Chile

candlelight vigil

What the 1973 coup means for Chileans today — 50 years later

Five decades after the 1973 coup in Chile that toppled the government of Salvador Allende and brought General Augusto Pinochet to power with help from the US, people in Chile are deeply divided about what the coup anniversary means today.

What the 1973 coup means for Chileans today — 50 years later
Evaporation ponds in the Atacama salt flat

Global demand for lithium is changing Chile's Atacama Desert

Global demand for lithium is changing Chile's Atacama Desert
Migrants from Venezuela cross into Chile from the Bolivian border near Colchane, Chile

Chile grapples with transnational criminal organizations targeting migrants and locals

Chile grapples with transnational criminal organizations targeting migrants and locals
A store displays packages of unwanted clothing for ready for selling, Iquique, Chile.

Fast fashion is causing an environmental disaster in Chile's Atacama Desert

Fast fashion is causing an environmental disaster in Chile's Atacama Desert
Fields of pata de guanaco flowers bloom across the Atacama Desert in northern Chile.

Chile tries to protect its 'flowering desert' from climate change, tourists

Chile tries to protect its 'flowering desert' from climate change, tourists
Chile's President Gabriel Boric speaks during a ceremony introducing new cabinet members, at La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago, Chile

Chileans categorically reject a new, progressive constitution

Two days after a national referendum on a new draft constitution, Chilean President Gabriel Boric shook up his Cabinet in an attempt to reboot the government.

Chileans categorically reject a new, progressive constitution
Avocado plantations in Petorca, Chile

Chileans have long struggled with a water crisis. Management practices are partly to blame, study says.

For years, people believed that climate change was to blame for the water shortage. But a recent study published in the Switzerland-based journal Water found that this shortage was not only due to the megadrought, but has also been caused by water misuse and management practices established under the country’s current legislation.

Chileans have long struggled with a water crisis. Management practices are partly to blame, study says.
Eneas Espinoza, who says he was sexually abused multiple times when he was a child, by several catholic priests in Chile

A growing number of clerical sexual abuse survivors are coming forward in Latin America

Latin America may become the next region to expose childhood clerical sexual abuse. Some victims have spent decades without coming forward because of the importance given to clergy in the community. But a growing number of people are creating support networks for survivors.

A growing number of clerical sexual abuse survivors are coming forward in Latin America
A 5-year-old boy gets his first dose of China's Sinovac vaccine, at a vaccination center in Santiago, Chile, Monday, Dec. 6, 2021. 

Why Chile moved ahead with COVID vaccines for the very young

In contrast with the US, Chile has opted to provide COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 3 and up, expanding possibilities for vaccines available for very young children.

Why Chile moved ahead with COVID vaccines for the very young
Plumes of smoke rise in the vicinity of Lake Steffen caused by a wildfire, near Rio Villegas, Argentina, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021.

Fire and climate change are altering Patagonia’s ecosystems

Wildfires have been raging in Patagonia, on the tip of South America, where until recently fires were rare — an unwelcome sign of things to come, scientists say.

Fire and climate change are altering Patagonia’s ecosystems
A lab assistant looks at an assay plate to prepare sequencing at the Wellcome Sanger Institute that is operated by Genome Research in Cambridge, Thursday, March 4, 2021.

From Congo to Chile, small labs are playing a growing role in global understanding of COVID

Scientists are tracking the evolution and spread of SARS-CoV-2 and developing critical responses to it. Efforts have ramped up a lot this year — thanks to a growing global network. 

From Congo to Chile, small labs are playing a growing role in global understanding of COVID
Chilean Muslims and people from other religious communities eating a meal from bowls, outside at the weekly soup kitchen in Santiago, Chile.

Chile has a growing Muslim community — but few know about it

Latin America has 1.7 million Muslims, who are rarely noted. Two scholars — both converts to Islam — set out to understand the small but representative Muslim community in Chile. Here is what they found.

Chile has a growing Muslim community — but few know about it
A screenshoot of a YouTube video announcing Elvis Costello's new album "Spanish Model."

Elvis Costello’s ‘Spanish Model’ brings back rock-and-roll classics to a Spanish-speaking audience

Grammy award-winning musician Elvis Costello has a new album, but you won't hear his voice on it. This time, it’s a remix featuring voices from across the Spanish-singing world.

Elvis Costello’s ‘Spanish Model’ brings back rock-and-roll classics to a Spanish-speaking audience
Man with oxygen mask lies face down on a stretcher with a green blanket on top and two people in the distance

COVID downward spiral in Latin America disrupts life-saving services

Brazil’s experience is a cautionary tale of what happens when infections go unchecked and vaccination rates lag, said Marcia Castro, a Brazilian demographer and chair of global health and population at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

COVID downward spiral in Latin America disrupts life-saving services
A man is shown wearing an orange safety vest and silver helmet and spraying a fire working to extinguish it.

Israel conducts heavy airstrike bombardment on Gaza

Top of The World: As the conflict enters a second week, Palestinians in Gaza awoke on Monday to heavy airstrikes. And, election results in Chile suggest the country’s center-right ruling coalition failed to secure one-third of seats necessary to control the body that will draft the country's new constitution. Also, the WHO says working long hours is killing hundreds of thousands of people.

Israel conducts heavy airstrike bombardment on Gaza