Chile Presents Official Bid To Host World’s Largest Telescope

Bodies of those arrested during the coup were originally thrown into the sea

Remains of 11 former supporters of president Salvador Allende who were arrested at La Moneda on the day of the 9/11/73 coup have been identified, the Servicio Médico Legal (SML) confirmed this week.

Their bodies or parts of their bodies were found at a former military base in Peldehue, north of Santiago. Doctor Patricio Bustos notified the families of the victims Monday after first informing Judge Juan Eduardo Fuentes Belmar, who is investigating disappearances from La Moneda after the 1973 coup.

Ruling prompted by illegal trading of Alerce timber puts an end to secrecy in granting or changing of land titles

Thanks to a little heralded but very important ruling last week by Chile’s Transparency Council (CPLT), the process by which an individual gets or changes legal title to a piece of property will be completely opened up for public scrutiny.

The new ruling was the result of a July, 2009, lawsuit filed before the CPLT by environmental attorney Miguel Fredes, who charged that the State violated Chile’s newly passed Transparency Law (20.285) in the way it carried out its land title operations.

Fredes had for years run up against a stone wall when trying to ascertain ownership rights to highly valuable Region X Alerce forests owned by his client Forestal Sarao.

Looking to benefit the tourist industry

Economy Minister Jean-Jacques Duhart announced plans to invest over US$4 million in improving Chile's English proficiency as part of a larger effort to promote national tourism. This amount doubles the funding in 2009.

The announcement was made during a ceremony in which the first 1,400 students to finish the program received certification.

The initiative will provide 2,500 Chileans working or studying in the tourism sector with government-funded intensive English-language courses.