Chile

Chile battles deadly wildfires that killed 19 people, left 1,500 homeless

Firefighters in Chile are battling forest fires that started on Sunday and have killed at least 19 people and left around 1,500 homeless as they swept through thousands of acres in the centre and south of the country, officials said. Five large wildfires were still active Monday in the South American nation, with temperatures higher than usual due to a summer heat wave, said the National Service for the Prevention of Disasters. Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in the central Biobio and neighbouring uble regions on Sunday. The emergency designation allows greater coordination with the military to rein wildfires. Boric said on his X account on Monday morning that weather conditions are adverse, which means some of the fires could reignite. Wildfires are common in Chile during the summer due to high temperatures and dry weather. The current outbreak of fires in central and southern Chile is one of the deadliest in recent years. In 2024, massive fires ..

18 dead, thousands flee as wildfires destroy several homes across Chile

Wildfires raging across central and southern Chile on Sunday left at least 18 people dead, scorched thousands of acres of forest and destroyed hundreds of homes, authorities said, as the South American country swelters under a heat wave. Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in the country's central Biobio region and the neighbouring Nuble region, around 500 km south of Santiago, the capital. The emergency designation allows greater coordination with the military to rein in two dozen wildfires that have so far blazed through 8,500 hectares and prompted 50,000 people to evacuate, according to Chilean Security Minister Luis Cordero. All resources are available, Boric wrote on X. But local officials reported that for hours on Sunday, destruction was everywhere and help from the federal government was nowhere. Dear President Boric, from the bottom of my heart, I have been here for four hours, a community is burning and there is no (government) presence, said

India, Chile aim to finalise CEPA by year-end after fast-track talks

Commerce officials to visit Santiago this month for third round of CEPA talks, with focus on critical minerals and expanded market access

Codelco finds human remains, setback for Chile mine rescue efforts

The world's biggest copper supplier halted production at the site after a collapse attributed to seismic activity on Thursday trapped workers in a new section of the mine

Latin America trade negotiations: India wary of China's growing influence

China's growing influence in the Latin American region raises concerns

Delegation from Chile in India to visit various units of Hindustan Copper

State-run Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL) on Monday said a delegation of mining experts from Chile will visit various units of the PSU over the next three weeks to assess mining and operational aspects and explore opportunities for knowledge sharing and value addition. This comes after a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between HCL and CODELCO in the presence of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of Chile Gabriel Boric Font, in April. "HCL welcomed a delegation from CODELCO (Corporacin Nacional del Cobre), the state-owned copper mining company of Chile, in New Delhi early today. In a first-of-its-kind mission in India, experts from the Chilean Copper major will be visiting all HCL units and offices across the country to assess various mining and operational aspects," the PSU said in a statement. The pact focuses on sharing knowledge and best practices to facilitate exploration, mining, and mineral beneficiation, along with employee training and capacity building. Mines ...

Google partners with Chile to deploy a trans-Pacific submarine cable

Google signed an agreement with Chile on Wednesday to deploy an undersea fiber optic cable connecting South America with Asia and Oceania, a first-of-its-kind project that aims to cement the South American country's status as a major digital hub. The Humboldt Cable, envisioned for deployment in 2027, is a 14,800-kilometer (9,200-mile) submarine data cable that will connect Chile's coastal city of Valparaso with Sydney, Australia through French Polynesia. The initiative is being launched almost a decade after it was first proposed in 2016, and six years after the initial studies to determine its feasibility. This is the first submarine cable in the South Pacific, so it's an important commitment", Chilean Transport Minister Juan Carlos Muoz told journalists. Chile, home to one of Google's largest data centers in Latin America, is currently connected to the United States and the rest of the region via an undersea cable. This cable also provides Chile with a longer route to other ...

India, Chile to begin negotiations for comprehensive trade deal in May

First CEPA negotiation round between India and Chile to begin May 26 in New Delhi aiming to expand the existing PTA and deepen economic cooperation across key sectors

India and Chile's CEPA talks to focus on MSMEs, investment, and more

India and Chile have finalised the terms of reference for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to broaden bilateral cooperation

India, Chile ink terms of reference for comprehensive free trade pact

India and Chile on Thursday signed terms of reference (ToRs) to negotiate a comprehensive free trade agreement. The two countries implemented a preferential trade agreement (PTA) in 2006 and are now planning to widen its scope for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA). An expanded PTA was subsequently signed in September 2016 and became effective from May 16, 2017. In April 2019, both countries agreed to pursue a further expansion of the PTA. To deepen their economic engagement, both sides expressed their intention to negotiate a CEPA to unlock the full potential of their trade and commercial relationship, boosting employment, facilitating investment promotion, and cooperation and exports, the commerce ministry said. The CEPA aims to build upon the existing PTA between the two nations and seeks to encompass a broader range of sectors, including digital services, investment promotion and cooperation, MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises), and critical ...

Coal India resumes discussions with Chile to acquire lithium blocks

These talks had previously been halted because the Chilean government required CIL to have prior experience in mineral mining

Karnataka, Chile sign letter of intent to strengthen innovation, tech ties

In a significant step towards fostering international collaboration in science, technology, and innovation, the Karnataka government on Saturday announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Government of Chile during the Innovation Summit held in Bengaluru. The summit was organised as part of the official visit of H E Gabriel Boric, President of Chile, and his accompanying high-level delegation to India. According to an official statement, the LoI aims to establish a framework for mutual cooperation between Karnataka and Chile in key areas, including emerging technologies, startups, research and development, knowledge exchange, and skill development. The agreement reflects a shared commitment to deepen innovation-driven engagement and create pathways for collaborative growth between the two regions. Notably, Chile becomes the first Latin American country to partner with Karnataka under the Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) - a flagship initiative through which the

Indian delegation to visit Chile, seek stake in SQM's lithium projects

Government-backed Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL), Coal India, Oil India, and ONGC Videsh are in talks with SQM for stakes of 20 per cent in its Mount Holland and Andover projects in Australia

Highlights: Case against CAA protestors based on assumptions, says court in Delhi riots case

Latest updates: Catch all the updates from across the globe here

India, Chile to launch joint Antarctica expeditions for climate research

A Letter of Intent (LoI) for cooperation in Antarctic research has been signed during the ongoing visit of Chilean President Gabriel Boric to India that began on Tuesday

Chile's President Gabriel Boric meets Jaishankar, pays homage at Raj Ghat

Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font arrived in New Delhi on Monday for his first state visit to India, receiving a ceremonial welcome and a Guard of Honour. He was warmly received at the airport by Union Minister of State Pabitra Margherita.Official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, confirmed Boric's arrival on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "Bienvenido, President Gabriel Boric Font! President Gabriel Boric Font of Chile landed in New Delhi on his first State Visit to India. Accorded a ceremonial welcome & Guard of Honour. Warmly received by Union Minister of State Pabitra Margherita at the airport."At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Boric's visit from April 1-5 aims to strengthen bilateral ties between India and Chile.The Chilean President is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, members of parliament, senior officials, business representatives, media, and key figures engaged in India-Chile cultural ...

Chilean President Gabriel Boric to begin 5-day India visit from April 1

Chile President Gabriel Boric Font will pay a five-day state visit to India beginning April 1 to explore ways to shore up bilateral cooperation in a number of areas including trade and defence. It will be Boric's first visit to India in his capacity as the president. The Chilean leader is coming to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday, announcing the trip. Boric will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, members of Parliament, senior officials, business associations, media and prominent Chileans involved in the India-Chile cultural connect. "The forthcoming state visit of President Boric will provide an opportunity for the leaders to undertake a comprehensive review of bilateral ties, as well as to discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest," it said. Apart from New Delhi, Boric will also travel to Agra, Mumbai and Bengaluru before returning to Chile on April ...

Google to rethink developing data centre in Chile over water worries

Google on Tuesday said it would halt plans to develop a major USD 200 million data centre in Chile to address environmental grievances, a decision reflecting growing concerns about the impact of the power-thirsty projects around the world. The US technology company first obtained permits in 2020 to construct the vast project in Chile's capital, Santiago, as demand for the server farms skyrocketed across the globe, fuelled by a surge in cloud-based technologies and a craze for generative AI. But months after a Chilean court partially reversed the centre's authorisation over water usage concerns, Google announced Tuesday that it would revise the project to comply with more stringent environmental requirements and change its water-intensive cooling system. A new process will start from scratch, Google said in its statement. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and the way we design and manage our data centres is no exception. Community complaints in the drought-stricken

Chile FM Klaveren's visit to India helped advance bilateral ties: MEA

The visit of Chile's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alberto van Klaveren, to India provided an opportunity to review the progress in bilateral cooperation and helped advance the ties between the two countries, the MEA said on Saturday. The Chilean foreign minister paid an official visit to India from August 27-31 at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. On August 28, Jaishankar and van Klaveren co-chaired the second India-Chile Joint Commission Meeting (JCM); met with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and inaugurated the Chile-India Business (Agriculture) Summit; and delivered a lecture at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. During the JCM, the ministers reviewed bilateral relations and held wide-ranging discussions for strengthening cooperation in trade and investment, agriculture, critical minerals, digital public infrastructure, defence, railways, health and pharmaceuticals, science and ...

Olympics 2024: Chile gets 1st gold in 20 yrs as Crovetto wins women's skeet

Chile won its first Olympic gold medal in 20 years when Francisca Crovetto took victory in the women's skeet, while Britain's Amber Rutter took silver just over three months after becoming a mother. Crovetto won the gold in a shoot-off, hitting her last two targets for the win after a disputed call to give Rutter a miss for a shot which, TV replays showed, had seemed to clip the target. Rutter reached the Olympic final in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 at the age of 18 and was a favourite for a medal in the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021 until a positive test for COVID-19 two days before the opening ceremony. She gave birth in April. Austen Smith won the bronze for the United States a day after her coach, Vincent Hancock, won his fourth gold medal in men's skeet.