Pope Francis, facing clergy sex abuse scandals in several countries, said on Tuesday that the Roman Catholic Church has "spared no effort" to tackle the problem in recent years.

But, speaking to reporters aboard the papal plane while returning from a four-day trip to the Baltics, the pope again appeared to indirectly acknowledge that the Church had hidden sexual abuse "in the past century," saying that such cover-ups had been common in families as well.

Francis referred to a damning report last August by a US&nbsp;grand jury on sexual abuse of children by priests in Pennsylvania over a 70-year period. He noted that the incidents of abuse diminished toward the end of the years covered in the report.

"In more recent times the number went down because the Church realised that it had to fight in a different way," he said.

"In olden times, these things were covered up, they were even covered up in homes, when an uncle raped a niece, when a father raped his children. It was covered up because it was an enormous shame. That was the mentality in the last century," he said.

"Look at the proportions (in the Pennsylvania report) and you will see that when the Church started becoming aware of this, it spared no effort," he said.

Francis appeared to be referring to new rules put into place for preventing and reporting sexual abuse in the United States following the first big media expose of abuse in Boston in 2002.

The atmosphere during the nearly one-hour news conference was somewhat tense as the pope insisted that he first answer questions directly related to his trip, which took him to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Francis initially declined to take a question from a German reporter about the release of a research report hours earlier in her country that found that thousands of children had been sexually abused by clergy over a 70-year-period ending in 2014

He later began speaking about sexual abuse without being prompted.

"We all know the statistics (of the prevalence of sexual abuse within families), ... but as long as there is just one priest who abuses a boy or a girl this is monstrous because that man was chosen by God to lead children to heaven," Francis said.

The Church is grappling with a wave of new cases in countries including Chile, Germany and the United States.

Francis has come under fire from victims groups and other members of the Church who say he has not done enough to make bishops accountable for mishandling or covering up abuse cases.

Pope Francis, facing clergy sex abuse scandals in several countries, said on Tuesday that the Roman Catholic Church has "spared no effort" to tackle the problem in recent years.

Pope Francis, facing clergy sex abuse scandals in several countries, said on Tuesday that the Roman Catholic Church has "spared no effort" to tackle the problem in recent years. But, speaking to reporters aboard the papal plane while returning from a four-day trip to the Baltics, the pope again appeared to indirectly acknowledge that the Church had hidden sexual abuse "in the past century," saying that such cover-ups had been common in families as well. Francis referred to a damning report last August by a US grand jury on sexual abuse of children by priests in Pennsylvania over a 70-year period. He noted that the incidents of abuse diminished toward the end of the years covered in the report. "In more recent times the number went down because the Church realised that it had to fight in a different way," he said. "In olden times, these things were covered up, they were even covered up in homes, when an uncle raped a niece, when a father raped his children. It was covered up because it was an enormous shame. That was the mentality in the last century," he said. "Look at the proportions (in the Pennsylvania report) and you will see that when the Church started becoming aware of this, it spared no effort," he said. Francis appeared to be referring to new rules put into place for preventing and reporting sexual abuse in the United States following the first big media expose of abuse in Boston in 2002. The atmosphere during the nearly one-hour news conference was somewhat tense as the pope insisted that he first answer questions directly related to his trip, which took him to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Francis initially declined to take a question from a German reporter about the release of a research report hours earlier in her country that found that thousands of children had been sexually abused by clergy over a 70-year-period ending in 2014 He later began speaking about sexual abuse without being prompted. "We all know the statistics (of the prevalence of sexual abuse within families), ... but as long as there is just one priest who abuses a boy or a girl this is monstrous because that man was chosen by God to lead children to heaven," Francis said. The Church is grappling with a wave of new cases in countries including Chile, Germany and the United States. Francis has come under fire from victims groups and other members of the Church who say he has not done enough to make bishops accountable for mishandling or covering up abuse cases.

Catholic church 'spared no effort' to fight abuse scandals: Pope Francis

US President Donald Trump will receive his Chilean counterpart, Sebastian Pinera, late this month for talks on "efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela," the White House said Friday.

The Chilean president had planned to visit the United States for the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting next week.

His visit on September 28 to the White House comes with regional concerns growing about an exodus of Venezuelans fleeing their country's economic meltdown.

Trump has accused Venezuela's leftist President Nicolas Maduro of leading a "dictatorship" and a report in The New York Times earlier this month said US officials had met with Venezuelan military officers seeking support for a coup.

Pinera will be received by Trump for what the White House described as a "working visit."

Trump and Pinera "will build upon the strong partnership between their nations in pursuit of a more prosperous, secure, and democratic Western Hemisphere," the White House statement said.

"The leaders expect to discuss a shared commitment to pro-growth policies, combating corrupt and illicit networks, strategic partnerships in energy and cybersecurity, and efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela," it said.

US President Donald Trump will receive his Chilean counterpart, Sebastian Pinera, late this month for talks on "efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela," the White House said Friday.

US President Donald Trump will receive his Chilean counterpart, Sebastian Pinera, late this month for talks on "efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela," the White House said Friday. The Chilean president had planned to visit the United States for the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting next week. His visit on September 28 to the White House comes with regional concerns growing about an exodus of Venezuelans fleeing their country's economic meltdown. Trump has accused Venezuela's leftist President Nicolas Maduro of leading a "dictatorship" and a report in The New York Times earlier this month said US officials had met with Venezuelan military officers seeking support for a coup. Pinera will be received by Trump for what the White House described as a "working visit." Trump and Pinera "will build upon the strong partnership between their nations in pursuit of a more prosperous, secure, and democratic Western Hemisphere," the White House statement said. "The leaders expect to discuss a shared commitment to pro-growth policies, combating corrupt and illicit networks, strategic partnerships in energy and cybersecurity, and efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela," it said.

Trump to meet Chile's president for talks on Venezuela

A strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook Chile on Tuesday but there was no tsunami alert and no reports of injuries, officials said.

Chile's National Seismological Center said the quake struck the north-central region at 7:19 am (1019 GMT), 35 kilometers (21 miles) north of Punitaqui at a depth of 75.8 kilometers.

The United States Geological Survey also reported the quake as measuring 6.2.

An initial report from Chile's National Emergency Office said the quake did not cause injuries or "disruption of basic services."

The quake was reportedly felt from Atacama in the north to BioBio region in the south.

The world's most seismic country, Chile has a long Pacific Ocean coastline and a history of earthquake-linked tsunamis, but in this case authorities ruled out a tsunami risk.

In 1960 Chile was struck by the world's most powerful earthquake, measuring 9.5, which left more than 5,700 people dead.

The world's most seismic country, Chile has a long Pacific Ocean coastline

A strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook Chile on Tuesday but there was no tsunami alert and no reports of injuries, officials said. Chile's National Seismological Center said the quake struck the north-central region at 7:19 am (1019 GMT), 35 kilometers (21 miles) north of Punitaqui at a depth of 75.8 kilometers. The United States Geological Survey also reported the quake as measuring 6.2. An initial report from Chile's National Emergency Office said the quake did not cause injuries or "disruption of basic services." The quake was reportedly felt from Atacama in the north to BioBio region in the south. The world's most seismic country, Chile has a long Pacific Ocean coastline and a history of earthquake-linked tsunamis, but in this case authorities ruled out a tsunami risk. In 1960 Chile was struck by the world's most powerful earthquake, measuring 9.5, which left more than 5,700 people dead.

Strong 6.2-magnitude quake shakes Chile, no tsunami risk

Conservative billionaire Sebastian Pinera was sworn-in Sunday to his second term as president of Chile, replacing socialist Michelle Bachelet in the office for the second time in eight years.

An emotional Bachelet helped Pinera put on the sash of office, gave him a kiss and then left the Congress with members of her government.

Pinera, who was president from 2010-2014, has promised to stimulate growth and create jobs.

He is assuming the presidency just as Chile&#39;s economy is showing signs of rebounding from a period of sluggish growth due to low prices for copper, the country&#39;s biggest export.

&quot;The good times are coming,&quot; his supporters chanted after he was sworn in.

Bachelet was cheered by supporters as she capped a second term in office in which she saw through an ambitious package of reforms aimed at eliminating the institutional legacy of the 1973-1990 dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

Leaders from neighbouring Latin American countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico and Peru -- as well as the former king of Spain Juan Carlos -- attended the inauguration ceremony at the Congress in the coastal city of Valparaiso.

Later, the billionaire president chose a shelter for at-risk children in a depressed district of Santiago to announce his first measures as president, the reform of state protection for vulnerable children.

The new president called for a national agreement on the care of children, and said his new cabinet would for the first time include a minister for children.

He said some 1,313 minors had died in centers run by the National Service for Minors over the last decade. More than half the young people who pass through the state centers later become delinquents, according to Pinera.

The new president pledged to increase resources and subsidies to help tackle the problem.

In a Facebook message, Bachelet said she was &quot;profoundly proud of the transformation that we pushed these years&quot; and said she was convinced Chile today is more &quot;just, equitable and free.

She was Latin America&#39;s last sitting chief of state who is a woman.

Implementing the changes she made will now be up to the 68-year-old Pinera, who says he wants to reform the Pinochet-era pension system and supports the free education system instituted by Bachelet.

&quot;I feel I now have more experience, more maturity, more awareness of the importance of uniting Chileans; greater humility to listen, with eyes and ears that are more attentive,&quot; he said this week.

Pinera -- whose fortune has been estimated by Forbes at $2.7 billion -- has promised to transform Chile into a developed economy in eight years.

The economy has grown at an average pace of two percent over the past four years, but surged 3.9 percent in January. Analysts are predicting 3.5 percent growth this year.

Pinera, who was president from 2010-2014, has promised to stimulate growth and create jobs.

Conservative billionaire Sebastian Pinera was sworn-in Sunday to his second term as president of Chile, replacing socialist Michelle Bachelet in the office for the second time in eight years. An emotional Bachelet helped Pinera put on the sash of office, gave him a kiss and then left the Congress with members of her government. Pinera, who was president from 2010-2014, has promised to stimulate growth and create jobs. He is assuming the presidency just as Chile's economy is showing signs of rebounding from a period of sluggish growth due to low prices for copper, the country's biggest export. "The good times are coming," his supporters chanted after he was sworn in. Bachelet was cheered by supporters as she capped a second term in office in which she saw through an ambitious package of reforms aimed at eliminating the institutional legacy of the 1973-1990 dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Leaders from neighbouring Latin American countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico and Peru -- as well as the former king of Spain Juan Carlos -- attended the inauguration ceremony at the Congress in the coastal city of Valparaiso. Later, the billionaire president chose a shelter for at-risk children in a depressed district of Santiago to announce his first measures as president, the reform of state protection for vulnerable children. The new president called for a national agreement on the care of children, and said his new cabinet would for the first time include a minister for children. He said some 1,313 minors had died in centers run by the National Service for Minors over the last decade. More than half the young people who pass through the state centers later become delinquents, according to Pinera. The new president pledged to increase resources and subsidies to help tackle the problem. In a Facebook message, Bachelet said she was "profoundly proud of the transformation that we pushed these years" and said she was convinced Chile today is more "just, equitable and free. She was Latin America's last sitting chief of state who is a woman. Implementing the changes she made will now be up to the 68-year-old Pinera, who says he wants to reform the Pinochet-era pension system and supports the free education system instituted by Bachelet. "I feel I now have more experience, more maturity, more awareness of the importance of uniting Chileans; greater humility to listen, with eyes and ears that are more attentive," he said this week. Pinera -- whose fortune has been estimated by Forbes at $2.7 billion -- has promised to transform Chile into a developed economy in eight years. The economy has grown at an average pace of two percent over the past four years, but surged 3.9 percent in January. Analysts are predicting 3.5 percent growth this year.

Sebastian Pinera sworn-in as Chile president

Pope Francis said on Monday he was really afraid about the danger of nuclear war and that the world now stood at &quot;the very limit&quot;.

His comment, made as he flew off for a visit to Chile and Peru, came after Hawaii issued a false missile alert that provoked panic in the U.S. state and highlighted the risk of possible unintended nuclear war with North Korea.

Asked if he was worried about the possibility of nuclear war, Pope Francis said: &quot;I think we are at the very limit. I am really afraid of this. One accident is enough to precipitate things.&quot;

He did not mention Hawaii or North Korea.

Pope Francis has often flagged the danger of nuclear warfare and in November he appeared to harden the Catholic Church&rsquo;s teaching against nuclear weapons, saying countries should not stockpile them even for the purpose of deterrence.

As reporters boarded his plane bound for Chile, Vatican officials handed out a photograph taken in 1945 that shows a young Japanese boy carrying his dead brother on his shoulders following the U.S. nuclear attack on Nagasaki.

&quot;I was moved when I saw this. The only thing I could think of adding were the words &#39;the fruit of war&#39;,&quot; Francis said, referring to a caption put on the back of the image.

&quot;I wanted to have it reprinted and distributed because an image like this can be more moving than a thousand words. That is why I wanted to share it with you,&quot; he said.

His comment, made as he flew off for a visit to Chile and Peru, came after Hawaii issued a false missile alert that provoked panic in the U.S. state and highlighted the risk of possible unintended nuclear war with North Korea.

Pope Francis said on Monday he was really afraid about the danger of nuclear war and that the world now stood at "the very limit". His comment, made as he flew off for a visit to Chile and Peru, came after Hawaii issued a false missile alert that provoked panic in the U.S. state and highlighted the risk of possible unintended nuclear war with North Korea. Asked if he was worried about the possibility of nuclear war, Pope Francis said: "I think we are at the very limit. I am really afraid of this. One accident is enough to precipitate things." He did not mention Hawaii or North Korea. Pope Francis has often flagged the danger of nuclear warfare and in November he appeared to harden the Catholic Church’s teaching against nuclear weapons, saying countries should not stockpile them even for the purpose of deterrence. As reporters boarded his plane bound for Chile, Vatican officials handed out a photograph taken in 1945 that shows a young Japanese boy carrying his dead brother on his shoulders following the U.S. nuclear attack on Nagasaki. "I was moved when I saw this. The only thing I could think of adding were the words 'the fruit of war'," Francis said, referring to a caption put on the back of the image. "I wanted to have it reprinted and distributed because an image like this can be more moving than a thousand words. That is why I wanted to share it with you," he said.

Pope warns world is one step away from nuclear war

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-confirms-processing-visa-applications-of-jadhavs-wife-mother-26944" target="_blank">&nbsp;Pakistan confirms &#39;processing&#39; visa applications of Jadhav&#39;s wife, mother</a>

Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Office (FO) has confirmed that the visa applications of former Indian Naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav&#39;s mother and wife were being processed. According to local media Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Office had issued directives to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to issue visas to Jadhav&#39;s wife and mother.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/mudslide-in-southern-chile-kills-three-15-others-missing-26943" target="_blank">&nbsp;Mudslide in southern Chile kills three; 15 others missing</a>

&nbsp;A mudslide tore through a small village near a popular national park in southern Chile on Saturday (December 16), leaving three people dead and 15 missing after a night of torrential downpours, authorities said.&nbsp;Two Chilean women and a male tourist whose name and nationality have not been disclosed died in the accident, authorities said. Rescue workers were continuing to search through the debris for at least 15 other people.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-calls-tax-overhaul-christmas-gift-for-middle-class-26951" target="_blank">Trump calls tax overhaul &#39;Christmas gift&#39; for middle class</a>

President Donald Trump said Saturday that the sweeping tax overhaul set to be adopted next week in Congress would be a &quot;great&quot; gift for the middle class. Passage of the measure would mark a massive win for a leader who has yet to notch any major legislative victory after nearly a year in office.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-lifts-ban-on-women-driving-26949" target="_blank">Saudi Arabia lifts ban on women driving</a>

Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world to impose a ban on women driving, has finally lifted the ban allowing women to drive cars, drive motorcycles and trucks.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/andhra-cabinet-sanctions-pension-scheme-for-transgenders-26948" target="_blank">Andhra Cabinet sanctions pension scheme for transgenders</a>

The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has approved a scheme to provide a pension of Rs 1,500 to transgenders above 18 years of age in the state. The Andhra cabinet meeting was chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and was briefed by Information and Public Relations (I-PR) Minister Kaluva Srinivasulu and Municipal Administration minister P Narayana on Saturday.

Pakistan confirms 'processing' visa applications of Jadhav's wife, mother Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO) has confirmed that the visa applications of former Indian Naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother and wife were being processed. According to local media Pakistan's Foreign Office had issued directives to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to issue visas to Jadhav's wife and mother. Mudslide in southern Chile kills three; 15 others missing A mudslide tore through a small village near a popular national park in southern Chile on Saturday (December 16), leaving three people dead and 15 missing after a night of torrential downpours, authorities said. Two Chilean women and a male tourist whose name and nationality have not been disclosed died in the accident, authorities said. Rescue workers were continuing to search through the debris for at least 15 other people. Trump calls tax overhaul 'Christmas gift' for middle class President Donald Trump said Saturday that the sweeping tax overhaul set to be adopted next week in Congress would be a "great" gift for the middle class. Passage of the measure would mark a massive win for a leader who has yet to notch any major legislative victory after nearly a year in office. Saudi Arabia lifts ban on women driving Saudi Arabia, the only country in the world to impose a ban on women driving, has finally lifted the ban allowing women to drive cars, drive motorcycles and trucks. Andhra Cabinet sanctions pension scheme for transgenders The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has approved a scheme to provide a pension of Rs 1,500 to transgenders above 18 years of age in the state. The Andhra cabinet meeting was chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and was briefed by Information and Public Relations (I-PR) Minister Kaluva Srinivasulu and Municipal Administration minister P Narayana on Saturday.

WION morning news brief, December 17 2017

Argentina&#39;s navy revealed Monday that a submarine missing for five days reported a mechanical breakdown in its final communication, and that weekend signals did not come from the vessel, dimming hopes for its 44 crew members.

&quot;The vessel surfaced and it reported a breakdown. It was therefore asked to change course and go to Mar del Plata,&quot; said Gabriel Galeazzi, the head of the naval base in the northeastern city, located 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Buenos Aires.

Enrique Balbi, a spokesman for the navy, meanwhile told a press conference in the capital that seven signals received by naval bases over the weekend were not attempted distress calls from the submarine, as previously hoped.

&quot;We&#39;ve received the report from the company that analyzed the signals -- the seven attempted calls did not come from the submarine&#39;s satellite phone,&quot; he said, adding: &quot;We have still been unable to contact them.&quot;

The ARA San Juan, a German-built diesel-electric sub, made its last contact on Wednesday.

A multinational air and sea search is under way with help from countries including Brazil, Britain, Chile, the United States and Uruguay.

Argentina's navy revealed Monday that a submarine missing for five days reported a mechanical breakdown in its final communication, and that weekend signals did not come from the vessel, dimming hopes for its 44 crew members. "The vessel surfaced and it reported a breakdown. It was therefore asked to change course and go to Mar del Plata," said Gabriel Galeazzi, the head of the naval base in the northeastern city, located 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Buenos Aires. Enrique Balbi, a spokesman for the navy, meanwhile told a press conference in the capital that seven signals received by naval bases over the weekend were not attempted distress calls from the submarine, as previously hoped. "We've received the report from the company that analyzed the signals -- the seven attempted calls did not come from the submarine's satellite phone," he said, adding: "We have still been unable to contact them." The ARA San Juan, a German-built diesel-electric sub, made its last contact on Wednesday. A multinational air and sea search is under way with help from countries including Brazil, Britain, Chile, the United States and Uruguay.

Argentina submarine missing for 5 days reported problem in final call: Navy

Voting began on&nbsp;Sunday in the first round of Chile&#39;s presidential election, with former president Sebastian Pinera likely to cement his frontrunner status to succeed Socialist leader Michelle Bachelet.

But it was unclear whether Pinera, a 67-year-old billionaire who was president from 2010-2014, would gain enough support to avoid a runoff against the runner-up -- likely to be Alejandro Guillier, an independent supported by Bachelet&#39;s Socialists.

It was unclear whether Pinera, who was president from 2010-2014, would gain enough support to avoid a runoff against the runner-up -- likely to be Alejandro Guillier, an independent supported by Bachelet's Socialists

Voting began on Sunday in the first round of Chile's presidential election, with former president Sebastian Pinera likely to cement his frontrunner status to succeed Socialist leader Michelle Bachelet. But it was unclear whether Pinera, a 67-year-old billionaire who was president from 2010-2014, would gain enough support to avoid a runoff against the runner-up -- likely to be Alejandro Guillier, an independent supported by Bachelet's Socialists.

Polls open for first round of Presidential elections in Chile

Chileans vote for a new president on Sunday, with billionaire conservative Sebastian Pinera the favorite to win, although a crowded field of leftist challengers are likely to force a December runoff.

Opinion polls show Pinera, who was president between 2010 and 2014 and leads the Chile Vamos bloc, with a commanding lead over his seven mostly left-of-center rivals, but still shy of the 50 percent needed for an outright win.

Former TV anchorman, Senator Alejandro Guillier, is the flagbearer for President Michelle Bachelet&#39;s fractured center-left Nueva Mayoria coalition. He leads the race for second place, with around 21 percent of likely voter support compared to about 42 percent for Pinera, according to a CEP poll last month.

The election is the latest in South America to pit left-leaning leaders against the conservatives taking their places.

It also marks a turning point for Chile&#39;s coalition of center-left parties, previously known as the Concertacion. The pact, which for decades has dominated Chilean politics, fissured under Bachelet, riven by disagreements over policies such as loosening Chile&#39;s strict abortion laws and strengthening unions.

Bachelet, who is barred from running in this election by term limits, will step down with approval ratings near 30 percent and the legacy of her social and economic policies uncertain.

Many Chileans view the election as a referendum on her second term, which focused on reducing inequality by making education more affordable and overhauling the tax code.

Pinera, the market favorite, campaigned on a platform of scaling back and &quot;perfecting&quot; her tax and labor laws, seen by many in the business community as having crimped investment at a time when slumping copper prices were already driving down economic growth in the world&#39;s No. 1 copper producer.

Guillier, who is ideologically aligned with Bachelet, has promised to deepen her reforms and sought to tap into fears that a return of Pinera would mark a setback for gains made for students, women and workers.

Pinera garnered international attention and domestic praise for his handling of the dramatic rescue of 33 trapped miners during his prior term in 2010, and is seen as a safe pair of hands by investors.

But his administration was marred by massive student protests seeking an education overhaul. His responses were often seen as out of touch and grassroots groups still oppose him.

Both Pinera and Guillier would keep in place the longstanding free-market economic model in one of Latin America&#39;s most developed countries.

SUBDUED ATMOSPHERE

On the eve of the vote, the atmosphere in Chilean capital Santiago was subdued. New restrictions on campaigning have left the city uncluttered with political posters and the sense that a Pinera victory was inevitable had quieted the usual political debates in cafes and bars.

In addition, Chileans have grown disenchanted with politics following campaign financing and other cash-for-influence scandals that have entangled politicians on both the left and right.

But voter turnout will serve as a bellwether for the runoff.

A strong showing of voters could help the left marshal enough votes to defeat Pinera in the second round, while apathy and continued quarrelling among left-leaning parties would pave the way for a Pinera victory.

Bachelet&#39;s administration has offered free rides to voting centers on public transportation, part of a get-out-the-vote campaign criticized by Pinera&#39;s campaign as a political maneuver aimed at bolstering Guillier.

Turnout in elections following Chile&#39;s transition from compulsory to voluntary voting in 2012 has dipped as low as 42 percent, near the bottom of developed countries, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.

&quot;I&#39;m not going to vote because in the end it doesn&#39;t change anything,&quot; said Santiago resident Catalina Avedano, 38, as she waited in line at a public health center this week.

Chileans vote for a new president on Sunday, with billionaire conservative Sebastian Pinera the favorite to win, although a crowded field of leftist challengers are likely to force a December runoff

Chileans vote for a new president on Sunday, with billionaire conservative Sebastian Pinera the favorite to win, although a crowded field of leftist challengers are likely to force a December runoff. Opinion polls show Pinera, who was president between 2010 and 2014 and leads the Chile Vamos bloc, with a commanding lead over his seven mostly left-of-center rivals, but still shy of the 50 percent needed for an outright win. Former TV anchorman, Senator Alejandro Guillier, is the flagbearer for President Michelle Bachelet's fractured center-left Nueva Mayoria coalition. He leads the race for second place, with around 21 percent of likely voter support compared to about 42 percent for Pinera, according to a CEP poll last month. The election is the latest in South America to pit left-leaning leaders against the conservatives taking their places. It also marks a turning point for Chile's coalition of center-left parties, previously known as the Concertacion. The pact, which for decades has dominated Chilean politics, fissured under Bachelet, riven by disagreements over policies such as loosening Chile's strict abortion laws and strengthening unions. Bachelet, who is barred from running in this election by term limits, will step down with approval ratings near 30 percent and the legacy of her social and economic policies uncertain. Many Chileans view the election as a referendum on her second term, which focused on reducing inequality by making education more affordable and overhauling the tax code. Pinera, the market favorite, campaigned on a platform of scaling back and "perfecting" her tax and labor laws, seen by many in the business community as having crimped investment at a time when slumping copper prices were already driving down economic growth in the world's No. 1 copper producer. Guillier, who is ideologically aligned with Bachelet, has promised to deepen her reforms and sought to tap into fears that a return of Pinera would mark a setback for gains made for students, women and workers. Pinera garnered international attention and domestic praise for his handling of the dramatic rescue of 33 trapped miners during his prior term in 2010, and is seen as a safe pair of hands by investors. But his administration was marred by massive student protests seeking an education overhaul. His responses were often seen as out of touch and grassroots groups still oppose him. Both Pinera and Guillier would keep in place the longstanding free-market economic model in one of Latin America's most developed countries. SUBDUED ATMOSPHERE On the eve of the vote, the atmosphere in Chilean capital Santiago was subdued. New restrictions on campaigning have left the city uncluttered with political posters and the sense that a Pinera victory was inevitable had quieted the usual political debates in cafes and bars. In addition, Chileans have grown disenchanted with politics following campaign financing and other cash-for-influence scandals that have entangled politicians on both the left and right. But voter turnout will serve as a bellwether for the runoff. A strong showing of voters could help the left marshal enough votes to defeat Pinera in the second round, while apathy and continued quarrelling among left-leaning parties would pave the way for a Pinera victory. Bachelet's administration has offered free rides to voting centers on public transportation, part of a get-out-the-vote campaign criticized by Pinera's campaign as a political maneuver aimed at bolstering Guillier. Turnout in elections following Chile's transition from compulsory to voluntary voting in 2012 has dipped as low as 42 percent, near the bottom of developed countries, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. "I'm not going to vote because in the end it doesn't change anything," said Santiago resident Catalina Avedano, 38, as she waited in line at a public health center this week.

Former leader Pinera seen as favorite as Chileans vote for president

Voting began Sunday in the first round of Chile&#39;s presidential election, with former president Sebastian Pinera hoping to capitalize on his front-runner status to succeed Socialist leader Michelle Bachelet.

But it was unclear whether Pinera, a conservative 67-year-old billionaire who was president from 2010 to 2014, would gain enough support to avoid a runoff against the runner-up -- likely to be Alejandro Guillier, an independent supported by Bachelet&#39;s Socialists.

Chile&#39;s constitution bans consecutive terms for presidents, but re-election after skipping a term is permissible. Bachelet herself was president from 2006 to 2010 and then re-elected for four more years in 2014.

Pre-vote surveys show the Harvard-educated Pinera with a comfortable lead, but not enough to win the presidency outright.

&quot;It&#39;s not very likely&quot; he will get the 50 per cent or more of ballots needed to avoid a run-off, said political analyst Mauricio Morales of Talca University.

In that case, a second-round showdown would be held between the top two candidates on December 17, and the winner would take over the presidency in March 2018.

- Voter apathy -

Guillier, a 64-year-old former state TV anchor turned senator who presents himself as an independent, has 25 percent of voter support against 44 percent for Pinera, according to opinion polls.

With the outcome weighted heavily in Pinera&#39;s favor, voter apathy could be an issue -- even though there are six other candidates in the race.

Compulsory voting was dropped in 2012, and since then a growing number of Chile&#39;s 14 million eligible voters have decided to stay away from voting booths.

&quot;People don&#39;t want to vote because, really, nobody believes there will be any significant change anywhere. Also, they see who will be president as a foregone conclusion,&quot; said Catalina Gascogne, a 19-year-old student.

Analysts predict that abstention could be as high as 40 per cent, and that Pinera has more motivated voters who will turn out.

About 40,000 Chileans living abroad have already begun casting their ballots, beginning with those living in New Zealand.

- No majority? -

Pinera&#39;s first presidential victory in 2009 elections signified a break from the center-left politics that had reigned in Chile since democracy was restored with the end of Augusto Pinochet&#39;s dictatorship in 1990.

But a Pinera comeback is not seen as a rejection of the overall economic and social model erected in the Bachelet years, during which Chile posted annual growth of 1.8 percent and passed tax and labor reforms, an introduction of free education, and the right to abortion.

&quot;Chileans don&#39;t want to tear down the model, just fix its structure,&quot; Morales said.

Pinera has promised modifications to Bachelet&#39;s reforms, as well as vowing to have Chile join the club of developed nations within eight years.

His effectiveness, though, could be hobbled by a shortfall in legislative support.

&quot;He is not going to have a majority in Congress,&quot; another analyst, Marta Lagos, founder of Latinobarometro and MORI Chile, predicted.

Sunday&#39;s balloting also includes legislative elections for many of the congressional seats. Electoral forecasts suggest the right will increase its representation, but will probably not have the majority in either chamber.

Polls opened at 8:00 am (1100 GMT) and are scheduled to close at 6:00 pm (2100 GMT).

'It's not very likely' Pinera will get the 50% or more of ballots needed to avoid a run-off, said political analyst Mauricio Morales

Voting began Sunday in the first round of Chile's presidential election, with former president Sebastian Pinera hoping to capitalize on his front-runner status to succeed Socialist leader Michelle Bachelet. But it was unclear whether Pinera, a conservative 67-year-old billionaire who was president from 2010 to 2014, would gain enough support to avoid a runoff against the runner-up -- likely to be Alejandro Guillier, an independent supported by Bachelet's Socialists. Chile's constitution bans consecutive terms for presidents, but re-election after skipping a term is permissible. Bachelet herself was president from 2006 to 2010 and then re-elected for four more years in 2014. Pre-vote surveys show the Harvard-educated Pinera with a comfortable lead, but not enough to win the presidency outright. "It's not very likely" he will get the 50 per cent or more of ballots needed to avoid a run-off, said political analyst Mauricio Morales of Talca University. In that case, a second-round showdown would be held between the top two candidates on December 17, and the winner would take over the presidency in March 2018. - Voter apathy - Guillier, a 64-year-old former state TV anchor turned senator who presents himself as an independent, has 25 percent of voter support against 44 percent for Pinera, according to opinion polls. With the outcome weighted heavily in Pinera's favor, voter apathy could be an issue -- even though there are six other candidates in the race. Compulsory voting was dropped in 2012, and since then a growing number of Chile's 14 million eligible voters have decided to stay away from voting booths. "People don't want to vote because, really, nobody believes there will be any significant change anywhere. Also, they see who will be president as a foregone conclusion," said Catalina Gascogne, a 19-year-old student. Analysts predict that abstention could be as high as 40 per cent, and that Pinera has more motivated voters who will turn out. About 40,000 Chileans living abroad have already begun casting their ballots, beginning with those living in New Zealand. - No majority? - Pinera's first presidential victory in 2009 elections signified a break from the center-left politics that had reigned in Chile since democracy was restored with the end of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship in 1990. But a Pinera comeback is not seen as a rejection of the overall economic and social model erected in the Bachelet years, during which Chile posted annual growth of 1.8 percent and passed tax and labor reforms, an introduction of free education, and the right to abortion. "Chileans don't want to tear down the model, just fix its structure," Morales said. Pinera has promised modifications to Bachelet's reforms, as well as vowing to have Chile join the club of developed nations within eight years. His effectiveness, though, could be hobbled by a shortfall in legislative support. "He is not going to have a majority in Congress," another analyst, Marta Lagos, founder of Latinobarometro and MORI Chile, predicted. Sunday's balloting also includes legislative elections for many of the congressional seats. Electoral forecasts suggest the right will increase its representation, but will probably not have the majority in either chamber. Polls opened at 8:00 am (1100 GMT) and are scheduled to close at 6:00 pm (2100 GMT).

Pinera poised for presidential comeback in Chile

Chile is fast developing as a hub of human trafficking. For the last 10 years, the country has witnessed an unprecedented rise in migration. Most of these immigrants came from Central America, the Caribbean islands and the neighbouring countries of South America. As per the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Global Trafficking Report (2014, 2016), Chile is also receiving a significant number of immigrants from Asia, particularly India and China. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Instances of trafficking of Indian citizens to Chile was first reported in 2014. 
&nbsp; 
In a very trendy Indian restaurant, located in one of the central neighbourhoods of the capital city, Santiago, the owner who was an Indian himself was found subjecting 12 other Indian citizens to forced labour. The 12 Indians were brought by the owner under false promises of work and were held in miserable conditions. They lived in the restaurant, basically with no payment, no contact with the outside world as they were unable to communicate due to language barrier (none of them spoke Spanish) and with inadequate sanitary and health provisions. When discovered, one of the victims was suffering from tuberculosis, a disease that had been wiped out of Chile, a long time ago.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

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<h5>Located in one of the central neighbourhoods of the capital city, Santiago, the owner who was an Indian himself was found subjecting 12 other Indian citizens to forced labour.</h5>
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&nbsp;

The Indian owner of the restaurant and his Chilean manager were criminally charged with for human trafficking and sent to police custody. The defendants appealed, and the Court, unfortunately, subjected the defendants simply to house arrest. In the appeal&rsquo;s hearing, the Indian defendant was accompanied by his ambassador, who testified in his favour, praising the accused&#39;s remarkable character, who he knew on a personal level. 
&nbsp; 
Four victims were eventually repatriated. There has been no news regarding updated outcomes of the case. 
&nbsp; 
Last April, another Indian citizen, owner of two local Indian restaurants in Vina del Mar, a city in the central coast, was detained and charged with the crime of trafficking 11 Indian citizens who were brought under false promises of work. The defendant had forged their migration papers and had sent false documentation to the Chilean embassy in India. Although the prosecutor had required the accused to be held in custody, the judge set the defendant free, and summoned him to a future hearing. 
&nbsp; 
That same month, two Indonesian women accused an Indian citizen, owner of a shop in the Free Trade Zone of Southern Chile (Magallanes), of having trafficked them for domestic servitude when they were minors, forging their passports and lying about their final destination. The women were held under his control for more than three years, and brought under false promises of work and good salaries. They originally reported the case in 2011 with no response from the local prosecutors and are currently trying to reopen the case. 
&nbsp; 
All these cases were brought to the attention of the authorities because the victims themselves had the chance to escape and report their exploitation to police officers or labour inspectors. According to local residents in Magallanes, the situation of servitude and forced labour among migrant population in the Free Trade zone was something everybody knew, but nobody talked about.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Chile is quite new in the&nbsp;international anti-trafficking enterprise. It incorporated the crime in the way it is prescribed by the Palermo Protocol (2000) as recently as in 2011. In 2008, Chile created a Committee against Trafficking in Persons which is a national intersectoral multiparty task force. But it was not until the modern law of human trafficking -Law No. 20.507- was enacted that the Committee came to be fully functional. During 2013-2014, the Committee designed and implemented the first national plan of action that covered strategic dimensions of awareness-raising and training, including details about detection and prosecution, victim assistance and international co-operation. 
&nbsp; 
What prompted the government&rsquo;s response was not only the need to fulfill its international obligations but to address an unprecedented phenomenon: an actual increase in cases involving the recruitment, transportation and exploitation of foreign citizens within the Chilean territory. 
&nbsp; 
The magnitude of the problem is great and if appropriate measures are not taken immediately we face great risks.

&nbsp;

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<h5>Long distances and cultural differences are no obstacles for people recruiting others under fraud or coercion from anywhere in the world</h5>
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&nbsp;

&nbsp; 
Trafficking has become a globalised crime. Stories of trafficking between Chile and India, distant countries with a different history and culture, constitute just one example of the globalised character of the crime. The UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (2016) shows victims are trafficked along a multitude of trafficking flows; within countries, among neighbouring countries or even across different continents. More than 500 different trafficking flows were detected between 2012 and 2014. Countries in Western and Southern Europe detected victims of 137 different citizenship. 
&nbsp; 
There are no boundaries anymore for the global market of human commodity. Long distances and cultural differences are no obstacles for people recruiting others under fraud or coercion from anywhere in the world despite the potential costs involved. 
&nbsp; 
Human trafficking is, after drug trafficking and arms trafficking, the third biggest illicit market. However, trafficking is not necessarily a manifestation of complex organised crime; it has transformed into private transactions between individuals. Parallel to criminal entrepreneurial industry, trafficking has come to manifest in a more subtle way, as a kind of private labour recruiting system, performed by individuals who live perfectly normal lives, with normal jobs, that &ldquo;employ&rdquo; workers using the techniques of fraud and coercion in a smaller scale. 
&nbsp; 
This is a particularly dangerous and complex trait. Facilitated by globalisation of poverty and migration restrictions, there is a huge market of cheap labour force, willing to take risks to achieve the dream of a better life. They are recruited on a one-by-one basis, accepting work offers from individuals that will employ them in exploitative conditions. According to International Labour Organisation, forced labour in the private economy generates US$ 150 billion in illegal profits per year. 
&nbsp; 
Unfortunately, there is a systematic failure to understand trafficking from the operators of the criminal justice system. Due to a misperception of what constitutes the core of the crime, there is a failure in detecting and convicting the traffickers. For instance, public officials are keen to book cases but fail to recognise situations of abuse that happen in domestic settings where no extraordinary, movie-like conditions take place. 
&nbsp; 
The UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its Protocols against trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants was a landmark in the fight against trafficking in persons. But since the Convention, the focus has turned towards fighting complex organised criminal activity at the expense of detecting more domestic and silent exploitation taking place in private settings. 
&nbsp; 
Nevertheless, and more seriously, blindness to certain situations of trafficking has to do with the fact that there is a massive normalisation of mistreatment in employment relationships. There is a tendency to normalise abuse by viewing it as a legitimate social dynamism of relationship. Legitimate in the sense that it expresses a cultural practice, explicitly or implicitly consented or at least tolerated by the members of the community.

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<h5>In today&acute;s globalised inequality, the employment relationship carries in itself a trait of subordination and dependence that is taken as a given thing</h5>
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&nbsp;

&nbsp; 
Among communities, cultural differences act as a barrier that impedes detecting the abuse from the part of the local criminal justice operators or even the general public. The submissive behaviour of foreign workers is interpreted as a natural behaviour relevant to a particular culture. There is no further questioning and, more dangerously, there is an implicit approval of the situation under the idea of &ldquo;they are worst off in their own countries&rdquo;. As if that, in some strange way, would authorise conditions of abuse that the bystanders themselves would not tolerate or would not delay signalling it as exploitation if it had happened to them. 
&nbsp; 
Trafficking is occurring as a private, domestic practice because we are tolerating and accepting abuse in the way we relate to each other. And we are tolerating and accepting abuse because, in some level, we believe we are not equal, and therefore we do not deserve the same. In today&acute;s globalised inequality, the employment relationship carries in itself a trait of subordination and dependence that is taken as a given thing, a fact as natural as a storm, or an earthquake. 
&nbsp; 
This given fact of unequal power to set the conditions for mutual exchange, consciously or unconsciously. It authorises and legitimises hierarchies between individuals. In absence of internal ethics or external controls of law and enforcement, abuse and exploitation get justified. The massive naturalisation of abuse operating under the belief we are not truly equal gives no space to detect trafficking: it is the way things are. 
&nbsp; 
Thus, any real attempt to combat human trafficking will require a radical ethical shift: &nbsp;to recover the age old principle of commutative justice, that is, recovering the notion of what is fair and just in exchange of what two or more people in their private capacities is an equivalence in the benefits: each party of the relationship deserves the same. Arithmetically the same. 
&nbsp; 
I am saying nothing new. This was stated by Aristotle, and by Ulpian and the Stoics before him. But as Andre Gide used to say, everything that has to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything has to be said again.

(WION)

As per the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Global Trafficking Report, Chile is receiving a significant number of immigrants from Asia, particularly India and China

Chile is fast developing as a hub of human trafficking. For the last 10 years, the country has witnessed an unprecedented rise in migration. Most of these immigrants came from Central America, the Caribbean islands and the neighbouring countries of South America. As per the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Global Trafficking Report (2014, 2016), Chile is also receiving a significant number of immigrants from Asia, particularly India and China. Instances of trafficking of Indian citizens to Chile was first reported in 2014. In a very trendy Indian restaurant, located in one of the central neighbourhoods of the capital city, Santiago, the owner who was an Indian himself was found subjecting 12 other Indian citizens to forced labour. The 12 Indians were brought by the owner under false promises of work and were held in miserable conditions. They lived in the restaurant, basically with no payment, no contact with the outside world as they were unable to communicate due to language barrier (none of them spoke Spanish) and with inadequate sanitary and health provisions. When discovered, one of the victims was suffering from tuberculosis, a disease that had been wiped out of Chile, a long time ago. Located in one of the central neighbourhoods of the capital city, Santiago, the owner who was an Indian himself was found subjecting 12 other Indian citizens to forced labour. × The Indian owner of the restaurant and his Chilean manager were criminally charged with for human trafficking and sent to police custody. The defendants appealed, and the Court, unfortunately, subjected the defendants simply to house arrest. In the appeal’s hearing, the Indian defendant was accompanied by his ambassador, who testified in his favour, praising the accused's remarkable character, who he knew on a personal level. Four victims were eventually repatriated. There has been no news regarding updated outcomes of the case. Last April, another Indian citizen, owner of two local Indian restaurants in Vina del Mar, a city in the central coast, was detained and charged with the crime of trafficking 11 Indian citizens who were brought under false promises of work. The defendant had forged their migration papers and had sent false documentation to the Chilean embassy in India. Although the prosecutor had required the accused to be held in custody, the judge set the defendant free, and summoned him to a future hearing. That same month, two Indonesian women accused an Indian citizen, owner of a shop in the Free Trade Zone of Southern Chile (Magallanes), of having trafficked them for domestic servitude when they were minors, forging their passports and lying about their final destination. The women were held under his control for more than three years, and brought under false promises of work and good salaries. They originally reported the case in 2011 with no response from the local prosecutors and are currently trying to reopen the case. All these cases were brought to the attention of the authorities because the victims themselves had the chance to escape and report their exploitation to police officers or labour inspectors. According to local residents in Magallanes, the situation of servitude and forced labour among migrant population in the Free Trade zone was something everybody knew, but nobody talked about. Chile is quite new in the international anti-trafficking enterprise. It incorporated the crime in the way it is prescribed by the Palermo Protocol (2000) as recently as in 2011. In 2008, Chile created a Committee against Trafficking in Persons which is a national intersectoral multiparty task force. But it was not until the modern law of human trafficking -Law No. 20.507- was enacted that the Committee came to be fully functional. During 2013-2014, the Committee designed and implemented the first national plan of action that covered strategic dimensions of awareness-raising and training, including details about detection and prosecution, victim assistance and international co-operation. What prompted the government’s response was not only the need to fulfill its international obligations but to address an unprecedented phenomenon: an actual increase in cases involving the recruitment, transportation and exploitation of foreign citizens within the Chilean territory. The magnitude of the problem is great and if appropriate measures are not taken immediately we face great risks. Long distances and cultural differences are no obstacles for people recruiting others under fraud or coercion from anywhere in the world × Trafficking has become a globalised crime. Stories of trafficking between Chile and India, distant countries with a different history and culture, constitute just one example of the globalised character of the crime. The UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (2016) shows victims are trafficked along a multitude of trafficking flows; within countries, among neighbouring countries or even across different continents. More than 500 different trafficking flows were detected between 2012 and 2014. Countries in Western and Southern Europe detected victims of 137 different citizenship. There are no boundaries anymore for the global market of human commodity. Long distances and cultural differences are no obstacles for people recruiting others under fraud or coercion from anywhere in the world despite the potential costs involved. Human trafficking is, after drug trafficking and arms trafficking, the third biggest illicit market. However, trafficking is not necessarily a manifestation of complex organised crime; it has transformed into private transactions between individuals. Parallel to criminal entrepreneurial industry, trafficking has come to manifest in a more subtle way, as a kind of private labour recruiting system, performed by individuals who live perfectly normal lives, with normal jobs, that “employ” workers using the techniques of fraud and coercion in a smaller scale. This is a particularly dangerous and complex trait. Facilitated by globalisation of poverty and migration restrictions, there is a huge market of cheap labour force, willing to take risks to achieve the dream of a better life. They are recruited on a one-by-one basis, accepting work offers from individuals that will employ them in exploitative conditions. According to International Labour Organisation, forced labour in the private economy generates US$ 150 billion in illegal profits per year. Unfortunately, there is a systematic failure to understand trafficking from the operators of the criminal justice system. Due to a misperception of what constitutes the core of the crime, there is a failure in detecting and convicting the traffickers. For instance, public officials are keen to book cases but fail to recognise situations of abuse that happen in domestic settings where no extraordinary, movie-like conditions take place. The UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its Protocols against trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants was a landmark in the fight against trafficking in persons. But since the Convention, the focus has turned towards fighting complex organised criminal activity at the expense of detecting more domestic and silent exploitation taking place in private settings. Nevertheless, and more seriously, blindness to certain situations of trafficking has to do with the fact that there is a massive normalisation of mistreatment in employment relationships. There is a tendency to normalise abuse by viewing it as a legitimate social dynamism of relationship. Legitimate in the sense that it expresses a cultural practice, explicitly or implicitly consented or at least tolerated by the members of the community. In today´s globalised inequality, the employment relationship carries in itself a trait of subordination and dependence that is taken as a given thing × Among communities, cultural differences act as a barrier that impedes detecting the abuse from the part of the local criminal justice operators or even the general public. The submissive behaviour of foreign workers is interpreted as a natural behaviour relevant to a particular culture. There is no further questioning and, more dangerously, there is an implicit approval of the situation under the idea of “they are worst off in their own countries”. As if that, in some strange way, would authorise conditions of abuse that the bystanders themselves would not tolerate or would not delay signalling it as exploitation if it had happened to them. Trafficking is occurring as a private, domestic practice because we are tolerating and accepting abuse in the way we relate to each other. And we are tolerating and accepting abuse because, in some level, we believe we are not equal, and therefore we do not deserve the same. In today´s globalised inequality, the employment relationship carries in itself a trait of subordination and dependence that is taken as a given thing, a fact as natural as a storm, or an earthquake. This given fact of unequal power to set the conditions for mutual exchange, consciously or unconsciously. It authorises and legitimises hierarchies between individuals. In absence of internal ethics or external controls of law and enforcement, abuse and exploitation get justified. The massive naturalisation of abuse operating under the belief we are not truly equal gives no space to detect trafficking: it is the way things are. Thus, any real attempt to combat human trafficking will require a radical ethical shift: to recover the age old principle of commutative justice, that is, recovering the notion of what is fair and just in exchange of what two or more people in their private capacities is an equivalence in the benefits: each party of the relationship deserves the same. Arithmetically the same. I am saying nothing new. This was stated by Aristotle, and by Ulpian and the Stoics before him. But as Andre Gide used to say, everything that has to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything has to be said again. (WION)

Exclusive: Increasing number of Indians are trafficked to Chile everyday

A huge forest fire ravaged 50 hectares and destroyed homes near the tourist city of Valparaiso in western Chile, prompting the authorities to evacuate hundreds of people on Monday.

At least one person was reported hurt after the fire broke out near the historic port city, the National Emergencies Office (ONEMI) said in a statement.

Television pictures showed thick grey smoke filling the streets in the village of Laguna Verde, where the blaze struck.

The flames destroyed five homes and 50 hectares of woodland, ONEMI said on Monday evening. It reported no fatalities for the time being.

Some 200 people had been evacuated from their homes as a precaution, the agency added.

Electrical service providers said they had cut power to nearly 48,000 customers also as a precaution.

Fanned by strong winds in hot summer weather, the fire broke out in the wooded, hilly region that makes Valparaiso a picturesque tourist destination.

The authorities issued a maximum red alert.

Laguna Verde lies some 15 kilometers (nine miles) south of Valparaiso, a city built on 40 hills with stunning views over the sea.

The picturesque colonial city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, visited by thousands of tourists every year.

Wildfires killed 15 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the area in 2014.

More blazes in March 2015 killed one woman and forced thousands of people from their homes.

(AFP)&nbsp;

Television pictures showed thick grey smoke filling the streets in the village of Laguna Verde, where the blaze struck

A huge forest fire ravaged 50 hectares and destroyed homes near the tourist city of Valparaiso in western Chile, prompting the authorities to evacuate hundreds of people on Monday. At least one person was reported hurt after the fire broke out near the historic port city, the National Emergencies Office (ONEMI) said in a statement. Television pictures showed thick grey smoke filling the streets in the village of Laguna Verde, where the blaze struck. The flames destroyed five homes and 50 hectares of woodland, ONEMI said on Monday evening. It reported no fatalities for the time being. Some 200 people had been evacuated from their homes as a precaution, the agency added. Electrical service providers said they had cut power to nearly 48,000 customers also as a precaution. Fanned by strong winds in hot summer weather, the fire broke out in the wooded, hilly region that makes Valparaiso a picturesque tourist destination. The authorities issued a maximum red alert. Laguna Verde lies some 15 kilometers (nine miles) south of Valparaiso, a city built on 40 hills with stunning views over the sea. The picturesque colonial city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, visited by thousands of tourists every year. Wildfires killed 15 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the area in 2014. More blazes in March 2015 killed one woman and forced thousands of people from their homes. (AFP)

Wildfire destroys homes in Chile, hundreds evacuated

A strong quake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale rocked southern Chile on Christmas Day, triggering a tsunami alert.

The tsunami alert, however, was lifted about 90 minutes after the powerful quake shook the South American nation.

The quake&#39;s&nbsp;epicentre was the southern part of Chiloe island, in a zone of several national parks.&nbsp;

Images of cracked roads were tweeted by Chilean media.

There have been no reports of any damage or casualties.

The quake struck in the evening while most people were celebrating Christmas.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from the coastal areas after a tsunami alert was activated..

Chile is in a quake-prone region, lying on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire of frequent seismic activity. As a result, buildings are usually built to resist swaying.

The last big quake to shake Chile was on September 16, 2015, when an 8.3 temblor followed by a tsunami hit the north of the country, killing 15 people. A coastal evacuation order had limited the number of casualties.

In 2010 another quake measuring 8.8, also followed by a tsunami, struck the center and south of the country, killing more than 500 people.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The country's emergency service has called for the evacuation of coastal areas

A strong quake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale rocked southern Chile on Christmas Day, triggering a tsunami alert. The tsunami alert, however, was lifted about 90 minutes after the powerful quake shook the South American nation. The quake's epicentre was the southern part of Chiloe island, in a zone of several national parks. Images of cracked roads were tweeted by Chilean media. There have been no reports of any damage or casualties. The quake struck in the evening while most people were celebrating Christmas. Thousands of people have been evacuated from the coastal areas after a tsunami alert was activated.. Chile is in a quake-prone region, lying on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire of frequent seismic activity. As a result, buildings are usually built to resist swaying. The last big quake to shake Chile was on September 16, 2015, when an 8.3 temblor followed by a tsunami hit the north of the country, killing 15 people. A coastal evacuation order had limited the number of casualties. In 2010 another quake measuring 8.8, also followed by a tsunami, struck the center and south of the country, killing more than 500 people. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Chile hit by 7.7 earthquake

Nine former agents of late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet&#39;s regime asked forgiveness for their crimes Friday -- a first for Chile -- but victims&#39; families rejected the gesture as a ploy.

The apology came in the form of a private religious ceremony at the Punta Peuco prison, where some 100 former regime agents are serving sentences for the kidnappings, killings and torture perpetrated during Pinochet&#39;s rule from 1973 to 1990.

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The nine convicts included Raul Iturriaga, a high-ranking official in Pinochet&#39;s political police.

&quot;God is doing something extraordinary in this country. This would not have been possible until recently,&quot; Anglican priest Pablo Alvarez told journalists after the ceremony, which was closed to the press.

But dozens of victims&#39; family members protested outside the prison, rejecting the ceremony as a hollow bid to obtain a pardon or early release.

&quot;We have the right and the moral duty to be here to prevent this media show,&quot; said Alicia Lira, head of a rights group for victims&#39; families.

Family members emphasized that none of the convicts have provided information on the fate of nearly 1,000 people missing and presumed killed by the regime.

They also demand the closure of Punta Peuco, which they condemn as a luxury prison with tennis courts, terraces and barbecues.

More than 3,000 regime opponents and alleged collaborators were killed or disappeared during Pinochet&#39;s rule. Some 38,000 were tortured.

Pinochet, who came to power in a military coup, died in 2006 without being brought to justice.

(AFP)

The apology came in the form of a private religious ceremony at the Punta Peuco prison

Nine former agents of late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet's regime asked forgiveness for their crimes Friday -- a first for Chile -- but victims' families rejected the gesture as a ploy. The apology came in the form of a private religious ceremony at the Punta Peuco prison, where some 100 former regime agents are serving sentences for the kidnappings, killings and torture perpetrated during Pinochet's rule from 1973 to 1990. Some 100 former regime agents are serving sentences in Punta Peuco for the kidnappings, killings and torture perpetrated during Pinochet's rule from 1973 to 1990 × The nine convicts included Raul Iturriaga, a high-ranking official in Pinochet's political police. "God is doing something extraordinary in this country. This would not have been possible until recently," Anglican priest Pablo Alvarez told journalists after the ceremony, which was closed to the press. But dozens of victims' family members protested outside the prison, rejecting the ceremony as a hollow bid to obtain a pardon or early release. "We have the right and the moral duty to be here to prevent this media show," said Alicia Lira, head of a rights group for victims' families. Family members emphasized that none of the convicts have provided information on the fate of nearly 1,000 people missing and presumed killed by the regime. They also demand the closure of Punta Peuco, which they condemn as a luxury prison with tennis courts, terraces and barbecues. More than 3,000 regime opponents and alleged collaborators were killed or disappeared during Pinochet's rule. Some 38,000 were tortured. Pinochet, who came to power in a military coup, died in 2006 without being brought to justice. (AFP)

Pinochet agents apologise for Chile crimes

Sergio Aguero and other Argentina players could follow the lead of captain Lionel Messi and retire from international football after losing the final of the Copa America on penalties to Chile for the second straight year. 
 
The 29-year-old Messi, who sent his spot-kick in the penalty shootout over the bar, announced his decision shortly after the title game in New Jersey on Sunday. 
 
&quot;The likelihood is that Messi is not the only one that will leave the national team,&quot; said Aguero, who lost his third final with Argentina, as told to Ole newspaper. 
 
&quot;There are several players like me that are evaluating whether or not to continue.&quot; 
 
The Manchester City forward, who replaced Gonzalo Higuain in the 70th minute, was hugely disappointed after Argentina failed to end their 23-year trophy drought at senior level. 
 
&quot;One doesn&#39;t want to think about it but at times, there are things that happen and the thought (of retiring) comes into your mind,&quot; said Aguero, who won an Olympic gold in 2008. 
 
&quot;Afterwards, it&#39;s difficult to get it out.&quot; 
 
Aguero has played for Argentina&#39;s senior side since September, 2006 and empathised with Messi, a five times World Player of the Year. 
 
&quot;Unfortunately, the one that leaves most affected is Leo Messi after his penalty miss,&quot; the 28-year-old Aguero said. &quot;This is the worst that I&#39;ve seen him in the changing room. 
 
&quot;We are all affected and we will try to think about something else and move forward. Again, luck was not on our side.&quot; 
 
Argentina&#39;s starting goalkeeper Sergio Romero hoped that Messi will reconsider his decision. 
 
Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who saved Lucas Biglia&#39;s penalty before Francisco Silva scored the crucial spot-kick to help his country retain the Copa, had praise for his Barcelona teammate Messi. 
 
&quot;In my opinion, he is the best player in the world and in history,&quot; Bravo told Marca. &quot;They have to enjoy him, value him and understand him. 
 
&quot;This is a team work, when you win, everyone wins, and when you lose, everyone loses. We had some criticism directed at Chilean players in our first few games (of the Copa America). 
 
&quot;Football is a team sport.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Lionel Messi announced his retirement shortly after their failure to end 23-year trophy drought at the final of the Copa America

Sergio Aguero and other Argentina players could follow the lead of captain Lionel Messi and retire from international football after losing the final of the Copa America on penalties to Chile for the second straight year. The 29-year-old Messi, who sent his spot-kick in the penalty shootout over the bar, announced his decision shortly after the title game in New Jersey on Sunday. "The likelihood is that Messi is not the only one that will leave the national team," said Aguero, who lost his third final with Argentina, as told to Ole newspaper. "There are several players like me that are evaluating whether or not to continue." The Manchester City forward, who replaced Gonzalo Higuain in the 70th minute, was hugely disappointed after Argentina failed to end their 23-year trophy drought at senior level. "One doesn't want to think about it but at times, there are things that happen and the thought (of retiring) comes into your mind," said Aguero, who won an Olympic gold in 2008. "Afterwards, it's difficult to get it out." Aguero has played for Argentina's senior side since September, 2006 and empathised with Messi, a five times World Player of the Year. "Unfortunately, the one that leaves most affected is Leo Messi after his penalty miss," the 28-year-old Aguero said. "This is the worst that I've seen him in the changing room. "We are all affected and we will try to think about something else and move forward. Again, luck was not on our side." Argentina's starting goalkeeper Sergio Romero hoped that Messi will reconsider his decision. Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who saved Lucas Biglia's penalty before Francisco Silva scored the crucial spot-kick to help his country retain the Copa, had praise for his Barcelona teammate Messi. "In my opinion, he is the best player in the world and in history," Bravo told Marca. "They have to enjoy him, value him and understand him. "This is a team work, when you win, everyone wins, and when you lose, everyone loses. We had some criticism directed at Chilean players in our first few games (of the Copa America). "Football is a team sport." (Reuters)

More Argentina players may retire from international football : Aguero

Messi has won pretty much everything, apart from a major tournament title with Argentina. That could change early tomorrow at the Copa final

Lionel Messi will bid to gild his legacy as the greatest footballer of his generation here Sunday by ending Argentina's 23-year wait for a major title in a dream final against holders Chile in the Copa America Centenario. For Messi's many millions of admirers, the five-time world footballer of the year has already achieved enough in his glittering career to be considered in the same bracket as Pele and Diego Maradona. Yet the only hole in the Barcelona superstar's CV -- a major tournament title with Argentina -- is invariably, and somewhat unfairly, cited as a justification to delay his elevation to football's pantheon. That could all change on Sunday before a sell-out crowd of 81,000 at East Rutherford's MetLife Stadium, the home of the NFL's New York Giants, when Argentina face the Chileans in a rematch of last year's Copa America final. It is the third final in as many years for Messi and his teammates, who suffered agonizing defeats in the 2014 World Cup final against Germany and to the Chileans on penalties in Santiago last year. On each occasion, Messi has borne the brunt of the backlash from critics in Argentina who trot out a familiar laundry list of grievances. He has no passion. He doesn't sing the anthem. He doesn't "feel" the shirt. Barely a ball had been kicked in this Copa America before Maradona, a regular sniper, accused him of lacking "personality" and "leadership." Maradona amped up the rhetoric this week shortly after Argentina booked their place in the final with a 4-0 demolition of the United States. "We will certainly win on Sunday... and if we don't win, they shouldn't come back," Maradona told an Argentinian television network. Messi is not above being angered by the criticism. "I get annoyed by the people who attack you without thinking," he said in a recent interview. "We got to two finals. We didn't win. What can you do? But we got to the final. It's not like we lost in the last 16." So far in the United States, Messi has shown no sign of being overburdened by the pressure to end Argentina's wait for a title. After missing Argentina's opening group match, a 2-1 win over Sunday's opponents Chile,,he scored an electrifying 19-minute hat-trick against Panama after coming on as a substitute before going on to equal Gabriel Batistuta's Argentina goals record in the 4-1 quarter-final win over Venezuela. Against the US on Tuesday, he scored a magnificent curling free kick to become his country's leading international goalscorer with 55, while setting up two more goals in a magical all-round display. He even found the time to sign the shirt of an autograph-hunting fan who sprinted onto the pitch at the start of the second half. His smiling, laidback demeanor however masks a fierce determination to lift the title, revealing that Argentina have become a more formidable unit since suffering the pain of multiple final defeats. "It's been almost a year since the last Copa America, and I think that made us stronger as a group, and as a team," Messi said. "We grew a lot, in a lot of ways, and above all, even though we didn't win, it helped us." Yet while Argentinian fans and many neutrals will be willing Messi to victory, Chile have shown that they are more than capable of pulling off another ambush. Since the opening loss to Argentina on June 6, the Chileans have improved with each game to compile their best run of results since Juan Antonio Pizzi replaced Jorge Sampaoli as manager in January. They humiliated Mexico with a 7-0 thrashing in the quarter-finals and polished off Colombia 2-0 in the semi-finals. "They attack and defend with great intensity, and if you make a mistake they can punish you," Colombia coach Jose Pekerman said after the semi-final loss. A dynamic, combative midfield led by Bayern Munich star Arturo Vidal will ensure that Argentina's skilled attackers such as Messi, Nicolas Gaitan and Ever Banega have nothing like the freedom to operate they have enjoyed so far. And Chile's razor sharp attack, which features tournament top scorer Eduardo Vargas (six goals) and Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez, should also pose more questions than Argentina's back four has been required to answer en route to the final. (AFP)

The final frontier

Chile&#39;s footballers have voted to go on strike, forcing the start of the league season to be postponed. 
 
The players union Sifup is unhappy at a decision to reduce promotion and relegation in the new season, a move which it says has cost 120 players their jobs in the top two divisions. It has also complained about unpaid wages at some clubs. 
 
&quot;The professional players unanimously decided to follow the call to stop the national championship,&quot; said Sifup in a statement. 
 
The Chilean FA (ANFP) has ruled that only one team will relegated and one team promoted between the top tier, known as the Primera Division, and second tier, known as the Primera B, at the end of the 2016-17 season. 
 
Meanwhile, there will be no promotion or relegation at all between the second and third tier, known as the Segunda. 
 
Sifup said the decision had &quot;reduced the competitiveness of the domestic tournaments, where the clubs, who do not see themselves as threatened in case of a poor campaign, have drastically cut the costs of their squads.&quot; 
 
It said that 120 players had seen their contracts terminated in the top two tiers and 300 in the third tier. 
 
The ANFP confirmed that the start of the season at the weekend would be postponed and said that the reduced promotion and relegation was for the upcoming season only. 
 
&quot;We regret Sifup&#39;s decision to ratify the strike, a situation which will have negative efforts on the championship, the fans, the players and the sport in general,&quot; it said. 
 
(Reuters)

The players union Sifup is unhappy at a decision to reduce promotion and relegation in the new season

Chile's footballers have voted to go on strike, forcing the start of the league season to be postponed. The players union Sifup is unhappy at a decision to reduce promotion and relegation in the new season, a move which it says has cost 120 players their jobs in the top two divisions. It has also complained about unpaid wages at some clubs. "The professional players unanimously decided to follow the call to stop the national championship," said Sifup in a statement. The Chilean FA (ANFP) has ruled that only one team will relegated and one team promoted between the top tier, known as the Primera Division, and second tier, known as the Primera B, at the end of the 2016-17 season. Meanwhile, there will be no promotion or relegation at all between the second and third tier, known as the Segunda. Sifup said the decision had "reduced the competitiveness of the domestic tournaments, where the clubs, who do not see themselves as threatened in case of a poor campaign, have drastically cut the costs of their squads." It said that 120 players had seen their contracts terminated in the top two tiers and 300 in the third tier. The ANFP confirmed that the start of the season at the weekend would be postponed and said that the reduced promotion and relegation was for the upcoming season only. "We regret Sifup's decision to ratify the strike, a situation which will have negative efforts on the championship, the fans, the players and the sport in general," it said. (Reuters)

Chilean footballers vote to strike, matches called off

Chile advanced to the Copa America quarter-finals on Tuesday after two goals in the first half from Eduardo Vargas and two in the second from Alexis Sanchez gave them a 4-2 win over Panama, while Argentina took top spot by beating Bolivia 3-0 in Group D. 
 
Defending champions Chile will play Mexico in the next round on Saturday with Argentina facing Venezuela the same day. 
 
&ldquo;This was important for me and for the team,&rdquo; said Chile&#39;s Vargas. &ldquo;It has boosted our confidence for the games to come. 
 
&ldquo;We are Copa America champions but we haven&rsquo;t played as well as we did in the last Copa America and this will give us confidence.&rdquo; 
 
Chile went behind to an early goal but roared back thanks tooutstanding performances from their front pair, who ran the Panamanian defence ragged. 
 
Panama took the lead in the fourth minute after a mistake by Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who let Miguel Camargo&#39;s shot from almost 30 yards squirm through his hands and into the net. 
 
Chile fought back and were soon 2-1 up. 
 
Artur Vidal and Sanchez worked a one-two in the box after 14 minutes and Sanchez&#39;s shot was only parried by Jaime Penedo and Vargas followed up to smash it home. 
 
Three minutes before half time striker Vargas rose to glance home a header to put Chile ahead. 
 
Sanchez was in captivating form and scored one of the goals of the tournament after 49 minutes. 
 
Vargas was the provider this time, creating space for himself in the box before chipping to Sanchez, who volleyed home in spectacular fashion. 
 
Panama kept fighting and pulled one back after 74 minutes and again Bravo was at fault, failing to stop Abdiel Arroyo&#39;s header from going in at his near post. 
 
Sanchez had the last word, however, when he rose unmarked to head home a cross with two minutes left to make it 4-2. 
 
ONE UP ON OBATISTUTA?&nbsp; 
In Seattle, few were expecting anything other than an Argentine win over already-eliminated Bolivia and most of the attention was focused on whether Lionel Messi would surpass Gabriel Batistuta&#39;s record of 54 goals for his country. Needing one to tie the mark, Messi came on as a second-half substitute with his team already 3-0 up through Erik Lamela, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Victor Cuesta. 
 
The closest Messi came to scoring was from a free kick in the 61st minute but his curled effort sailed just wide. 
 
(Reuters)

Defending champions Chile will play Mexico on Saturday, Argentina will take on Venezuela.

Chile advanced to the Copa America quarter-finals on Tuesday after two goals in the first half from Eduardo Vargas and two in the second from Alexis Sanchez gave them a 4-2 win over Panama, while Argentina took top spot by beating Bolivia 3-0 in Group D. Defending champions Chile will play Mexico in the next round on Saturday with Argentina facing Venezuela the same day. “This was important for me and for the team,” said Chile's Vargas. “It has boosted our confidence for the games to come. “We are Copa America champions but we haven’t played as well as we did in the last Copa America and this will give us confidence.” Chile went behind to an early goal but roared back thanks tooutstanding performances from their front pair, who ran the Panamanian defence ragged. Panama took the lead in the fourth minute after a mistake by Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who let Miguel Camargo's shot from almost 30 yards squirm through his hands and into the net. Chile fought back and were soon 2-1 up. Artur Vidal and Sanchez worked a one-two in the box after 14 minutes and Sanchez's shot was only parried by Jaime Penedo and Vargas followed up to smash it home. Three minutes before half time striker Vargas rose to glance home a header to put Chile ahead. Sanchez was in captivating form and scored one of the goals of the tournament after 49 minutes. Vargas was the provider this time, creating space for himself in the box before chipping to Sanchez, who volleyed home in spectacular fashion. Panama kept fighting and pulled one back after 74 minutes and again Bravo was at fault, failing to stop Abdiel Arroyo's header from going in at his near post. Sanchez had the last word, however, when he rose unmarked to head home a cross with two minutes left to make it 4-2. ONE UP ON OBATISTUTA? In Seattle, few were expecting anything other than an Argentine win over already-eliminated Bolivia and most of the attention was focused on whether Lionel Messi would surpass Gabriel Batistuta's record of 54 goals for his country. Needing one to tie the mark, Messi came on as a second-half substitute with his team already 3-0 up through Erik Lamela, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Victor Cuesta. The closest Messi came to scoring was from a free kick in the 61st minute but his curled effort sailed just wide. (Reuters)

Argentina wins group, goes to the Copa quarters along with Chile

Lionel Messi will bid to gild his legacy as the greatest footballer of his generation on Sunday, by ending Argentina&#39;s 23-year wait for a major title in a dream final against holders Chile in the Copa America Centenario.&nbsp; 
 
For Messi&#39;s many millions of admirers, the five-time world footballer of the year has already achieved enough in his glittering career to be considered in the same bracket as Pele and Diego Maradona.&nbsp; 
 
Yet the only hole in the Barcelona superstar&#39;s CV is a major tournament title with Argentina, which is invariably, and somewhat unfairly, cited as a justification to delay his elevation to football&#39;s pantheon.&nbsp; 
 
That could all change on Sunday before a sell-out crowd of 81,000 at East Rutherford&#39;s MetLife Stadium, the home of the NFL&#39;s New York Giants, when Argentina face the Chileans in a rematch of last year&#39;s Copa America final.&nbsp; 
 
It is the third final in as many years for Messi and his teammates, who suffered agonizing defeats in the 2014 World Cup final against Germany and to the Chileans on penalties in Santiago. 
 
On each occasion, Messi has borne the brunt of the backlash from critics in Argentina, who trot out a familiar laundry list of grievances. He has no passion. He doesn&#39;t sing the anthem. He doesn`t &quot;feel&quot; the shirt.&nbsp; 
 
Barely a ball had been kicked in this Copa America before Maradona, a regular sniper, accused him of lacking &quot;personality&quot; and &quot;leadership.&quot; Maradona amped up the rhetoric this week shortly after Argentina booked their place in the final with a 4-0 demolition of the United States.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We will certainly win on Sunday... and if we don&#39;t win, they shouldn&#39;t come back,&quot; Maradona told an Argentinian television network. 
&nbsp; 
Although Messi admits that losing another final would be a &quot;great disappointment&quot;, so far in the tournament he has shown no sign of being overburdened by pressure.&nbsp; 
 
After missing Argentina&#39;s opening group match - a 2-1 win over Sundayss opponents Chile -- he scored an electrifying 19-minute hat-trick against Panama after coming on as a substitute before going on to equal Gabriel Batistuta&#39;s Argentina goals record in the 4-1 quarter-final win over Venezuela.&nbsp; 
 
Against the US on Tuesday, he scored a magnificent curling freekick to become his country&#39;s leading international goalscorer with 55, while setting up two more goals in a magical all-round display.&nbsp; 
 
He even found the time to sign the shirt of an autograph-hunting fan who sprinted onto the pitch at the start of the second half. His smiling, laid back demeanor however masks a fierce determination to lift the title, revealing that Argentina have become a more formidable unit since suffering the pain of multiple final defeats. 
 
&quot;We have grown a lot as a team in the past year, and as a result we are stronger,&quot; Messi said. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve been in spectacular form up to now, now it&#39;s up to us to do it again on Sunday. We don`t feel any pressure; we&#39;re used to playing in finals -- unfortunately we haven`t won one yet,&quot; he added. 
 
Yet while Argentinian fans -- and many neutrals -- will be willing Messi to victory, Chile have shown that they are more than capable of pulling off another ambush.&nbsp; 
 
Since the opening loss to Argentina on June 6, the Chileans have improved with each game to compile their best run of results since Juan Antonio Pizzi replaced Jorge Sampaoli as manager in January.&nbsp; 
 
They humiliated Mexico with a 7-0 thrashing in the quarter-finals and polished off Colombia 2-0 in the semi-finals.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;They are a team that presses you, and don&#39;t let you play,&quot; Messi warned on Friday. &quot;And when they have the ball they play very well.&quot; 
A dynamic, combative midfield led by Bayern Munich star Arturo Vidal will ensure that Argentina`s skilled attackers such as Messi, Nicolas Gaitan and Ever Banega have nothing like the freedom to operate they have enjoyed so far.&nbsp; 
 
And Chile&#39;s razor sharp attack, which features tournament top scorer Eduardo Vargas (six goals) and Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez, should also pose more questions than Argentina&#39;s back four has been required to answer en route to the final. 
 
(AFP)

It is the third final for Messi and his teammates, who suffered defeats in the 2014 World Cup final against Germany and Chile on penalties

Lionel Messi will bid to gild his legacy as the greatest footballer of his generation on Sunday, by ending Argentina's 23-year wait for a major title in a dream final against holders Chile in the Copa America Centenario. For Messi's many millions of admirers, the five-time world footballer of the year has already achieved enough in his glittering career to be considered in the same bracket as Pele and Diego Maradona. Yet the only hole in the Barcelona superstar's CV is a major tournament title with Argentina, which is invariably, and somewhat unfairly, cited as a justification to delay his elevation to football's pantheon. That could all change on Sunday before a sell-out crowd of 81,000 at East Rutherford's MetLife Stadium, the home of the NFL's New York Giants, when Argentina face the Chileans in a rematch of last year's Copa America final. It is the third final in as many years for Messi and his teammates, who suffered agonizing defeats in the 2014 World Cup final against Germany and to the Chileans on penalties in Santiago. On each occasion, Messi has borne the brunt of the backlash from critics in Argentina, who trot out a familiar laundry list of grievances. He has no passion. He doesn't sing the anthem. He doesn`t "feel" the shirt. Barely a ball had been kicked in this Copa America before Maradona, a regular sniper, accused him of lacking "personality" and "leadership." Maradona amped up the rhetoric this week shortly after Argentina booked their place in the final with a 4-0 demolition of the United States. "We will certainly win on Sunday... and if we don't win, they shouldn't come back," Maradona told an Argentinian television network. Although Messi admits that losing another final would be a "great disappointment", so far in the tournament he has shown no sign of being overburdened by pressure. After missing Argentina's opening group match - a 2-1 win over Sundayss opponents Chile -- he scored an electrifying 19-minute hat-trick against Panama after coming on as a substitute before going on to equal Gabriel Batistuta's Argentina goals record in the 4-1 quarter-final win over Venezuela. Against the US on Tuesday, he scored a magnificent curling freekick to become his country's leading international goalscorer with 55, while setting up two more goals in a magical all-round display. He even found the time to sign the shirt of an autograph-hunting fan who sprinted onto the pitch at the start of the second half. His smiling, laid back demeanor however masks a fierce determination to lift the title, revealing that Argentina have become a more formidable unit since suffering the pain of multiple final defeats. "We have grown a lot as a team in the past year, and as a result we are stronger," Messi said. "We've been in spectacular form up to now, now it's up to us to do it again on Sunday. We don`t feel any pressure; we're used to playing in finals -- unfortunately we haven`t won one yet," he added. Yet while Argentinian fans -- and many neutrals -- will be willing Messi to victory, Chile have shown that they are more than capable of pulling off another ambush. Since the opening loss to Argentina on June 6, the Chileans have improved with each game to compile their best run of results since Juan Antonio Pizzi replaced Jorge Sampaoli as manager in January. They humiliated Mexico with a 7-0 thrashing in the quarter-finals and polished off Colombia 2-0 in the semi-finals. "They are a team that presses you, and don't let you play," Messi warned on Friday. "And when they have the ball they play very well." A dynamic, combative midfield led by Bayern Munich star Arturo Vidal will ensure that Argentina`s skilled attackers such as Messi, Nicolas Gaitan and Ever Banega have nothing like the freedom to operate they have enjoyed so far. And Chile's razor sharp attack, which features tournament top scorer Eduardo Vargas (six goals) and Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez, should also pose more questions than Argentina's back four has been required to answer en route to the final. (AFP)

Messi ready for crowning glory in Copa final

Chile beat Colombia 2-0 in the Copa America semi-final on Wednesday and will face Argentina in Sunday&#39;s final after surviving a tumultuous match in Chicago that was halted for more than two hours due to a torrential rain storm. 
 
Chile were already two goals up at half time, but the second half was delayed as an electrical storm powered towards Soldier Field and drenched the stadium with rain. 
 
The teams came back to a waterlogged pitch and Colombia, who had a man sent off early in the second period, could not reduce the deficit. 
 
&quot;We played well but Chile are a very strong side,&quot; Colombian midfielder Juan Cuadrado said after the final whistle. 
 
&quot;We thought a comeback was possible but sometimes things don&#39;t work out like you want.&quot; 
 
The result takes Chile into a mouth-watering final against Argentina in New Jersey on Sunday. The game will be a repeat of last year&#39;s final in Santiago that the host nation won on penalties. 
 
The reigning champions came into the game on a high after beating Mexico 7-0 and took only six minutes to make their mark again. 
 
Former Chelsea midfielder Cuadrado misdirected a header across his own goal straight to Charles Aranguiz and the Leverkusen midfielder had the straightforward task of sidefooting past David Ospina. 
 
Chile doubled their lead four minutes later after an Alexis Sanchez shot rebounded off the post into the path of Jose Pedro Fuenzalida. 
 
With Ospina beaten, the Universidad Catolica full back scored one of the easiest goals of his career by sidefooting into the empty net. 
 
Chile, who were already missing midfielders Arturo Vidal and Marcelo Diaz, lost Pedro Pablo Hernandez after half an hour when he limped off injured and the resulting reshuffle took the wind out of their sails. 
 
Colombia came back into the game, with James Rodriguez coming close with two shots and creating chances for Roger Martinez and Edwin Carmona. 
 
However, Claudio Bravo was in fine form and it stayed 2-0 at the break. 
 
Colombia pushed on after the restart with a lively Rodriguez leading the attack but were dealt a huge blow in the 56th minute when influential midfielder Carlos Sanchez was sent off for a second yellow card offence. 
 
Colombia did not give up and came close on several occasions but conditions underfoot were difficult for both sides and the score remained 2-0. 
 
The Andean side will now play hosts United States in the third-fourth place playoff on Saturday. 
 
Argentina beat the United States 4-0 on Tuesday night to reach their second consecutive Copa America final. 
 
(Reuters)

Chile were already two goals up at half time, but the second half was delayed as an electrical storm powered towards Soldier Field

Chile beat Colombia 2-0 in the Copa America semi-final on Wednesday and will face Argentina in Sunday's final after surviving a tumultuous match in Chicago that was halted for more than two hours due to a torrential rain storm. Chile were already two goals up at half time, but the second half was delayed as an electrical storm powered towards Soldier Field and drenched the stadium with rain. The teams came back to a waterlogged pitch and Colombia, who had a man sent off early in the second period, could not reduce the deficit. "We played well but Chile are a very strong side," Colombian midfielder Juan Cuadrado said after the final whistle. "We thought a comeback was possible but sometimes things don't work out like you want." The result takes Chile into a mouth-watering final against Argentina in New Jersey on Sunday. The game will be a repeat of last year's final in Santiago that the host nation won on penalties. The reigning champions came into the game on a high after beating Mexico 7-0 and took only six minutes to make their mark again. Former Chelsea midfielder Cuadrado misdirected a header across his own goal straight to Charles Aranguiz and the Leverkusen midfielder had the straightforward task of sidefooting past David Ospina. Chile doubled their lead four minutes later after an Alexis Sanchez shot rebounded off the post into the path of Jose Pedro Fuenzalida. With Ospina beaten, the Universidad Catolica full back scored one of the easiest goals of his career by sidefooting into the empty net. Chile, who were already missing midfielders Arturo Vidal and Marcelo Diaz, lost Pedro Pablo Hernandez after half an hour when he limped off injured and the resulting reshuffle took the wind out of their sails. Colombia came back into the game, with James Rodriguez coming close with two shots and creating chances for Roger Martinez and Edwin Carmona. However, Claudio Bravo was in fine form and it stayed 2-0 at the break. Colombia pushed on after the restart with a lively Rodriguez leading the attack but were dealt a huge blow in the 56th minute when influential midfielder Carlos Sanchez was sent off for a second yellow card offence. Colombia did not give up and came close on several occasions but conditions underfoot were difficult for both sides and the score remained 2-0. The Andean side will now play hosts United States in the third-fourth place playoff on Saturday. Argentina beat the United States 4-0 on Tuesday night to reach their second consecutive Copa America final. (Reuters)

Copa America Centenario report: Chile beats Colombia 2-0 to set up final against Argentina

Argentina and Chile advanced to the semi-finals of the Copa America on Saturday with Chile beating Mexico 7-0 and Lionel Messi getting a goal in Argentina&#39;s 4-1 win over Venezuela to equal his country&#39;s all-time scoring record. 
 
Messi scored in the 60th minute to take his career tally for Argentina to 54 goals, matching the record held by Gabriel Batistuta. 
 
Argentina will now face the United States in the first semi-final on Tuesday in Houston. 
 
Reigning champions Chile joined them in the last four after a 7-0 demolition of Mexico in Santa Clara. 
 
Hoffenheim striker Eduardo Vargas scored four goals to help them set up a semi-final date with Colombia on Wednesday. 
 
Messi won the Man-of-the-Match award in an action-packed game against underdogs Venezuela in Foxborough. 
 
Argentina got off to the perfect start after just seven minutes when Gonzalo Higuain dived to turn a delicate cross from Messi past goalkeeper Dani Hernandez. 
 
The in-form Napoli striker doubled the lead 20 minutes later when he latched on to a slack back pass to round the goalkeeper and slot the ball into the empty net. 
 
Salomon Rondon twice came close for Venezuela and his side should have pulled a goal back two minutes from half time after Sergio Romero brought down Josef Martinez in the box. 
 
However, the Manchester United goalkeeper redeemed himself when he stood firm and Seijas&#39; carelessly dinked penalty sailed right into his arms. 
 
Messi, who started for the first time in the tournament after three substitute appearances, put Argentina 3-0 ahead when he worked a lovely one-two with Nicolas Gaitan and then poked the ball under Hernandez with his left foot. 
 
Venezuela were not out of it, though, and Rondon got the lightest of touches on a cross to head home and make it 3-1 after 70 minutes. 
 
However, their hopes were short-lived as just seconds later Erik Lamela, who had been on the field for only four minutes, shot home from 12 yards to make it 4-1 for Argentina. 
 
Chile were unstoppable in the other quarter-final in Santa Clara as they hammered a surprisingly fragile Mexico. 
 
Edson Puch got his first international goal after 15 minutes when he fired home after keeper Guillermo Ochoa could only parry a long-range shot. 
 
Vargas got a second just before half time when he was first to pounce on a cross ball. 
 
Alexis Sanchez was involved in most of Chile&#39;s great work and he made it 3-0 just three minutes into the second half. 
 
Three minutes later Vargas got his second and Chile&#39;s fourth as Mexico -- without captain Rafael Marquez, who was left on the bench -- wilted under the pressure. 
 
Mexico had no answer to the pace and running of Sanchez and Arturo Vidal, and it was Sanchez who helped Vargas to a hat-trick when the Hoffenheim striker hammered home from close-in after Ochoa had parried Sanchez&#39;s shot. 
 
Vargas got a fourth after 73 minutes when he blasted the ball into the roof of the net after dithering Mexican defenders failed to clear. 
 
Puch completed the rout in the 87th minute when he dinked the ball over Ochoa after a fast break by Sanchez. 
(Reuters)

Eduardo Vargas scored 4 goals for Chile; Man-of-the -Match Messi's 54th goal tied country's all-time scoring record

Argentina and Chile advanced to the semi-finals of the Copa America on Saturday with Chile beating Mexico 7-0 and Lionel Messi getting a goal in Argentina's 4-1 win over Venezuela to equal his country's all-time scoring record. Messi scored in the 60th minute to take his career tally for Argentina to 54 goals, matching the record held by Gabriel Batistuta. Argentina will now face the United States in the first semi-final on Tuesday in Houston. Reigning champions Chile joined them in the last four after a 7-0 demolition of Mexico in Santa Clara. Hoffenheim striker Eduardo Vargas scored four goals to help them set up a semi-final date with Colombia on Wednesday. Messi won the Man-of-the-Match award in an action-packed game against underdogs Venezuela in Foxborough. Argentina got off to the perfect start after just seven minutes when Gonzalo Higuain dived to turn a delicate cross from Messi past goalkeeper Dani Hernandez. The in-form Napoli striker doubled the lead 20 minutes later when he latched on to a slack back pass to round the goalkeeper and slot the ball into the empty net. Salomon Rondon twice came close for Venezuela and his side should have pulled a goal back two minutes from half time after Sergio Romero brought down Josef Martinez in the box. However, the Manchester United goalkeeper redeemed himself when he stood firm and Seijas' carelessly dinked penalty sailed right into his arms. Messi, who started for the first time in the tournament after three substitute appearances, put Argentina 3-0 ahead when he worked a lovely one-two with Nicolas Gaitan and then poked the ball under Hernandez with his left foot. Venezuela were not out of it, though, and Rondon got the lightest of touches on a cross to head home and make it 3-1 after 70 minutes. However, their hopes were short-lived as just seconds later Erik Lamela, who had been on the field for only four minutes, shot home from 12 yards to make it 4-1 for Argentina. Chile were unstoppable in the other quarter-final in Santa Clara as they hammered a surprisingly fragile Mexico. Edson Puch got his first international goal after 15 minutes when he fired home after keeper Guillermo Ochoa could only parry a long-range shot. Vargas got a second just before half time when he was first to pounce on a cross ball. Alexis Sanchez was involved in most of Chile's great work and he made it 3-0 just three minutes into the second half. Three minutes later Vargas got his second and Chile's fourth as Mexico -- without captain Rafael Marquez, who was left on the bench -- wilted under the pressure. Mexico had no answer to the pace and running of Sanchez and Arturo Vidal, and it was Sanchez who helped Vargas to a hat-trick when the Hoffenheim striker hammered home from close-in after Ochoa had parried Sanchez's shot. Vargas got a fourth after 73 minutes when he blasted the ball into the roof of the net after dithering Mexican defenders failed to clear. Puch completed the rout in the 87th minute when he dinked the ball over Ochoa after a fast break by Sanchez. (Reuters)

Copa report: Chile romp to stunning 7-0 defeat over Mexico, Argentina bests Venezuela 4-1

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