By , LA PAZ (Reuters) - Bolivia’s new president, Luis Arce, has moved swiftly to restore ties with Iran and Venezuela, receiving the credentials of ambassadors from the two countries on Wednesday, just three days after his socialist party retook the reins of power.Bolivia’s government said in a statement it wanted to “reestablish diplomatic relations damaged by the previous de-facto government” led by conservative interim president Jeanine Anez.Writing on Twitter, Arce said he was restoring bilateral relations with Venezuela “to strengthen strategic ties for the good of our peoples.”He said...…By , LA PAZ (Reuters) - Bolivia’s new president, Luis Arce, has moved swiftly to restore ties with Iran and Venezuela, receiving the credentials of ambassadors from the two countries on Wednesday, just three days after his socialist party retook the reins of power.Bolivia’s government said in a statement it wanted to “reestablish diplomatic relations damaged by the previous de-facto government” led by conservative interim president Jeanine Anez.Writing on Twitter, Arce said he was restoring bilateral relations with Venezuela “to strengthen strategic ties for the good of our peoples.”He said...WW…

By , SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chileans poured into the country’s main squares on Sunday night after voters gave a ringing endorsement to a plan to tear up the country’s Pinochet-era constitution in favour of a new charter drafted by citizens.In Santiago’s Plaza Italia, the focus of the massive and often violent social protests last year which sparked the demand for a new magna carta, fireworks rose above a crowd of tens of thousands of jubilant people singing in unison as the word “rebirth” was beamed onto a tower above.With more than three quarters of the votes counted, 78.12% of voters had...…By , SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chileans poured into the country’s main squares on Sunday night after voters gave a ringing endorsement to a plan to tear up the country’s Pinochet-era constitution in favour of a new charter drafted by citizens.In Santiago’s Plaza Italia, the focus of the massive and often violent social protests last year which sparked the demand for a new magna carta, fireworks rose above a crowd of tens of thousands of jubilant people singing in unison as the word “rebirth” was beamed onto a tower above.With more than three quarters of the votes counted, 78.12% of voters had...WW…

By SANTIAGO (Reuters) - The Chilean authorities shut down a mall in downtown Santiago on Monday morning after hundreds of people crowded into the precinct to buy merchandise to sell, just hours after a lockdown for the area was eased.At least 300 people queued outside the Asia Pacific mall, which specializes in selling Chinese-made products, ahead of opening hours and rushed inside as private security guards attempted to dispense alcohol gel and take temperatures, in some cases resulting in physical clashes with shoppers.The mall is situated in the capital’s Central Station, a low-income...…By SANTIAGO (Reuters) - The Chilean authorities shut down a mall in downtown Santiago on Monday morning after hundreds of people crowded into the precinct to buy merchandise to sell, just hours after a lockdown for the area was eased.At least 300 people queued outside the Asia Pacific mall, which specializes in selling Chinese-made products, ahead of opening hours and rushed inside as private security guards attempted to dispense alcohol gel and take temperatures, in some cases resulting in physical clashes with shoppers.The mall is situated in the capital’s Central Station, a low-income...WW…

By , SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chilean President Sebastian Pinera has reshuffled key parts of his cabinet, replacing his interior chief and five other ministers, in an effort to shore up his fractious ruling coalition following a rebellion over a controversial pensions bill passed last week.The second reshuffle in nine months of almost all of the president’s inner political circle saw a swing toward conservatism in the political affiliations of new ministers, also in the foreign, defense, social affairs, presidency and communications portfolios.“I call on this new cabinet and all of the Chile...…By , SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chilean President Sebastian Pinera has reshuffled key parts of his cabinet, replacing his interior chief and five other ministers, in an effort to shore up his fractious ruling coalition following a rebellion over a controversial pensions bill passed last week.The second reshuffle in nine months of almost all of the president’s inner political circle saw a swing toward conservatism in the political affiliations of new ministers, also in the foreign, defense, social affairs, presidency and communications portfolios.“I call on this new cabinet and all of the Chile...WW…

By Slideshow SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A Chilean lawmaker launched hundreds of internet memes on Wednesday when she ran through congress wearing a pink cape and waving matching fans to celebrate passage in the lower house of a coronavirus emergency aid measure.Wearing a face mask and a pink shawl streaming behind her, Pamela Jiles sprinted repeatedly past bemused senior ministers in President Sebastian Pinera’s administration who sat on the front bench and had opposed the bill. Other lawmakers whipped out cellphone cameras, stood, clapped and waved their hands.Twitter users celebrated Jiles, who...…By Slideshow SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A Chilean lawmaker launched hundreds of internet memes on Wednesday when she ran through congress wearing a pink cape and waving matching fans to celebrate passage in the lower house of a coronavirus emergency aid measure.Wearing a face mask and a pink shawl streaming behind her, Pamela Jiles sprinted repeatedly past bemused senior ministers in President Sebastian Pinera’s administration who sat on the front bench and had opposed the bill. Other lawmakers whipped out cellphone cameras, stood, clapped and waved their hands.Twitter users celebrated Jiles, who...WW…

By SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Her hand clad in a blue latex glove, her face masked by a perspex shield, the woman lovingly stroked her father’s gray curls, cradled his head and pressed her mouth as close to his cheek as she could manage.Doctors in the Chilean capital of Santiago fought for weeks to save 76-year-old Don Jaime from the clutches of the coronavirus pandemic, but last week recognized they would lose the battle and invited his family into the hospital to say goodbye.Around the world, a need to slow the spread of the highly-contagious virus in hospitals has been placed above providing...…By SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Her hand clad in a blue latex glove, her face masked by a perspex shield, the woman lovingly stroked her father’s gray curls, cradled his head and pressed her mouth as close to his cheek as she could manage.Doctors in the Chilean capital of Santiago fought for weeks to save 76-year-old Don Jaime from the clutches of the coronavirus pandemic, but last week recognized they would lose the battle and invited his family into the hospital to say goodbye.Around the world, a need to slow the spread of the highly-contagious virus in hospitals has been placed above providing...WW…