Chile, Latin America: Week in Review
Chile: Plane Crash Kills 21 People
September 5, 2011 By Staff
Today in Latin America
Top Story — A military plane in Chile carrying troops, journalists and a businessman crashed over the weekend off a Chilean island in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean. All 21 people on board died instantly, said Chilean Defense Minister Andrés Allamand. The plane crashed late Saturday night off the coast of Juan Fernández island, about 375 miles west of Chile. The bodies of two journalists, a soldier and a Culture Ministry employee were recovered from the scene and flown back to the Chilean capital of Santiago, said Chilean presidential spokesman Andrés Chadwick. The Chilean Defense Ministry said that the plane was attempting to land on one of the islands to bring humanitarian aid. Chief Inspector Ricardo Gutiérrez told reporters that the search for the remaining bodies would continue day and night until they are all recovered.
Headlines from the Western Hemisphere
North America
- Gay couples in Mexico City have been legally allowed to adopt children for over a year, but one couple has applied so far, according to government data.
- Two Mexican educators face up to 30 years in prison for terrorism and sabotage related to the social-networking site Twitter.
- Comedian Katt Williams apologized for offending Mexican-Americans with alleged xenophobic remarks, but said he would not apologize for what he said on stage.
- Pennsylvania is considering enacting a tough new immigration law that has similar wording to those in Arizona and Alabama.
Caribbean
- The Cuban government revoked an El País correspondent Mauricio Vicent’s reporting credential for allegedly producing biased reporting.
- The president of a Puerto Rican trucking company was arrested on allegations of laundering $7 million in drug money.
- The U.S. government is sending political oil spill commission co-chief Bill Reilly to Cuba to discuss the Castro government’s plans to develop its oil resources.
Central America
- A judge in Canada ordered the extradition to the United States of a Guatemalan man who allegedly killed villagers with a sledgehammer.
- Nicaragua’s Army chief said that he will never allow Nicaraguan territory to be lost, including the disputed wetland area with Costa Rica.
- A bill introduced in Panama’s National Assembly this weekend would overturn a previous decision to restore citizenship to the mayor of Panama City.
Andes
- Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez finished his third round of chemotherapy, saying he “couldn’t feel better.”
- Authorities in Colombia presented 23 alleged drug traffickers arrested earlier this week in a joint U.S.-Colombian operation.
- The United Nations praised Bolivia’s conviction last week of top military commanders for human rights abuses.
- Peru lost the honor of being the world’s top producer of silver after Mexico passed the country last week.
Southern Cone
- In the lead up to the 2014 World Cup, authorities in Brazil denied that terrorist organizations operate within the country’s borders.
- A shantytown in Montevideo with about 200,000 residents is set to win a reprieve from the government.
Image: Sebastián Villanueva @ Flickr.
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