José Antonio Kast
president of Chile since 2026
Photo: Estado de Chile, CC BY 3.0 cl (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
- Oct 7
Las Condes flash flood: six injured, 600 homes evacuated, catastrophe zone declared
Heavy rain linked to El Niño sent a flash flood through Santiago's Las Condes on Thursday, and officials reported 2,285 homes with minor damage by Friday morning.
- Oct 2
KGHM begins $725 million expansion of Sierra Gorda copper mine in Chile
KGHM Polska Miedz and South32 have started construction of a $725 million fourth grinding line at Chile's Sierra Gorda mine to raise ore throughput to 60 million tonnes annually.
- Sep 12
Fire at Chilean nursing home kills 16 residents as government orders nationwide review
A late-night fire at the El Edén care home in Pitrufquén left 16 elderly residents dead and 10 others hospitalized, prompting state prosecutors to investigate prior regulatory violations at the facility.
- Aug 23
Chile to close embassy in Iran by 31 August citing costs and regional security
Chile will shut its embassy in Tehran on 31 August 2026 due to operating costs and security factors, transferring consular services to Ankara while keeping bilateral ties intact.
- Jul 28
Keiko Fujimori takes office as Peru's first popularly elected female president, vows military-led crackdown on crime
The right-wing leader, daughter of ex-president Alberto Fujimori, won June's runoff by fewer than 50,000 votes and immediately ordered the military to take charge of internal security in emergency zones.
- Jul 21
Chile declares state of catastrophe after storm kills 10 and isolates 100,000 in northern region
A month's worth of rain fell in a single hour across the Coquimbo and Atacama regions, triggering floods that have killed at least 10 people, left 4 missing, and destroyed or damaged roughly 2,200 homes.
- Jul 16
Chile Senate passes Kast's economic reform 26-24, bill returns to Chamber of Deputies for final review
The bill, which cuts corporate tax and offers investment guarantees, now goes to the Chamber of Deputies for a final vote as the opposition vows a constitutional challenge.
- Jun 1
Colombia's far-right outsider De la Espriella stuns with first-round win, triggering fraud claims and a polarized runoff
Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right political newcomer, won Colombia's presidential first round with 43.7% of the vote, setting up a tense June 21 runoff against leftist Iván Cepeda amid unsubstantiated fraud allegations from President Gustavo Petro.
