Chile

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Son stolen at birth hugs Chilean mother for first time in 42 years

What seems like an unremarkable greeting between mother and son was in this case anything but.

https://apnews.com/article/family-reunion-adoption-child-trafficking-chile-thyden-3974988929d6624c2a0577e933522332?

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Chilean communist scores surprise win in primary vote as battle with far-right looms

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chilean Communist Jeannette Jara, the country’s former labor minister, won the primary election for left-wing parties Sunday with surprising ease, beating out a more moderate rival to clinch over 60% of the vote.

https://apnews.com/article/chile-election-farright-communist-jeannette-jara-64aa1a305842384f8e9c31cc61c0ca93?

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Firefighters rescue dozens from burning high rise in Santiago

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Firefighters rescued dozens of people from a mixed commercial and residential high rise in Chile’s capital Thursday, plucking some from windows and balconies with ladder trucks and others from the roof by helicopter after a fire started in the building’s basement.

https://apnews.com/article/chile-fire-rescue-firefighters-c88d6c5e5d2e01a89ea69361944e31fd?

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Chile’s presidential race headed to tense runoff between communist and hard-right candidates

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile is headed to a tense presidential runoff after a first-round vote Sunday set up a showdown between a member of the Communist Party and an ultraconservative veteran politician, sharply polarizing the country between the political left and right.

https://apnews.com/article/chile-elections-kast-kaiser-jara-boric-migration-86be2d5930cdcefec7248e2b450ca0f8?

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Hard-right former lawmaker José Antonio Kast leads in Chile’s polarizing presidential runoff

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A hard-right former lawmaker and admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump held the upper hand as Chile headed to a polarizing presidential runoff against a member of Chile’s Communist Party representing the incumbent government.

https://apnews.com/article/chile-elections-jose-antonio-kast-jara-gabriel-boric-trump-e09ac673bfa15364251a5d324b97dc41?

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Landslide win for Kast gives Chile its most right-wing president in decades

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile’s ultra-conservative former lawmaker José Antonio Kast secured a stunning victory in the presidential election Sunday, defeating the candidate of the center-left governing coalition and setting the stage for the country’s most right-wing government in 35 years of democracy.

https://apnews.com/article/chile-elections-kast-jara-president-boric-trump-e9ef32b53359f3152ee80d62c106c5f6?

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Chile’s new president brings openly religious views to a changing country  José Antonio Kast is a devout Catholic in a country that has grown increasingly secular but retains conservative traits in various areas. His faith resonates with some supporters, even as analysts say it may shape — but not immediately change — policy on issues such as abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. Kast — who took office on March 11 — won 58% of the vote after pledging to crack down on crime and deport immigrants without legal status. Read more.

Why this matters: As a staunchly conservative lawmaker, the 60-year-old father of nine opposed the sale of emergency contraceptive pills. He has also spoken out against same-sex marriage and abortion.   Kast belongs to Schoenstatt, an international Catholic movement devoted to the Virgin Mary.   In Chile, according to a 2024 survey, about 45% of the population identified as Catholic while 37% said they had no religion and about 12% identified as Protestant.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Kast takes office as Chile marks its sharpest shift to the right since dictatorship  Chileans mark World Water Day by protesting Kast’s rollback of environmental rules  Security becomes top issue for Chileans ahead of presidential election