Government Limits Dam Development in Chile’s Southern River Basins

Judge Alejandro Solis this week indicted six former secret police operatives for torturing Sergio Aguiló Melo in 1981.

Aguiló, now an elected member of Congress, filed the lawsuit in 2005, naming former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet (now deceased) and former Interior Minister Sergio Fernández (still active in national politics with the ultra-conservative UDI party). Aguiló said he realized his case was not as serious as others human rights violations that occurred during the Pinochet dictatorship, but that he wanted to send a “moral signal.”

Scientists hope investigation will lead to national strategy to protect glaciers

Chilean scientists were given the green light this week by the government’s water authority (DGA) to launch a US$52 million research project aimed at documenting the nation’s glaciers.

Scientists from the center for scientific study and investigation (CECS) in Valdivia (Region XIV) will study the effects of global warming on the country’s glaciers, with the goal of creating a national strategy to prevent the permanent loss of these valuable water resources.

Ten students from Chillan’s Santa María high school (Region VIII) won first place in a student journalism contest sponsored by El Mercurio. The students won the contest for their online newspaper, “Turning the Page.”

The competition, which began in April, was carried out in 385 schools throughout the country and included 5,018 students, guided by 450 professors. As a result of the contest, 541 online student newspapers were created.