Calls For “Re-Nationalization” Of Chile’s Privately-Controlled Water Resources

Millions of residents in Santiago were left high and quite literally dry in recent weeks by a series of water service cuts that some Chilean citizens groups and politicians are calling a wakeup call to the perils of privatization.

The first of the disruptions hit the Chilean capital between Jan. 21-22 after flooding from a heavy rainstorm flushed copious amounts of sediment into the Río Maipo, Santiago’s principal source of drinking water. The event forced Aguas Andinas, the city’s primary waterworks company, to temporarily shut three of its treatment plants and thus cut the water supply to an estimated 2 million residents. Complicating matters was the timing of the problem – at the height of the southern summer. Between December and March, daytime temperatures in Santiago regularly top 30˚C (86˚F).

Chile: Breakthrough In Decades-Old Víctor Jara Murder Case

Protected for nearly four decades by a thick wall of military secrecy, a handful of former Chilean soldiers – including a retired army lieutenant currently living in the US – are finally being called to answer for the 1973 torture and murder of famed folk singer Víctor Jara.

Is Piñera, Chile’s First Conservative Leader In Two Decades, Also Its Most Gay-Friendly?

President Sebastián Piñera has proven to be an unlikely ally for Chile’s LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, most notably by overseeing passage last year of the “Ley Zamudio,” an equal rights law that had been promised – but never delivered – by his more left-wing predecessors. The conservative leader could cement his legacy as a gay rights pioneer by making good on a campaign pledge to legalize same-sex civil unions. With just a year remaining in his term, however, time is running out.

Chile Divided Over Corporate-Friendly Fisheries Bill

Against the objections of artisan fishers, environmental groups and some opposition lawmakers, Chile’s Congress is inching closer toward approving a controversial government-backed overhaul of the country’s fisheries regulations.

Chile’s Governing Coalition Stumbles In Municipal Elections

President Sebastián Piñera’s center-right Alianza coalition stumbled in municipal elections held late last month throughout Chile, dropping tight mayoral races in several conservative strongholds. But while most pundits and political leaders agree the elections were a “defeat” for the Alianza, few are clear on what the results mean for its traditional rival, the still influential but increasingly fractured Concertación coalition.

Chilean Students Try To Rev Up Stalled Education Reform Movement

A flurry of school occupations and street protests has provided a sudden burst of momentum to Chile’s student-led education reform movement, which had laid conspicuously low in recent months following its tumultuous rise to prominence in 2011.

Ethnic Tensions Again Boil Over In Chile’s Araucanía Region

A flurry of arson attacks, land occupations and violent police raids have refocused public attention on Chile’s long-simmering “Mapuche conflict,” which is once again showing signs of boiling over.

Chile’s Unpopular President Apologizes In Penultimate State Of the Nation Address

President Piñera delivers his next-to-last May 21 address (congresochile/flickr)

President Sebastián Piñera had at least on thing going for him during last month’s state of the nation address: silence. Unlike in 2011, when hecklers interrupted him on several occasions, attendees for this year’s May 21 speech – an annual tradition in Chile – kept their mouths shut, giving the former businessman ample opportunity to sell the public on the merits of his two-and-a-half-year-old government.

Chile’s Concertacion Coalition Hobbled By Cohesion Problems

Presidential hopeful Andres Velsasco (World Trade Organization/Flickr)

Given the frequent political posturing that has already begun over who should be Chile’s next president, it is easy to forget that the country’s current leader, Sebastián Piñera, is only just two years into his term.

Gay Rights: Hate Crime Killing A Wakeup Call For Chile

Thousands turned out for Daniel Zamudio’s funeral (Flickr/chilefotojp)

The savage and ultimately fatal beating of a young homosexual man in Chile, allegedly at the hands of a group of neo-Nazis, has triggered a nationwide discussion on gay rights and prompted the government of President Sebastián Piñera to “fast-track” a dusty anti-discrimination law that had wallowed in Congress for years.