Chile Proposes Bills To Resolve Mapuche Hunger Strike

Health problems of strikers increase while three incarcerated youth join the cause

With a spotlight on Chile as its bicentennial quickly approaches, pressure has mounted to take action on demands by Mapuche hunger strikers who passed day 52 of their protest on Wednesday and whose plight has received little coverage in the national media.

Starting December, scientists from the Biomar Foundation will use GPS (Global Positioning System) to follow the movements of humpback whales in protected marine area Francisco Coloane, in the Magellan Strait. The whales are to be monitored for 12 months.

The objective is to determine which areas the whales most frequent in the park. This information will aid scientists to establish how best to protect the endangered species. The results will also help tour operators identify the best places to spot the whales, said Biomar president Roberto de Andrade.

Education Ministry to provide incentives to enter education starting in 2011

In the wake of high school student protests, public criticism and calls for educational reform, the Education Ministry announced Tuesday a plan to provide incentives for high-achieving students to study education and become teachers, instead of lawyers, doctors or engineers.

Starting in 2011, the ministry will provide full-tuition scholarships to students who decide to major in education if they score over 600 points (on an 820-point scale) on the University Selection Test (PSU), Chile’s national college entrance exam.