Latest news with #Santiago
Bloomberg
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Charismatic Communist Shakes Up Chile's Presidential Primary
Lea en español. Just over a hundred years after its creation, Chile's Communist Party may have unexpectedly found one of its best-ever presidential hopefuls.
GMA Network
a day ago
- GMA Network
NBI nabs 6 foreigners, 3 Filipinos in alleged 'assume balance-talon' modus
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Friday announced the arrest of six Indians and three Filipinos in an entrapment operation conducted in Parañaque City for carnapping and syndicated estafa. In a statement, the NBI said the arrested individuals are allegedly part of a syndicate involved in the 'assume balance-talon' scheme. This modus involves an individual who is unable to continue paying for the monthly amortization for a vehicle, decides to pass this on to an individual who in turn will take over the loan. This individual will then mortgage the vehicle for some amount. The original owner, when he decides to recover the loan will then be asked for a large sum as a condition for the return of the vehicle. According to the NBI, the operation stemmed from a complaint filed against the nine individuals for selling his vehicle without his consent. The complainant said he failed to pay the monthly amortization of a vehicle to the bank and offered it for pasalo or to sell it to someone else who will also continue the payments. The vehicle was then passed on to one of the arrested subjects, who sold it to another individual. They then mortgaged the vehicle for P120,000 and demanded P450,000 from the complainant when he sought to recover it. One of the subjects threatened the complainant that the car would be chopped or dismantled if he is unable to pay. This led the complainant to file the complaint before the NBI. The NBI agents arrested the subjects at a casino hotel in Parañaque City on June 24. They have undergone inquest proceedings. 'Director Santiago likewise advises the public to be more cautious in their financial transactions to avoid falling prey to this scheme of unscrupulous individuals,' the NBI said. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Chile Central Bank Policymaker Sees Good Omens After Long Inflation Fight
Chile's central bank sees a set of factors coming together that will help bring inflation back down to target early in 2026, board member Luis Felipe Cespedes said in an interview. Core inflation is slower than estimates from earlier this year, and salary growth is expected to moderate gradually, Cespedes said from the bank's headquarters in downtown Santiago. In fact, consumer prices would be at the 3% goal already if it weren't for electricity tariff hikes over the past year, he said.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
King and Queen stranded in Chile due to faulty plane
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium are stranded in Chile due to a fault with their plane. Following a three-day state visit to the country at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Chile, Gabriel Boric Font, the Belgian royals were due to depart from Antofagasta Airport on Thursday. However, the Airbus A340-300 carrying Philippe, 65, and Mathilde, 52, along with government officials, business leaders, academics, and media representatives, 'rattled' and fell 'silent' while being taxied to the runway, HLN reported. Shortly after, passengers were informed that the aircraft was damaged and take-off would be delayed 'by several hours', but the flight was later cancelled with sources saying 'a tire was destroyed.' The plane now needs a replacement wheel before it can attempt another take off, meaning it's unclear when the return flight will depart. During the first Belgian state visit to Latin America in 60 years, the couple enjoyed a welcome ceremony at La Moneda Presidential Palace in Santiago. But their short trip to Chile has been marred by travel issues because the outbound flight was also delayed by 24 hours due to technical difficulties. Philippe and Mathilde were due to depart from Melsbroek Airport at 9am last Sunday, but were told the night before that their plane was suffering technical issues. They eventually took off 24 hours later on Monday morning in the 24-year-old Airbus, which had been grounded since May 18. The mishap comes after Queen Mathilde experienced another terrifying start to a royal visit after her plane was forced to make an emergency landing in February. The Belgian royal was on her way to Costa Rica when her plane was forced to carry out a priority landing after it suffered a crack to the windshield during the flight. Mathilde was headed to the country for a three-day solo trip organised by UNICEF Belgium and UNICEF Costa Rica when the aircraft suffered the frightening crack. Luckily, staff onboard steered the royal to safety, with the aircraft landing at San José Juan Santamaria International airport just 15 minutes ahead of schedule. While the incident likely sparked concern for the crew onboard, it appeared the incident was unbeknownst to their royal passengers who arrived unscathed and none-the-wiser of the stressful ordeal. Writing on X, royal commentator, Wim Dehandschutter, wrote: 'The airplane with Belgian Queen Mathilde landed in Costa Rica with a cracked windshield, according to this account and local media.' 'I was on that flight. As passengers, we didn't notice anything, and we didn't receive any notification during the flight or upon landing.' He added: 'Our KLM flight did leave Schiphol 20 minutes late, there was turbulence - as on many flights - and the landing was quite hard, but nothing seemed to be alarming. So I was a bit surprised when I read reports in the local media and on X about the 'emergency landing'. It comes after King Philippe of Belgium discussed whether he has plans to abdicate the throne in favour of his eldest child in an interview. The 65-year-old Belgian king answered 30 questions put forward by the public in a video shared by the Belgian Royal Palace. One question asked Philippe, who is married to Queen Mathilde of Belgium, 52, about his plans for abdication, if any. 'A King steps back, but is not retired,' Philippe answered when translated to English via Hola. Should Philippe one day choose to abdicate, his eldest daughter, Crown Princess Elisabeth, 23, will ascend the throne. In his answer, Philippe continued, 'I will continue to work for Belgium and I must give my daughter time to enjoy her youth, develop herself and see the world and I support her 100 percent in that and I will do everything I can to give her all the time she needs to do.' Philippe's father, King Albert of Belgium, abdicated in 2013 after a 20-year reign, clearing the way for his son, Philippe, to take over as the nation's king. Aged 53 at the time, then-Prince Philippe took the oath before the nation's legislators at the Parliament building, a short walk across the Royal Park in the heart of the city. The future Belgian queen has certainly made the most of her youth, and is currently studying at Harvard University after finishing her undergraduate degree at Oxford University. In photos shared on the Belgian royal family's official Instagram page last September, Elisabeth appeared excited to settle into her all-American life amid reports she was already a highly sought-after companion among her peers. The Princess is currently enrolled in a two-year Master's program in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Away from her royal duties, Elisabeth has embraced life as a student as she was pictured on the first day of term wearing an understated, yet chic, ensemble - complete with sneakers - in portraits shared by the Palace. The royal enrolled at the institution under the name 'Elisabeth de Saxe-Coburg' at Harvard Kennedy School.
Reuters
a day ago
- Business
- Reuters
Crime costs Chile $8 billion a year as violence chokes economic growth
SANTIAGO, June 27 (Reuters) - La Piojera in downtown Santiago has been a lively bar for over a century, drawing locals and tourists with typical Chilean foods, drinks and music, but now its doors are shutting earlier and sales are plummeting as rising crime has strangled the country and the economy. Chile is losing an average of 2.6% of its gross domestic product, about $8.2 billion a year, due to rising crime according to a study released by CLAPES UC, a research center at Chile's Universidad Catolica. The report attributed the economic impact due to businesses, like La Piojera, closing earlier or shutting down in high-crime areas, the loss of investment and increased spending in security. "My sales are down 60%," Mauricio Gajardo, manager of La Piojera, told Reuters on a Saturday night, when only a few patrons were at the bar. Gajardo said La Piojera used to be full at 8 p.m. on a Saturday night and would close past midnight. Now, on average, he closes at about 8:30 p.m. "The city helped me with a few municipal guards, but people still insist the area is dangerous," Gajardo said. Other businesses are trying another approach, offering discounts to customers to keep them throughout the night. "After 10 p.m. we've noticed our business drops ssignificantly," said Cristian Gonzalez, manager of Bar & Vuelvo. "So we try to prepare and face this with discounts or offers after 11 or 12 at night." Chile has seen an uptick in murders since 2016, rising to 6.0 in 2024 from a low of 2.32 per 100,000 in 2015. The elevated rate is still one of the lowest in Latin America, but researchers say this makes the economic impact more significant than a similar rise in more dangerous countries like Colombia or Mexico. "Countries (with a high murder rate) have in some way normalized the situation and the impact of a rise in the murder rate is less when the rate is already very high," said Leonardo Hernandez, a professor and one of the authors of the study. This has been the case for Jose Tomas Rodriguez, a local university student, who says he and his friends have already changed the way they go out. "It's not just me, but my whole social circle, we're changing our routine and going out earlier, maybe go out in the afternoon," Rodriguez said. "I think it's something that everyone has been changing."
