens themselves, particularly because oncological diseases can become financially devastating for families. In Chile, cancer is already the leading cause of death, with about 60,000 cases diagnosed each year and around 30,000 people dying. Therefore, the measure announced by the Ministry of Health aligns with this reality, but it is necessary to evaluate whether this measure meets the criteria defined in the law to prioritize health issues, such as health burden or disease load, effectiveness and technical efficiency, infrastructure capacity, socioeconomic impact, and financial sustainability, among others. For now, it is valuable that the minister clarified that the incorporation of all cancers is a proposal, and that its implementation will require approval by the technical bodies contemplated within the GES system. This preserves the established institutional framework, avoiding discretionary acts. It should be kept in mind that the GES system - which ensures access, maximum timeframes, quality, and limited financial costs for treatment…

This Friday, at 12:30 p.m., the main leaders of the UDI will arrive at the Ministry of Labor to deliver to the head of that department, Tomás Rau, the proposal More Jobs for Chile Now, which was drafted by a group of parliamentarians, former authorities, and experts to address the country's employment crisis. "The country's labor situation is unsustainable and the data are categorical: there is an 88% labor pessimism and depression has tripled among the unemployed, while employment is becoming one of the main concerns of Chileans," contextualizes the proposal. The initiative was coordinated by Deputy Constanza Hube. Participating were the president and the secretary-general of the UDI, Guillermo Ramírez and Juan Antonio Coloma, respectively, along with deputies Sergio Bobadilla, Ricardo Neumann, Jaime Coloma, Flor Weisse, and Mario Olavarría, as well as former ministers Evelyn Matthei, Nicolás Monckeberg, Camila Merino, and Juan Andrés Fontaine, in addition to experts and other former authorities. "Chile doesn't need more diagnoses about unemployment, it needs solutions. That is why we formed the More Jobs for Chile Now table, to develop concrete proposals for the short, medium, and long term. With an unemployment rate of 9.4% and especially high among women and youth, recovering the capacity to create formal jobs must be a national priority," explained Deputy Hube. Firstly, the document includes proposals designed...

The Constitutional Court (TC) dismissed this Thursday the ruling on the petition filed by PS and PC parliamentarians, in 2025, against then-deputy Johannes Kaiser for the libertarian leader's comments about the coup d'état in an interview when he was a presidential candidate. By seven votes to three, the TC rejected the petition from the socialist and communist parliamentarians. The majority, composed of President María Pía Silva, ministers Miguel Ángel Fernández, Héctor Mery, Raúl Mera, and ministers Daniela Marzi, Catalina Lagos, and Marcela Peredo, were in favor of dismissing the deputies' request. The minority was signed by ministers Nancy Yáñez, Alejandra Precht, and Minister Mario Gómez. The origin of the petition was an interview conducted by journalist Tomas Mosciatti on Mega, where the following dialogue took place. Mosciatti asked the then-deputy Kaiser: "If the same circumstances as in 1973 occurred, would you support a new coup d'état?" The former deputy responded: "Without a doubt, absolutely." Then the journalist insisted: "With all the consequences?" To which Kaiser replied: "With all the consequences, unfortunately. And that's something we have to take responsibility for." In the opinion of the requesting parliamentarians, these expressions fell under one of the causes for removal from office in the Constitution, specifically those...

Is it acceptable that former Undersecretary of Finance Juan Pablo Rodríguez received an undignified treatment, forcing him to resign from his position, solely for political criteria and not legal ones? The government was faced with the doubt of what the opposition might say if the results of a preliminary drug test, which showed a positive result, were leaked. Would they wait for the counter-test or was it better to get rid of him immediately to appear as an honest, blameless government that does not admit even the slightest fault of its officials? Appearance was prioritized over the dignity of the person. The insult, the public exposure of the undersecretary as a drug addict, was preferred over his right to undergo a new test and act according to its results. Didn't Deputy Manouchehri say that the undersecretary had processed the Reconstruction Law under the influence of drugs? The legal situation of the former undersecretary leaves no doubt from the constitutional point of view and according to Law 18.575 Organic Constitutional Law of State Administration. His rights have been violated. Protecting the dignity of individuals is a duty established in article 1 of the Constitution, which the State not only neglected but was the cause of the injury. The principle of administrative probity, which arises in article 8 of the Fundamental Charter and regulates article 54 of Law 18.575, describes administrative probity by stating that “it consists...”

The announcement to progressively include all cancers in the GES between 2028 and 2031 is great news and responds to a pressing demand from patients and their families. People with cancers not included in the GES can receive care in the public system, but without the same certainty of access and timeliness. The differences begin even before diagnosis, due to difficulties in accessing consultations, exams, and confirmation procedures. This expansion could be a significant advance, provided it specifies which stages — suspicion, diagnosis, staging, treatment, and follow-up — will be guaranteed. A decision of this magnitude requires understanding how the guarantee will be constructed and what technical, financial, and care-related background will enable its fulfillment. It is essential to define which benefits and treatments will be included, for which patients, under what conditions and timelines. Adding new health issues requires defining guarantees and baskets, estimating demand, conducting the Cost Verification Study, considering the opinion of the GES Advisory Council, and agreeing on financing between Health and Finance. So far, the costs, technical background, and committed resources are not publicly known. The last decree expanded the GES from 87 to 90 health issues, modified eleven baskets, and committed nearly $100,740 million additional annually. This shows the financial magnitude of the challenge. Furthermore, a g…

Grad students love open Chinese models. The U. S. should be competing, not seeking to ban them.

With the completion of the mega-reform process, the right has opened space to advance on other issues. A group of deputies set a goal: to suspend, for a period of five years, the Karin law, in effect since August 2024, which is focused on the prevention, investigation, and sanctioning of harassment and workplace violence. Two years after its enactment, deputies Eric Grohs, Paulina Muñoz, Cristóbal Urruticoechea, Álvaro Jofré (all from the Libertarian National Party), Diego Vergara (Republican Party), and Daniel Valenzuela (independent, member of the Renovación Nacional bench) identified that the regulation has caused saturation of the labor complaint system. A phenomenon that, they argue, mainly affects victims. Although his signature was not included in the project (due to a digital issue), it is also supported by Deputy Patricio Briones, from the Gente Party. The project explains that the Karin law “responded to a real social need and opened an institutional channel that previously did not exist, allowing numerous workers to report situations that had previously been silenced.” However, it warns: “The magnitude of that response far exceeded (...) the processing capacity of the competent bodies: by December 2025, the complaints filed exceeded 66,000, remaining steadily around 22,000 per semester, at a rate close to one hundred complaints per day...”

The former Minister of Finance and Economy, Nicolás Grau, once again attacked President José Antonio Kast's mega-reform. Now director of Rumbo Colectivo — a think tank linked to the Broad Front — he sees that the project will cause harm to state investment, public policy funding, increased inequality, and fiscal pressures. Awaiting the mega-reform project to pass through the Constitutional Court and be ready for promulgation, the economist said that the mega-reform is not a good measure for advancing growth in Chile and creating jobs. "There were more efficient measures to grow," he said in an interview with T13. As an example, the former Secretary of State pointed to the recent announcement of the expansion of the mortgage subsidy. In this regard, the former minister commented that "this is a reform whose main message is that the only way to grow is for the 1% high-income people in Chile to have even more income (...) The question is why we are being proposed that the only way to grow is to make our country even more unequal (...) it's hard to find positive aspects," he said. On the other hand, Grau commented that the mega-reform "will generate a big fiscal problem." An alert he exemplified with lower health spending and a reduction in growth, since the State would have fewer resources to invest in public works...

The current leader of the Broad Front and a supporter of continuity in the internal election of the collective, Constanza Martínez, harshly criticized the plan announced by President José Antonio Kast's government on security matters. This followed a national broadcast in which the President revealed the new focus of his administration, which includes a constitutional reform project to implement states of emergency in neighborhoods. In an interview with Radio Universidad de Chile, the leader of the Broad Front stated that, in addition to the consequences of approving the mega-reform, her concern lies in the security discussion. Martínez hinted that the President's announcements respond to questions raised especially by the opposition regarding the fact that, despite campaign promises, the Executive lacked a plan to combat crime and organized crime. "I think they realized they were caught off guard, that it became evident they had no plan. And now they are going to resort to what they apparently have left, which is to be a much harsher government in terms of performative actions, trying to impose norms that are repressive, but ultimately do not solve the security problem in the neighborhoods," she said. According to the opposition leader, the mayors of the sector have expressed this concern in recent days. "I believe the mayors have made this very clear during this time, and I think we need to maintain that unity of the...

The bill that modifies the School Admission System (SAE) received broad support in the Chamber of Deputies. Yesterday, Wednesday, the initiative was approved by 111 votes and moved to the second process in the Senate. The project seeks to modify the admission process to allow educational establishments with high demand to participate in choosing their educational community. The main criticism from the opposition regarding this reform relates to the "arbitrary discrimination" that applicants could suffer. The Undersecretary of Education, Daniel Rodríguez, acknowledged that "this danger exists." In an interview with Radio Agricultura, the authority stated that "when establishments are allowed to participate in the admission, this is a risk that can happen." In response to this situation, he proposed that "the solution we suggest is not to prohibit any kind of selection or to assign randomly, as is currently done, but to put restrictions, regulations, and sufficient oversight to prevent and, if it occurs, sanction arbitrary discrimination." In this regard, he explained that a "pre-emptive review and oversight" is being proposed. That is, the Ministry will review these selection procedures before they occur to prevent discriminatory practices. Additionally, he highlighted that there will be a "sworn declaration from the director to carry out this process. If the director saw…

During the morning of this Thursday, President José Antonio Kast led a preventive operation at Plaza de Armas, in the Santiago commune, during which he highlighted the work of the police and assured that "the hand has changed." According to the president, "Organized crime, drug trafficking, delinquency, have been occupying spaces that do not belong to them. I want to tell you that the hand has changed." "The Government, civil society, all Chileans are today very grateful for the preventive work carried out by Carabineros, for the investigative work carried out by the Investigations Police, and nothing is more important than the unity among all police forces," he added. It is worth remembering that during Wednesday night on a national broadcast, Kast announced that a series of security measures would be presented. In this regard, Kast stated this morning that "together we are more against organized crime. Together we will achieve that Chile once again has that place it should never have lost, being the safest country in all of Latin America. The effort you make has the full support of our Government, it has the support of the citizens." "To the delinquents, we say that we will pursue them, that we will find them, that we will bring them before justice, and they will be condemned," he added. Finally, he called on the police, affirming that "they feel the support of all..."

On national television, President José Antonio Kast valued this Wednesday the approval of the mega reform in Congress and confirmed that public security will be the item that concentrates the government's priorities during the coming months. On this occasion, the president announced a series of more than 30 initiatives to toughen the fight against organized crime, including a constitutional reform that enshrines security as a duty of the State, an extension of the flagrancy period, and new measures against drug traffickers and criminal gangs. Among these, the evaluation of a state of exception limited to certain sectors with critical crime rates, managed by Carabineros but with the support of the Armed Forces, stands out. The announcements were quickly commented on from the parliamentary arena, where most appreciated the intention of the initiative. Regarding this, the leader of the Renovación Nacional (RN) senators' bench, María José Gatica, after affirming that security must be the "absolute priority" of the country, stated that Kast revealed "a firm agenda to combat organized crime, which includes the collaboration of the Armed Forces with the police." She added that "this new tool will allow the military to be on the streets under a legal framework. From Congress, these initiatives will have my full support so that they soon become law and we can restore peace to the…

After participating in a joint inspection operation by Carabineros de Chile and the Investigations Police (PDI) in the Estación Central commune, the Minister of Security, Martín Arrau, referred on Wednesday night to the security announcements made by President José Antonio Kast in a national broadcast. Arrau is one of the main officials responsible for implementing this agenda. During the national broadcast, Kast announced that he instructed the minister to move forward, together with Congress, with the so-called Agenda against Organized Crime and Terrorism (ACOT) "as quickly as possible," an initiative that includes more than 30 projects, some already in process and others that the Executive will submit in the coming days. "What the president announced, that in the coming days we would be providing more details on our agenda against organized crime and terrorism, is a strong response not only from a government, not only from a state, but from the country," the Secretary of State began by clarifying. He then assured that the days of organized crime controlling our borders, our streets, and our prisons are over, and that this will be achieved with a strong legal response. Similarly, Arrau said that what the President announced is "a very strong response from the state," which combines a legislative package with a constitutional reform that will allow "to put..."

The Minister of the Interior and the Secretary General of Government (Segegob), Claudio Alvarado, referred tonight to the security announcements made in a national broadcast by President José Antonio Kast and, in this context, assured that the Executive is evaluating the possibility of implementing a new type of constitutional state of emergency, through which the Carabineros, with the support of the Armed Forces, could intervene in areas of the country with critical crime rates. In an interview with 24H, and while explaining the constitutional reform that the government will seek regarding security, Alvarado was asked about the possible use of the Armed Forces in the fight against crime. Regarding this, the Secretary of State indicated that "a new constitutional state of emergency is being evaluated, focused on certain sectors or neighborhoods in a city, which would be under the command, not of the Armed Forces, but of the Carabineros with collaboration agreements from the Armed Forces." Regarding the criteria for determining such a state of emergency, Minister Alvarado explained that "according to certain parameters or indicators that indicate it is necessary to intervene more deeply to combat crime, this exception can be established for a period of time, under the command of the Carabineros, with support and collaboration from the Armed Forces, and they can take some exceptional measures..."

Security was the main focus of the national broadcast carried out this Tuesday by President José Antonio Kast, during which he presented a new offensive to combat organized crime and announced a legislative agenda that includes more than 30 initiatives, among projects already submitted to Congress and others to be sent in the coming days. During his speech, the President stated that the country faces a threat different from those of previous decades and defended that the Executive has begun to reverse the main criminal indicators, citing figures on homicides, kidnappings, violent robberies, illegal entries, and drug seizures. Constitutional reform on security The main legislative announcement was the submission to Congress of a constitutional reform to explicitly establish that protecting people's security is a duty of the State. Along with this, Kast announced that belonging to a criminal organization will become a crime with enhanced penalties, that drug traffickers continuing to operate from prisons will be subjected to a special penitentiary regime, and that assets derived from organized crime will be confiscated and destroyed by a new state agency. Permanent occupation of 50 neighborhoods Kast announced that the government will maintain a permanent police deployment in the 50 neighborhoods considered most critical in the country. According to his explanation, the plan includes territorial occupation, patrols…

In October 2024, more than a year after the first case of the so-called Agreements case erupted, the Anglo-South African mining company, Anglo American, filed a fraud complaint against the ProCultura Foundation. According to background information disseminated at that time by the multinational, the action targeted the founder of the NGO, psychiatrist Alberto Larraín. This followed the entity's failure to account for funds that the company had provided as donations, totaling over $290 million. They had been working together for years. In fact, they had signed agreements since 2017, but the criminal action specifically targeted donations made between 2021 and 2023 for the execution of specific projects. As this media outlet reported at the time, Anglo American issued a statement: "The company has strict compliance protocols, and based on the evidence gathered in our internal investigation process, it was established that irregularities existed in the accountability and traceability of the last projects delivered to the ProCultura Foundation, which are to be investigated by the Public Prosecutor's Office." After multiple proceedings, the Prosecutor's Office gathered a series of background information based on which they concluded that there were sufficient elements to formalize both Larraín and María Constanza Gómez, representative of the NGO. Thus, a few days ago, Prosecutor Cristián Aguilar, who is part of the team led by the prosecutor...

At some point during the discussion of the mega-reform, the Party of the People (PDG) used the project to eliminate VAT on medicines and diapers as its main negotiation tool with the government. After a tense back and forth, the store founded by Franco Parisi finally confirmed that it would give its votes in favor of the legislative idea of the mega-project after the Executive submitted the initiative promoted by the PDG and sponsored by the Ministry of Finance. Although it went unnoticed precisely because the mega-reform was resolving its final issues, this week the project continued its discussion in the Social Development Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, with sessions on Monday and Wednesday. Among other proposals, Deputy Sara Concha (PSC) proposed the possibility of adding other categories of products, as already announced by the PPD, "which could substantially modify the original design of the project." In the upcoming sessions, amendments will continue to be reviewed. The project, in summary, aims to assist people who require these items by reimbursing the VAT on these products through the Electronic Family Wallet under certain criteria and rules, without universal application if approved. According to government estimates, it considers a cost of 90 billion pesos per year. However, a few days ago, the PPD announced that it will try to expand the project by adding to the list of benefits...

SEOUL, Aug. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korean internet tech giant Kakao Corp. saw its n...

The Chamber of Deputies approved unanimously the project that expands the subsidy for the mortgage interest rate and the state guarantee of the Special Guarantees Fund (Fogaes) for the purchase of the first home. The initiative is promoted by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. With this, the proposal advances to its second legislative process in the Senate, which will begin next week. The project adds 30,000 new slots, reaching a total of 80,000; increases the maximum value of homes eligible for the benefit from 4,000 to 6,000 UF; and extends its validity for 12 months, until May 31, 2028. The subsidy maintains the core of the current law, that is, it reduces the interest rate by up to 60 basis points for mortgage loans, which will lower the cost of housing financing. According to the Chilean Chamber of Construction, as of June 30, 2026, the available supply or stock for sale reaches 99,600 new homes nationwide. Of this total, according to Finance, 88.1% are homes of up to 6,000 UF, so the expansion of the 30,000 subsidy slots covers one-third of this availability. Another data point indicates that out of the total available homes, 19,022 correspond to properties of more than 4,000 and less than 6,000 UF that are not covered under the current law. According to Finance, this expansion is complemented by the temporary exemption of the…

On Wednesday afternoon, former president Gabriel Boric met with Constanza Martínez and Gael Yeomans in his office in Bellavista, the two candidates seeking to lead the party in which the former leader is involved. This is less than two weeks before the current president of the Broad Front - and a candidate of continuity - and the head of the party's parliamentary group face off in the polls on August 15 and 16. Furthermore, all of this takes place amid the tense dispute between Martínez and Yeomans during the presidential campaign, where each candidacy has sought to differentiate itself from the other. The former president has so far opted for non-interference in his party's internal elections, despite being known throughout the membership for his longstanding closeness to Constanza Martínez, whom he considers a comrade since university days. In fact, they share the same internal group within the party, called "Desbordar lo posible." However, Boric has sought to take on a role of promoting the elections, in order to project an image of being above the controversies that have arisen within the party on Esmeralda Street.

It is natural that in Chile the debate over the new tariffs imposed by the United States has focused on their effects on our exports. That discussion is essential, and the government is already deploying diplomatic and commercial efforts to safeguard the country's interests. But behind this situation, there is a broader question: what is happening to the international trade system that has supported the global economy for the last eight decades? After World War II, states agreed, through treaties, to limit the exercise of their sovereignty to impose unilateral trade barriers. In exchange, they built a system based on common rules and on the principle of free exchange of goods and services. Both dimensions are now essential. From an economic perspective, trade openness promotes growth, innovation, and prosperity. From a legal perspective, common rules provide a stable and predictable framework for international trade, reducing the space for unilateral decisions. However, that system accumulated real problems. Industrial subsidies, unfair competition, deep asymmetries in competitive conditions, vulnerabilities in supply chains, and growing concerns about economic security were weakening its legitimacy. Those who argue that the international trade order needs changes are right. …

Professional practice has mutated with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and information platforms, sowing nervousness in the judicial arena. Today, practice demands an up-to-date standard in jurisprudence and doctrine; an incessant race to showcase the master card before a voracious legal market. That anxiety generated by AI has its first offerings. The Third Chamber of the Supreme Court (CS) and the Constitutional Court (TC) have sanctioned lawyers who submitted writings supported by books, authors, and hallucinated jurisprudence. The Bar Association tried to contain the drift with a guide on AI use, whose most probable fate is to end up summarized by a prompt in three lines. Meanwhile, a principle of generalized suspicion has been established among lawyers. Each submission passes through a first filter of plausibility that acts as an authentic "VAR" in litigation. The market is not only fueled by the winning card. Every Friday, outside the CS, large lines of graduates and families embrace the oath as the milestone of starting a successful career. Around them operates a microeconomy of temple merchants, with photographers, florists, and waiters promoting the celebration breakfast. All touching and concerning, as we wonder if, as Pablo Ortúzar suggested, they are nothing more than cardboard dreams disguised as social ascent. In parallel, the TC opened a case of unconstitutionality about...

After the Senate's approval of the compensation mechanism for municipalities contained in the mega-reform, the president of the Chilean Association of Municipalities (ACHM), Gustavo Alessandri, clarified that the entity's next priorities will be to promote modernization of the Municipal Common Fund and to advance a new municipal revenue law. The also mayor of Zapallar said that the conclusion of the legislative discussion — regarding the measure that will compensate municipalities due to the exemption of contributions for the elderly — allows for providing certainty to the communes, but that the debate on municipal financing is still far from over. According to him, the next priorities will be to promote modernization of the Municipal Common Fund and to advance a new Municipal Revenue Law. The goal is to reduce disparities between communes, modernize collection systems, and strengthen the financial autonomy of local governments. "This vote cannot be the final point. Chile needs to seriously discuss how it finances its municipalities because communes are increasingly responsible, but do not always have the resources or the necessary tools to fulfill them," he stated. In this regard, he added that the next step should be the construction of a solidarity financing system. "Municipalities are the first point of contact for residents when facing a problem..."

Tonight, President José Antonio Kast is scheduled to address the country in a national broadcast. One of the points the President will discuss is the recent approval of the mega-reform that on Tuesday completed its final process in Congress. However, the strategy of La Moneda will not only be to highlight this achievement related to economic issues, with an evident success of the major legislative project of Minister of Finance Jorge Quiroz, but also to project the upcoming agenda where the priority will shift to security initiatives. Therefore, one of the key figures in this phase will now be Minister of Security Martín Arrau (Republican). Sources from the ruling party mention that for several weeks, the head of the department has been sharing ideas with various parliamentarians and political actors about the agenda he will pursue, which includes more legal and administrative changes, and even an ambitious constitutional reform that he is evaluating alongside Senator Arturo Squella (Republican). Sources from the ruling party comment that in the national broadcast, after addressing issues related to the mega-reform—which now must face constitutional review before the Constitutional Court—Kast will make a series of announcements related to public security issues. According to what La Tercera has learned, the announcements will include, among other matters, the creation of a narco registry, which...

The Chilean wallet has a serious coherence problem. One that silently threatens the mental health of its owners. On one hand, almost half of the population is in debt, with about 45% of Chilean households recording debts, according to the consultancy Defensa Deudores. On the other hand, we have a country that religiously and actively participates in true retail consumption festivals, such as the well-known Cyber Monday, which in 2025 exceeded US$520 million in sales, with more than 5.8 million transactions, translating into more than a third of the adult population participating in this event. It seems that we do not spend looking at what we have, but looking at what we believe we lack, to feel better. A better that never arrives, that never satisfies, and that never ends, unlike the money in the account and the health in the mind. Debt and excessive spending have a profound and multidimensional effect on our mental health. Evidence suggests a clear relationship between having debts and a higher risk of experiencing depressive and anxiety symptoms. On the other hand, saving behavior consistently appears in the evidence as a protector of mental health. But it seems that none of the above can contain or dissuade the strong and dangerous impulses to buy outside the budget. This happens because shopping has become a way to find temporary relief in moments of…

With an unemployment rate in Chile reaching 9.4% for the April-June quarter, today almost a million people are engaged in a frantic daily search to apply and be accepted for a job opening. On this path to re-enter the workforce, the resume is the first part of the journey. Then comes the coveted interview: a face-to-face meeting with the person who will have the task of deciding, after a brief interaction with the candidates, who is the most suitable applicant for the position. It is in the job interview that people play an important part of their destiny, and the first five minutes of conversation with the interviewer can create an impression that will accompany—and determine—the rest of the dialogue. How one greets, the tone of voice, posture, and nervousness send important signals, and although these do not shed light on how the applicant will perform in the role, they can influence the decision made by the recruiter. Carolina Gajardo, director of the Psychology program at Andrés Bello University (UNAB), Concepción campus, explains that in this scenario “an unconscious capacity of our brain is activated to recognize patterns and draw judgments, where a huge amount of signals are processed in a matter of seconds and a provisional impression is generated.” Why are the first five minutes so important? Carolina Gajardo suggests that, for the interviewer,…

The Metropolitan East Prosecutor's Office provided background this Wednesday on the investigation they are conducting against a person who is in preventive detention for his reaction to a group of children whom he surprised ringing neighbors' doorbells and running away, in a childhood game known as rin rin raja. The prosecutor from Las Condes, Rodrigo Mena Vogel, stated that the procedure took place on July 11, during which "a person was detained for having deprived several young people of their liberty." "This happened in the commune of Vitacura. The person was detained for the crimes of kidnapping minors, threats, and minor injuries," he specified. Prosecutor Mena indicated that the accused is currently in preventive detention. "At this moment, we are completing all the preliminary procedures. We are conducting video-recorded interviews with all the affected young people, the statement of the accused, and the forensic examinations of the scene," he detailed. According to information from The Clinic, the individual is a trustee of the Manquehue school and would have been reported by the parents of the affected minors. The media indicated that the events occurred on Friday, July 10, when the accused allegedly chased the minors with his truck and forced them to get into the vehicle.

The National Reconstruction and Economic and Social Development Bill of the government entered a new stage of legislative processing this Wednesday. After the excitement over the victory achieved Tuesday in Parliament with the approval in the Senate of the last pending article of President José Antonio Kast's key reform — which was sealed with hugs from Ministers Jorge Quiroz (Finance), Claudio Alvarado (Interior and Segegob), and José García Ruminot (Segpres) at the Senate chamber — the Executive submitted today the three presidential vetoes to the bill, which had been previously announced. These observations — under the concept used by the Constitution — aim to correct or remove provisions that were incorporated into the process by the opposition and are not to La Moneda's liking. The motions the Executive seeks to object to are: 1) the right to financial forgetfulness for debts; 2) the prohibition of charging interest on interest (usury); and 3) adjustments to ensure payment within 30 days for SMEs. The government justifies the observations by warning that the norms in question could generate negative effects on the financial system, access to credit, and the operation of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. The suppressive vetoes — intended to eliminate part of the bill — from Kast's administration will be discussed next week in the Chamber of Deputies…

The Chamber of Deputies approved the bill that amends the School Admission System (SAE) to allow mutual choice mechanisms in educational establishments with high demand. The initiative was approved in the Education and Finance committees. It establishes a mixed admission model, which includes a Mutual Choice stage and a Random Allocation stage, both managed through a single platform operated by the Ministry of Education. Additionally, it allows schools with excess demand to establish their own criteria for allocating some of their vacancies, considering elements such as their educational project or academic merit at certain levels. With 111 votes in favor, 28 against, and one abstention, the bill was approved in general. Subsequently, various articles requested by opposition deputies were voted on in detail, and these were approved. Furthermore, a proposal by Deputy Emilia Schneider (FA) was reintroduced but rejected. The initiative will proceed to its next stage in the Senate. If approved, the new system will come into effect from the following school year after the law's publication, but its implementation will be gradual and subject to the provisions of a regulation prepared by the Ministry of Education. With this, the project aims to modify the current operation of the SAE in those establishments where demand for enrollments far exceeds…

On July 3, President José Antonio Kast removed Juan Pablo Rodríguez from the Undersecretary of Finance after testing positive for drugs contracted by Senda and which must be taken by the President, ministers, and undersecretaries. An episode that marked the beginning of a controversy that continues to this day, where the main focus of the now former authority has been on the credibility of the tests. The first test, which triggered the departure of the official, was a hair sample analyzed by the Corthorn Health laboratory. "The important thing about this technology is that it is highly specific, highly sensitive, and aligned with the types of instruments used by other entities like WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency), which is top of the line in anti-doping," said the CEO of Corthorn Health, Francisca Corthorn. The second drug test was conducted on the initiative of the former undersecretary at UC Christus and came back negative, a result that raised several questions: Is it possible to have a positive and a negative? Is there a better procedure than another? Claudio Müller, an expert in toxicology from the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Concepción, explains that the organization that conducted the first test and was awarded the contract to examine 65 authorities uses an analytical technique called liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry, which has a specific operation, while the other laboratory…

Through a letter, Republican, libertarian deputies from Chile Vamos, the Christian Social Party, and the Gente Party requested President José Antonio Kast to grant pardons to Carabineros and Armed Forces officials for events that occurred after October 18, 2019. "The undersigned deputies respectfully request that, in the exercise of your constitutional and legal powers, you evaluate and grant individual pardons to Carabineros de Chile, Order, and Armed Forces officials who have been convicted of acts related to the fulfillment of their duties during the serious events that began on October 18, 2019," the letter begins. "During that period, Chile faced one of the most complex crises in its recent history. Thousands of officials were deployed to protect citizens, safeguard public order, defend critical infrastructure, and confront acts of violence that endangered the country's security and democratic institutions," it continues. It then adds: "This request does not intend to disregard the importance of human rights nor the individual responsibility that courts are responsible for determining. It seeks for the State to consider comprehensively the exceptional circumstances in which these officials acted, the instructions received, the extensive hours of service, the pressure..."

The Guarantee Court of Coquimbo ordered preventive detention for a person identified by the initials F. I. C. Z., accused of a violent attack with a knife that left three security guards with injuries of varying severity last Sunday, August 2, at the Enjoy casino in the region. According to the accusation from the Regional Prosecutor's Office of Coquimbo, it all began when the accused was denied access to an administrative area of the premises, to which he reacted violently. After breaking a partition to force his way into the sector, he was intercepted by a group of guards, upon which he drew a knife to attack the private security personnel. Three of them were injured, one seriously. Thus, the prosecution, through the Organized Crime and Homicides Team (ECOH), formalized the individual for attempted homicide, after joint investigation with the PDI obtained, in addition to testimonial evidence of the incident, a video of the assault. ECOH prosecutor Freddy Salinas stated that "the court considers that there are two attempted homicides and injuries suffered by a third. His conduct (the accused's) could only be considered dangerous to the safety of society. The injury reports we have are preliminary, and we requested authorization to access the medical records," the prosecutor indicated. The court ordered a 100-day period for the investigation.

According to OECD figures in 2023, 57% of people's health expenses in Chile were financed by mandatory health insurance, that is, by Fonasa or private health insurers; while 35% was out-of-pocket spending and 6% was financed by voluntary health insurance. This out-of-pocket spending has been increasing since the 33% recorded in 2018, and OECD projects it will continue to rise, reaching approximately 39% in 2024. Under this scenario, the government included a provision in the mega-reform, at the request of Senator Rodolfo Carter (Ind.-Republican), which creates a tax credit for the financing of catastrophic illnesses. Specifically, Article 33° quater, which has already been approved by Congress, allows companies to access a tax credit against the first category tax of up to 150 UTM ($10.7 million) per worker, for those companies that finance their workers or certain family members (children of 25 years or less, spouse or civil partner) for treatments required due to catastrophic illnesses, in the part not covered by mandatory or voluntary insurance. That is, this applies to cover out-of-pocket expenses for workers with a continuous employment tenure of two years or more. "A Supreme Decree signed by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health will determine the diseases, diagnoses, and treatments that can be covered," the regulation states. Without e…

The government submitted a bill that expands the subsidy for mortgage interest rates and the state guarantee from the Special Guarantees Fund (Fogaes) for the purchase of the first home. The initiative adds 30,000 new slots, reaching a total of 80,000; increases the maximum value of homes eligible for the benefit from 4,000 to 6,000 UF; and extends its validity by 12 months, until May 31, 2028. Given the urgency to decompress the housing stock, the Finance Committee of the Chamber of Deputies analyzed and unanimously approved the idea of legislation. Then, with 11 in favor and 2 against, it supported the proposal, advancing to the Chamber of Deputies floor. The subsidy maintains the core of the current law, that is, it reduces the interest rate by up to 60 basis points for mortgage loans, which will lower the cost of housing financing. According to Finance, when purchasing a first new home with a mortgage loan, the subsidy reduces the interest rate and, consequently, the monthly installment. Additionally, the state guarantee backs part of the financing with the financial institution and can facilitate access to credit with a smaller down payment, subject to the relevant credit assessment. Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz highlighted that this measure “along with the VAT exemption for new homes, are two policies that are strengthened to strongly reactivate…

This afternoon, the Senate approved the compensation mechanism for municipalities contained in the mega reform with 27 votes in favor and 22 against, thereby dispatching the so-called reconstruction project in its entirety from Congress, which was widely appreciated by the government of José Antonio Kast. From Congress in Valparaíso, Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz thanked the parliamentarians who made the full approval of the regulation possible, after approving this day the mechanism to compensate municipalities for the exemption of contributions to housing for the elderly. "With this law, which today concludes its processing, Chile begins to grow again," said the authority. "Chile is opening its doors again to investment, entrepreneurship, and progress. We are once again opening the doors to the expectation of personal and family development, to the expectation of greater employment opportunities for young people, adults, men, women, heads of households. It is a path that will be persistent, but with a clear direction. And after this initiative, more will come, all aimed at continuing to recover the lost path of progress and growth," added the head of the fiscal treasury. Likewise, Minister Quiroz indicated that on Wednesday, August 5, the Executive will submit three vetoes related to usury, the right to financial oblivion, and the change of payment regime to 30 days for SMEs, the q…

Opposition mayors issued a harsh critique this Tuesday after the Senate approved the compensation mechanism for municipalities for the exemption from paying contributions to senior citizens, clearing the last obstacle for the final passage of the so-called government mega-reform. After the vote in Congress, the municipal leaders accused in a press conference that the approved formula deepens inequality among the country's municipalities and questioned that a significant part of the fiscal resources ends up benefiting wealthier communes, to the detriment of the most vulnerable municipalities. The mayor of Quinta Normal, Karina Delfino, described the day as "a dark day for municipalism" and stated that the approved initiative represents unequal treatment for municipalities with fewer resources. "Today has been a dark day for municipalism, for the municipalities of Chile, but mainly for the residents of the most popular communes, regional communes, and communes that unfortunately today not only struggle to make ends meet but often lack the resources to transform the lives of their neighbors," she affirmed. The municipal leader assured that the approved mechanism allocates significantly greater resources to wealthier communes. "What has been approved in Congress today, at the request and proposal of the government, is a deeply unjust and dis..."

By 10 votes in favor and 2 against, the Finance Committee of the Chamber of Deputies approved this day the bill presented by the Executive that seeks to modify the School Admission System (SAE) so that schools with excess demand consider additional prioritization criteria. With this, the project will now go to the Chamber for discussion. Prior to the vote, the Minister of Education, María Paz Arzola, explained to the committee the necessary fiscal expenditure that the project requires, an initiative that, if enacted into law, would come into effect at the start of the next school year after its publication. Regarding this, the Education Minister indicated that the mutual choice mechanism will be implemented gradually, in accordance with a regulation that must be issued by the Ministry of Education within 60 days. The largest fiscal expenditure resulting from the application of this law during the first budget year of its entry into force, she indicated, will be financed from the Ministry of Education's budget allocation. "Notwithstanding the above, the Ministry of Finance may supplement with what is lacking from the Public Treasury's budget allocation," the Education Minister stated in her presentation. Regarding the additional expenses required for the project's implementation, she indicated that it will require a pre-registration platform for guardians who wish to participate in the Mutual Choice Mechanism, as well as a…

Two individuals remain in preventive detention after being caught attempting to smuggle heroin and other drugs into the Santiago Sur Preventive Detention Center, also known as the old Santiago Penitentiary. Tania Mora, prosecutor of the Penitentiary Focus of the Metropolitan West Prosecutor's Office, explained that on July 23, around 3:40 p.m., they received information from the Safe Complaint program, which alerted that drugs would be brought into the prison. "The Prosecutor's Office organized and instructed Gendarmerie to carry out procedures to control the entry of visitors to the prison, implementing selection measures and, subsequently, control measures inside the prison for these visitors," she detailed. Prosecutor Mora specified that during a body scanner check, they identified two individuals who were found to be carrying various types of drugs inside their bodies, including heroin, base cocaine, cocaine, marijuana, and a significant number of pills. "They were caught in the act, and a detention control was carried out. During the detention hearing, they were charged with drug trafficking, with one of the individuals remaining in preventive detention, while the Prosecutor's Office had to appeal the court's decision, which was later revoked, and the Santiago Court ordered the preventive detention measure," the prosecutor indicated. A...

The Chilean Chamber of Construction (CChC) celebrated the government's decision to present a bill to extend the subsidy for mortgage rates and called on parliamentarians to approve the initiative quickly. "In a moment when the country needs concrete measures to reactivate investment, recover employment, and boost growth, the government's announcement to present a bill to extend the mortgage rate subsidy is very good news. It is an initiative long awaited by our sector, which will help reduce housing deficit and strengthen economic activity," the organization said in a statement. It also indicated that increasing the maximum value of the benefited homes from 4,000 to 6,000 UF broadens access to a greater number of projects available in the market, facilitating the sale of completed homes and allowing the start of new projects, with the consequent positive impact on job creation. Eligible applications "Construction is one of the sectors with the greatest capacity to mobilize the economy. When activity in the sector recovers, its effects extend to a wide chain of suppliers, services, and productive activities, generating job opportunities and growth for the country," it affirmed. In this regard, it noted that the experience of the past year demonstrates that this public policy has been…

Hours before the vote on the last article of the government's mega-reform - related to compensation to municipalities for the exemption of contributions - Senator Gustavo Sanhueza, UDI bench leader and one of the parliamentarians who was uncertain about his vote, stated on La Tercera's streaming program that he and his fellow unionists would support the measure. Meanwhile, the mayor of Ñuñoa, Sebastián Sichel, reinforced his support for the government's proposal and attacked the Broad Front and its best-rated mayor, Tomás Vodanovic. "They are all little elite kids, they think about their parents," he criticized.

The Agriculture and Pauta radios will merge into a new company, where the main shareholder will be the National Society of Agriculture and the Chilean Chamber of Construction will have a smaller stake. According to both associations that are currently owners of Agriculture and Pauta radios, "an agreement has been reached for the integration and merger of their radio stations." The new structure considers that 60% of the company's ownership remains in the hands of the SNA and the remaining 40% belongs to the CChC. Regarding the future of the radio stations, both associations commented that "the operation contemplates that both stations maintain their respective editorial lines, thus preserving their identity." Meanwhile, the associations explained that "the operational management of both media will be under the general management of the current Radio Agriculture administration." "The merger is subject to the regulatory approvals required in accordance with the law," the associations added regarding the operation. Radio Agriculture was founded in 1936 by the SNA, and Pauta radio was established in 2018 under the auspices of the CChC.

A millionaire theft was thwarted by Carabineros in the commune of Pudahuel, in the western sector of the Metropolitan Region. The events occurred inside a company located on La Oración street, in the Enea business park. There, four individuals were detected transporting objects from the store's warehouse to a security booth, then loading them onto a vehicle. Major Harold Dunker, commander of the 26th Pudahuel Police Station, explained that during the night, through monitoring security cameras of the premises and an investigation in coordination with the Public Prosecutor's Office, the situation was alerted. In detail, security cameras showed the presence of four individuals moving items from a warehouse to a security booth located at the company's entrance. Subsequently, the subjects loaded the objects into a vehicle to carry out the theft. Upon noticing the situation, Carabineros officers from the Police Investigation Section (SIP) arrived at the scene, catching the suspects in the act. As a result, all stolen items were recovered, consisting of bedding, which were valued at approximately $67,000,000. Additionally, the four individuals were detained, including the night guard of the premises, who was suspected of being an accomplice to the theft. The four detainees were brought before the Public Prosecutor's Office.

President José Antonio Kast praised on Monday night the decision of the Santiago Supreme Court that upheld the decision to acquit former soldier Claudio Crespo for injuries caused to now deputy Gustavo Gatica in the context of the social outbreak. During the day, it was announced that the highest court rejected the nullity appeal filed by the Metropolitan Central North Prosecutor's Office to challenge the resolution that absolved Crespo of responsibility. This followed his being processed for potential crimes of illegitimate coercion resulting in serious injuries, after the then Psychology student lost his eyes due to the impact of rubber bullets fired from riot police shotguns used by the police. In this context, the President used his X account to praise the unappealable ruling that cleared the former officer of responsibility. Kast stated that "justice has spoken in the case of Claudio Crespo and has done so loudly and clearly." The head of state added that "after years of accusations, he has been exonerated of all charges and it is confirmed that he acted in legitimate defense." Justice has spoken in the case of Claudio Crespo and has done so loudly and clearly. After years of accusations, he has been exonerated of all charges and it is confirmed that he acted in legitimate defense — José Antonio Kast Rist 🖐️🇨🇱 (@joseantoniokast) August 4, 2026 The case The incident that blinded the now…

On Monday afternoon, the Santiago Court of Appeals dismissed the nullity appeal filed by the Metropolitan Central North Prosecutor's Office to challenge the trial that acquitted former Carabineros lieutenant Claudio Crespo. Ultimately, the court unanimously rejected the appeal and confirmed the acquittal established in the trial last January. The judgment was drafted by Minister Romy Rutherford, in a chamber also composed of Minister Patricio Martínez and lawyer Sebastián Llantén. After the court read the verdict, the prosecutor from the Central North Prosecutor's Office, Ximena Chong, stated that the resolution "does not satisfy the interests of the Prosecutor's Office." "We had filed a nullity appeal on the grounds that the judgment had flaws. We obviously respect this decision and at least take from it that the Fourth Oral Criminal Trial Court dismissed the main thesis of the defendant's defense, Mr. Claudio Crespo, that he was not the author," she added. Thus, the decision regarding the nullity request is not subject to appeal, although Chong still expects to review the background and justifications provided by the court for the decision. "Eventually, complaint resources may arise that are not proper appeals of the case but could imply some modification of the decision. We will study it obviously...

The debate started as an isolated comment and, in less than a week, ended up becoming a shared concern among various government officials. The idea is simple: for the government to have an authority solely dedicated to communicating the Executive's agenda, a scheme that was abandoned in May when the then Minister of the General Secretariat of Government (Segegob), Mara Sedini, left the cabinet. Since then, La Moneda has opted to redistribute the functions. The Minister of the Interior, Claudio Alvarado, also took on the role of government spokesperson, while the Undersecretary of the Interior, Máximo Pavez, assumed a contingency spokesperson role. In parallel, the Undersecretary of the General Secretariat of Government, José Francisco Lagos, was put in charge of public policy dissemination. Although this setup was defined by President José Antonio Kast after the ministerial adjustment in May, in recent days, leaders of Chile Vamos have publicly questioned its functioning, arguing that the Executive needs an exclusive voice to organize and project its messages. One of the first to initiate the debate was the Vice President of the UDI, María José Hoffmann. Last Wednesday - on Radio Agricultura - she stated that "we need a spokesperson minister" and suggested that the coalition should reconsider the communication scheme, considering that, in her view, "we are not good with the communication..."

At least two people have died in a collision between a truck and a smaller vehicle recorded this afternoon at km 59.9 of Route 68, in the La Vinilla sector. According to preliminary information, for reasons under investigation, the high-tonnage freight vehicle, which was traveling on the route towards Santiago, crossed the median barriers of the roadway, impacting a car traveling in the opposite direction. In addition to the two fatalities, a third occupant of the smaller vehicle was seriously injured. Due to the accident, there was heavy congestion at the scene until past 7:30 p.m., caused by lane restrictions resulting from the traffic incident. Emergency teams were dispatched to the scene to carry out assistance work.

An audit by the Comptroller General's Office (CGR) detected a series of irregularities in the hiring and monitoring of work shifts of police officers serving as judicial officers. Among the main findings, the agency established that 36 officials held two contracts simultaneously for 22 hours a week to perform the same functions. The situation was detected as part of audit INVE No. 540 of 2025, conducted on the National Directorate of Personnel of the Carabineros and which examined during 2024 the compliance with the working hours of judicial officers and officials additionally contracted under the CPR modality, intended for transitional tasks. In total, the institution had 144 lawyers working as judicial officers, who received payments of over $5.540 billion during 2024. Of that group, 36 also had a second CPR contract of 22 hours a week, for which they received a total of more than $1.944 billion. According to the CGR, both contracts involved the same tasks. This contravenes current regulations, which allow additional hiring only when the functions are different from those assigned to the official in their role as a judicial officer. The CGR could not verify the working hours of 23 officials Another finding relates to attendance control. During on-site inspections, the CGR…

Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Monday urged American universities to outline their commitments to a set of Trump administration priorities by the end of this year. In an open letter to university presidents and board members, McMahon lamented that higher education institutions, in her view, have "drifted from the principles that built up so much…

Since they left power, the question has constantly been asked about how the main figures who were part of former President Gabriel Boric's government are connected. One of the naturally arising answers is the opposition think tanks, which have gradually been filled with former authorities from the Frente Amplio administration. This was reported in his interview with La Tercera by the former chief of staff of the former president, Carlos Durán (FA), who joined Nodo XXI, a think tank linked to FA. "The reorganization of the sector is a task that has several aspects. One has to do with work in Congress. Another has to do, for example, with the work of research centers. Above all, I would say, there is a third element related to the relationship with the citizens. Everyone who was part of the government, I am sure, will be acting with great energy in some of these areas," Durán said. This has been particularly evident in the two research centers linked to the Frente Amplio: Nodo XXI - linked from its inception to the autonomist world - and Rumbo Colectivo - mainly represented by figures from Revolución Democrática. The latest to join these efforts was former Finance Minister Nicolás Grau, who announced - this Sunday, in an interview with CNN Chile - his joining the board of Rumbo Colectivo. The former Economy Minister of Boric - after the failed acu…

Carlos Palacios has another reason to worry. In addition to his attempt to overcome physical problems that have prevented him from performing at Boca Juniors according to the expectations generated by his signing with the Argentine club, he is now involved in a police scandal. Someone close to him was detained while occupying a vehicle registered in his name, in which a large quantity of cocaine was being transported. According to a report by T13, Sebastián Soto Guerra, one of the leaders of the Los Pájaros de La Legua gang, was caught during a police operation aimed at dismantling the group. The individual was carrying between 30 and 70 bricks of cocaine, which was to be sold in the southern sector of the Metropolitan region. The police scandal over drug possession involving Carlos Palacios According to the same information, the detained man, 33 years old, would be related to Alexia Catalina, the current partner of the player trained at Unión Española, with whom he lives in Buenos Aires. Soto Guerra was driving a Mercedes Benz registered in the name of the forward. "The accused was a former target of the Anti-Drug Brigade of the PDI, who, along with his brothers, had formed a complex organization in La Legua, where they were in constant power struggle with other drug traffickers like César Liberona, alias El Cojo César," the article states. "In that 'war' for control of La Legua, there was a double homicide that affected the 'Los Pajaros' clan, in March last..."

Since July 14, the Los Libertadores Pass has remained closed due to weather conditions and difficulties in ensuring the safety and passability of the International Route. Currently, the complex has an accumulation of nearly 6.6 meters of snow, a situation that keeps its normal operation suspended. The Provincial Presidential Delegate of Los Andes, Ricardo Figueroa, explained that the decision is mainly based on safety criteria and assured that teams continue working to restore the necessary conditions for a possible reopening. "The Los Libertadores border crossing remains closed because the weather conditions and the variables that determine safety, passability, and snow conditions do not allow us to open this important crossing yet," he said. Currently, road maintenance teams are working on clearing the International Route from Guardia Vieja to the border complex. However, the section between Los Libertadores and the Cristo Redentor International Tunnel still needs to be addressed, where the thickness and hardness of the snow have hindered the progress of machinery. To face these conditions, the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) has reinforced operations with specialized machinery, bulldozers, and officials from other regions. The work is carried out under strict safety protocols due to the ongoing risk of…

The contest to lead the new cycle of the Broad Front (FA) has gradually moved from a "white glove" approach to a process where each candidacy seeks to differentiate itself from its opponent. Thus, deputy Gael Yeomans, who heads the "Unity to Advance" list, and the current FA president and candidate for re-election with "A Broad Front for Chile," Constanza Martínez, faced off this Monday in a new debate on Canal 13. On this occasion, the parliamentarian emphasized the internal situation of the organization and pointed to the departure of more than 7,000 members during Martínez's presidency. "We believe that building a party should give more prominence to the membership. And in this sense, there is a figure that concerns us. There are 7,000 members who have left our party during these two years. And we believe that this needs to be addressed critically, taking responsibility for having a membership plan, a party-building plan, that is not only an invitation to sign up for the party but to stay and build a future alternative for the country," said the deputy. The congresswoman also proposed forming a broad coalition with all opposition parties to face the initiatives of President José Antoni Kast's government. "We believe it is time to establish a coalition that brings together all sectors of the progressive world, all the parties...

On Monday afternoon, the Santiago Court of Appeals shared its decision on the nullity request by the Metropolitan North Central Prosecutor's Office regarding the trial against former Carabineros lieutenant, Claudio Crespo. Finally, the court rejected the appeal and confirmed the acquittal established in the trial last January. The former Carabineros lieutenant was accused of illegal coercion resulting in serious injuries against now deputy Gustavo Gatica. The investigation by prosecutor Ximena Chong, of the North Central Prosecutor's Office, established that Crespo was responsible for the shot that blinded the then psychology student during one of the protests held on November 8, 2019. However, the 4th Criminal Oral Court of Santiago ultimately acquitted Crespo, considering the retroactive application of Law Nain-Retamal. Based on this, it was argued that the former Carabineros lieutenant acted under the figure of privileged legitimate defense. The court's decision led to the appeal filed by the North Central Prosecutor's Office, together with the State Defense Council (CDE) and the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH).

Every August 9th is Coworking Day. For years, when talking about these spaces, the conversation focused on infrastructure, shared desks, meeting rooms, or a good internet connection. But today, coworking represents something much more important: the possibility of building networks, generating collaboration, and growing projects alongside others. That difference is not minor. Starting a business remains a challenging experience. Those with a small or medium-sized enterprise know that many important decisions are often made in solitude, that resources are limited, and that finding opportunities can be more difficult than developing a good product or service. Collaboration spaces have gained enormous value because when entrepreneurs meet, converse, and share experiences, solutions emerge that would hardly arise when working in isolation. It is often believed that networking consists solely of exchanging business cards or adding contacts on a social network. However, the relationships that truly generate value are those that allow building trust, sharing learnings, opening doors, and creating new business opportunities. In Chile, we face the great challenge of moving away from understanding networking as a one-time action and beginning to see it as a permanent strategy to strengthen our entrepreneurial ecosystem. Big projects rarely originate from a single person; in fact, they usually...

The Philippines’ latest push for seabed rights in the South China Sea could complicate its efforts as this year’s Asean chair to build regional consensus, analysts say, adding another layer of complexity to already slow-moving talks on a code of conduct for the disputed waterway. On July 28, Manila delivered an official presentation of its partial submission on its extended continental shelf in waters the Philippines considered its territory to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental...

In Ethiopia, hundreds of people have started to flee to Sudan following Saturday's fighting, when clashes in Tigray pitted federal forces against rebels from the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). Both sides accuse each other of seeking to trigger a new conflict.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon is sending a letter Monday to the leaders of US universities asking them to commit to a slate of campus reforms by the end of 2026 in the Trump administration’s latest effort to overhaul higher education.

Changes to two most widely cited claims come as scrutiny grows over US tech company’s contract

A potential US ban on Chinese open-weight artificial intelligence (AI) models could cost American businesses up to US$12 billion per year, according to calculations by a US-based academic, as technology firms increasingly turn to cost-efficient Chinese solutions. While the exact economic toll of a ban remains difficult to quantify, usage data from New York-based OpenRouter – a large language model (LLM) aggregator – offers a glimpse into the potential fallout, said Daniel Yue, an assistant...

Last Monday, one of the two party leaders who arrived at La Moneda - for the signing ceremony of the project that seeks the removal of authorities in case of drug use - was Denisse Catalán, the new leader of the Party of the People (PDG). 26 years old, since mid-July she assumed the position replacing Rodrigo Vattuone and amid controversy over the submission of electoral expenses, she has gradually become accustomed to this type of more protocol-oriented activities. Before, she had already attended the Congress's public account, where she took the opportunity to speak with some parliamentarians and government authorities present. Catalán took over after the failed internal elections last April, where the winning list led by Patricio Quisbert asked the Tricel to intervene due to the challenge of the elections over alleged irregularities. After that, she assumed as acting and a few weeks later was ratified in the position. The controversy even sparked a dispute in the courts. Those around Catalán admit that the change in her routine is significant. And it is that, as they acknowledge in the party, the new PDG president is rather unfamiliar with the world of politics. Although, since March, she has been serving as a parliamentary advisor to Deputy Zandra Parisi, the truth is that she had always held secondary roles, mainly focused on internal party work. Thus, in recent days…

We interviewed Loreto Lyon during a special moment in Chilean architecture, when Smiljan Radic was awarded the Pritzker Prize that year. Loreto is one of the most prominent professionals in the country, and she began her career working with Smiljan Radic, with whom she collaborated on the Viña Vik project. In 2012, she founded Beals & Lyon Architects with Alejandro Beals, and her work has been widely awarded, exhibited, and published nationally and internationally.

Hundreds flee Ethiopia's Tigray into Sudan after border fighting

Police officers detained a man who allegedly stabbed three security guards inside the Enjoy casino in Coquimbo, following an attempted robbery during the early hours of this Sunday. Specifically, the incident occurred at 4:10 a.m. this Sunday, when a 30-year-old Chilean man entered the premises after forcing a glass partition intended for staff. When intercepted by security guards and ordered to leave the premises, the individual attacked them with a knife, causing injuries of varying severity. According to information provided by Rodolfo Hernández, head of the Homicide Brigade (BH) of the PDI, the unit went to the scene to carry out investigative procedures to clarify the assault. Specifically, the BH and Organized Crime and Homicide Teams (ECOH) of the Public Prosecutor's Office took statements from witnesses and collected security camera footage, which were forwarded to the Prosecutor's Office for further investigation. The accused was brought before the Coquimbo Guarantee Court for the appropriate detention hearing.

Candidates for the national leadership of a Broad Front for Chile, headed by the party's leader and re-election candidate, Constanza Martínez, met this Sunday with the FA membership. Ahead of the internal elections of the organization, scheduled for August 15 and 16, the list presented at the headquarters of the National Association of Public Employees (ANEF) its work program built participatively with proposals for the party. In addition to Martínez, the meeting was attended by the party's secretary general, Andrés Couble, and former Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, Giorgio Boccardo, as well as other members of the list. The current FA president, who seeks to maintain leadership after two years, stated that a Broad Front for Chile responds to pride in the progress of the organization, "which in just two years managed to establish itself as a party of unity" and that it achieved "the largest opposition bench," as well as developing an ideological congress that provided guidelines for this second stage, after Gabriel Boric's administration ended. "We decided to put forward a list for the national leadership that recognizes that path we have been building, but also understands that it is necessary to take a further step," she elaborated. In this regard, she said they have listened to neighbors and members, with an open invitation to the latter, which exceeded 360 participants in a…

The deputies' bench of the Party for Democracy (PPD) and Independents submitted a package of amendments to expand the project that establishes compensation for the purchase of diapers and certain medications, promoted by the People's Party (PDG) and sponsored by the Ministry of Finance. The proposals aim to include basic basket products, glasses and ophthalmological items, infant formulas, vitamin supplements, and special foods for people with allergies or intolerances. The group presented the changes after requesting a study from the National Congress Library, which, according to the bench, calculated that the current benefit would reach an average of $3,534 per month per person. PPD deputy Carlos Carvajal, a member of the Social Development Commission, described the original initiative as "completely insufficient" and noted that the amendments seek to increase its scope. "We are characterized by being a proactive bench, so we do not want to just criticize an initiative that is totally insufficient, considering the more than 4 billion dollars that our country misses out on due to the government's mega-reform," he stated. The Social Development Commission plans to vote on the project in detail this Monday, August 3. Food and other basic necessities One of the amendments proposes to extend the compensation…

An operation by the Air Section of Carabineros of Talca managed to rescue an 84-year-old woman who was isolated due to flooding in the Pencahue commune on Saturday afternoon. According to Carabineros, the evacuation was requested by the Regional Presidential Delegation of Maule, following a request from the Maule Emergency Medical Service (SAMU). The affected woman showed signs of decompensation related to heart and respiratory problems and had medical instructions to be urgently transferred to a healthcare facility. However, land access was impossible because her home was completely isolated due to the floods. For this reason, Carabineros rescued her by helicopter and later transported her to the Regional Hospital of Talca, where she received treatment.

In order to generate evaluation parameters adjusted to the national reality, researchers from the Health, Physical Activity, and Sports Research Center (Isafyd) at UDLA Viña del Mar developed a scale to assess functional autonomy in older Chilean women. The study focused on the protocol of the Latin American Development Group for Maturity (GDLAM), a tool used in Latin America to measure the functional capacity of older adults through tests related to mobility, balance, and daily physical performance. The study creates a scale to measure the functional autonomy of older women The research team, led by the center's director Dr. Álvaro Huerta, and composed of academics and professionals from Andrés Bello University, Playa Ancha University, San Sebastián University, Mayor University, Viña del Mar University, and Valparaíso University, indicated that despite the widespread use of the GDLAM protocol, there were no specific scales for older Chilean women, which made it difficult to interpret the results properly. The initiative aimed to establish reference ranges that allow classifying the level of functional autonomy of this population and facilitate the early detection of physical deterioration associated with aging. To do this, the team collected data from 347 women over 60 years old residing in different areas of the country (Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Quilpué, Quintero, Til Til, Santiago, Rancagua, and Talca), applying tests...

The ECOH Prosecutor's Office of the Metropolitan Region is investigating the homicide with a firearm of a Chilean citizen that occurred during the early hours of this Sunday on Concepción Avenue, in the commune of Colina. Through its social media, the ECOH team reported that they went to the scene for the homicide of a man who was driving a vehicle and died at the scene. ECOH Prosecutor Ignacio Pefaur stated that the incident occurred around 3:45 a.m., when the victim was driving a vehicle with a companion. According to the prosecutor, for reasons that are under investigation, both were approached by a second vehicle, from which shots were fired while in motion. "The only thing we know is that he was intercepted by a second vehicle, from which several shots were fired while in motion. And one of those shots precisely hit and killed the driver," he indicated. Regarding the victims, Pefaur said that both the deceased driver and the companion are Chilean nationals and are in their twenties. He added that the companion was unharmed and that, according to the information they have so far, he would be a minor. The prosecutor also reported that at least four gunshot impacts were observed on the vehicle and that ballistic evidence was collected at the scene, corresponding to three elements found on the ground. In c…