Latest news with #Chileans
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
President Gabriel Boric enters last year as Chile appears to shift right
SANTIAGO, Chile, June 2 (UPI) -- President Gabriel Boric delivered his fourth and final annual address to Chile's National Congress, beginning the last year of his term with just 22% approval amid political fragmentation, public security concerns and corruption scandals that involve his left-wing coalition. In his speech Monday, Boric struck a self-critical tone while defending key accomplishments, including reducing the workweek to 40 hours and raising the minimum wage to the equivalent of $530 per month. He also highlighted the pension reform passed in January, which represents one of the most significant changes to Chile's retirement system in more than four decades. While it fell short of his original pledge to eliminate private pension fund administrators, the reform established a mixed system that combines individual savings with a solidarity-based component. Boric made several controversial announcements during the address, including plans to convert Punta Peuco prison -- where inmates convicted of human rights violations under Chile's military dictatorship are held -- into a standard facility. He also called for an open legislative debate on a bill introduced by his government to decriminalize abortion up to 14 weeks of pregnancy. On foreign policy, Boric repeated his criticism of Israel's military actions in Gaza and directed officials to diversify Chile's defense trade partners, aiming to reduce reliance on Israeli arms suppliers. He also pledged to fast-track a bill banning imports from illegally occupied Palestinian territories, condemned Hamas and called for the release of hostages still being held. Over the past two years, right-wing and far-right parties have steadily gained ground, placing Chile on track for a presidential election in which conservative candidates currently lead. After the 2019 social uprising that pushed voters to the left, polling now indicates a reversal of the conditions that led to Boric's 2021 victory. According to a Cadem poll, 63% of Chileans believe the country is worse off than it was before the protests. Public concerns now center on irregular migration, rising crime, public safety and economic stagnation -- issues that Chile's right-wing opposition has used to intensify its criticism of Boric's administration. In local elections held in October, right-wing parties saw historic gains, increasing their number of mayoralties from 87 to 122. As a result, the percentage of Chileans governed by right-wing mayors rose to 37.4% from 21.6%. Looking ahead to the presidential election scheduled for Nov. 16, Evelyn Matthei, the candidate from Chile's traditional right-wing bloc, leads in voter preference. She is followed by José Antonio Kast, the far-right leader who lost to Boric in the 2021 election. While the outlook for the ruling coalition appears difficult, the same polls showing Matthei and Kast ahead also reveal that 47% of Chilean voters remain undecided.
UPI
a day ago
- Politics
- UPI
President Gabriel Boric enters last year as Chile appears to shift right
Chilean President Gabriel Boric speaks in the National Congress' Hall of Honor in Valparaiso on Monday, giving an overview of his term. Boric met with his cabinet at the Cerro Castillo Palace in Vina del Mar before what was be his final public address to the nation from Congress before Chile holds general elections in November. Photo by Cristóbal Basaune/EPA-EFE SANTIAGO, Chile, June 2 (UPI) -- President Gabriel Boric delivered his fourth and final annual address to Chile's National Congress, beginning the last year of his term with just 22% approval amid political fragmentation, public security concerns and corruption scandals that involve his left-wing coalition. In his speech Monday, Boric struck a self-critical tone while defending key accomplishments, including reducing the workweek to 40 hours and raising the minimum wage to the equivalent of $530 per month. He also highlighted the pension reform passed in January, which represents one of the most significant changes to Chile's retirement system in more than four decades. While it fell short of his original pledge to eliminate private pension fund administrators, the reform established a mixed system that combines individual savings with a solidarity-based component. Boric made several controversial announcements during the address, including plans to convert Punta Peuco prison -- where inmates convicted of human rights violations under Chile's military dictatorship are held -- into a standard facility. He also called for an open legislative debate on a bill introduced by his government to decriminalize abortion up to 14 weeks of pregnancy. On foreign policy, Boric repeated his criticism of Israel's military actions in Gaza and directed officials to diversify Chile's defense trade partners, aiming to reduce reliance on Israeli arms suppliers. He also pledged to fast-track a bill banning imports from illegally occupied Palestinian territories, condemned Hamas and called for the release of hostages still being held. Over the past two years, right-wing and far-right parties have steadily gained ground, placing Chile on track for a presidential election in which conservative candidates currently lead. After the 2019 social uprising that pushed voters to the left, polling now indicates a reversal of the conditions that led to Boric's 2021 victory. According to a Cadem poll, 63% of Chileans believe the country is worse off than it was before the protests. Public concerns now center on irregular migration, rising crime, public safety and economic stagnation -- issues that Chile's right-wing opposition has used to intensify its criticism of Boric's administration. In local elections held in October, right-wing parties saw historic gains, increasing their number of mayoralties from 87 to 122. As a result, the percentage of Chileans governed by right-wing mayors rose to 37.4% from 21.6%. Looking ahead to the presidential election scheduled for Nov. 16, Evelyn Matthei, the candidate from Chile's traditional right-wing bloc, leads in voter preference. She is followed by José Antonio Kast, the far-right leader who lost to Boric in the 2021 election. While the outlook for the ruling coalition appears difficult, the same polls showing Matthei and Kast ahead also reveal that 47% of Chilean voters remain undecided.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Chile government proposes to legalize abortion up to 14 weeks
SANTIAGO: Chile's government said Wednesday it had introduced a bill in Congress to legalize abortions up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, a key pledge of left-wing President Gabriel Boric during his 2022 election campaign. In Chile, abortions are only permitted for three reasons: a threat to the life of the mother, serious malformation of the foetus, or rape. 'Thirty-six years after therapeutic abortions (terminations due to medical necessity) were banned in our country... we are opening the debate in Congress,' Minister for Women Antonia Orellana told reporters. She was referring to dictator Augusto Pinochet's 1989 repeal of a law allowing abortions on health grounds, which ushered in a total ban on terminations for over 25 years. The bill unveiled by the government on Wednesday comes a year after Boric announced plans to decriminalize all abortions. His minority Frente Amplio (Broad Front) party faces an uphill battle to get the bill through parliament, with the conservative opposition vehemently opposed to expanding abortion rights. Orellana admitted it would be 'naive' to think that abortions would be legal before Boric's presidency ends in March 2026. Decriminalizing abortion under all circumstances is a long-standing demand of feminist groups in Chile. A poll by the Centre for Public Studies showed, however, that only 34 percent of Chileans back the right to abortions regardless of circumstances, whereas 50 percent believe terminations should only be allowed in special cases. Boric, who became Chile's youngest-ever leader in 2021 aged 35, failed in his bid to put expanded abortion rights in a new proposed constitution in 2022. Voters however rejected the draft charter.
Business Wire
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
71% of Canadian and 43% of Mexican Consumers Intend to Buy Fewer U.S. Grocery Products in 2025, dunnhumby Study Reveals
CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Seventy-one percent of Canadian and 43% of Mexican consumers report they will buy fewer U.S. grocery products in 2025 according to the tenth wave of the dunnhumby Consumer Trends Tracker (CTT) released today. Canada and Mexico are the two largest agricultural trading partners of the U.S. According to the USDA, in 2024 the U.S. exported 33% of its agricultural products to Canada and Mexico, totaling over $58 billion out of $176 billion of total U.S. agricultural exports. Imports from these countries were 42%, amounting to $90 billion out of $213 billion in total U.S. agricultural imports, according to the USDA. The quarterly study – now in its third year – also found that 84% of Canadians, 79% of Brazilians, 78% of Chileans, 77% of Mexicans, and 76% of Colombians, cited the tariffs imposed by the U.S. as the most important factor of why they intend to buy fewer grocery products from the U.S. The political climate between the U.S. and the respondents' country was the second most cited reason for the pullback. 'Canadians and Latin Americans are shifting their shopping behavior to spend their money where their values align. That has implications for all brands and retailers as they need to truly understand their customers to make sure they are living up to the standards expected of them,' said Matt O'Grady, President of the Americas, dunnhumby. Key findings from the study: U.S. retail mass and chain stores in Canada had on average, a 3% drop in sales penetration compared to the ninth wave of this study in December 2024. This drop reflects a loss of approximately 500,000 Canadian households. National Canadian chains in discount and mass formats gained 3% during this period. Nearly 25% of Canadians and Latin Americans who are buying less from the U.S. this year, also said that this would become permanent behavior in the future. For Canada this equates to $15 to $20 billion of annual grocery purchasing power. While consumers in Canada and Latin America aim their protectionist behavior at the U.S., American shoppers exhibit little interest in retaliating against tariffs levied by countries in the Americas. Instead, 21% of U.S. consumers plan to reduce their purchases from China, although the U.S. imports less than 5% of its food supply from China. Buying from home sentiment is up in most countries, but least of all in the U.S. 63% of Canadians, 60% of Brazilians, 59% of Colombians, 54% of Mexicans, and 44% of Chileans said they intend to buy more from their own countries. Only 30% of Americans agreed with buying more from their own country. Channel penetration of discount and dollar channels shifted the most for Canadians (up 3% to 75%) and for U.S. (up 4% to 57%) consumers in this wave. U.S. shoppers are more likely exploring discount and dollar stores due to concerns about finances, but significant sales shifts to these channels have not occurred yet. 'Although consumers, retailers, and brands are navigating uncertain times, there are concrete steps all can take in the midst of this disruption. For consumers that may mean rapidly changing their behaviors so they protect their wallets, but for retailers and brands it means they should be turning to data insights to determine which strategic actions they need to take to stay ahead,' said 'O'Grady. Methodology dunnhumby interviewed 8,500 grocery shoppers across Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, and the U.S. The online interviews for Wave 10 took place in April 2025. Approximately 1,000 to 2,000 individuals were interviewed in each of the six countries for the current wave of the study. The CTT study is designed to uncover shopper needs, perceptions, and behavior over time, and to complement dunnhumby's Retailer Preference Index. The latest CTT study is available for download on Thursday, May 29, 2025. Additional data will be shared today at 11 am Central during the webinar: ' Grocery Shoppers on the Edge: Navigating the New Economic Reality in the Americas.' Registration is available online here. About dunnhumby dunnhumby is the global leader in Customer Data Science, empowering businesses everywhere to compete and thrive in the modern data-driven economy. We always put the Customer First. Our mission: to enable businesses to grow and reimagine themselves by becoming advocates and champions for their Customers. With deep heritage and expertise in retail — one of the world's most competitive markets, with a deluge of multi-dimensional data — dunnhumby today enables businesses all over the world, across industries, to be Customer First. The dunnhumby Customer Data Science Platform is our unique mix of technology, software and consulting enabling businesses to increase revenue and profits by delivering exceptional experiences for their Customers – in-store, offline and online. dunnhumby employs over 2,500 experts in offices throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas working for transformative, iconic brands such as Tesco, Coca-Cola, Meijer, Procter & Gamble, Raley's, and L'Oréal. Learn more at
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
📋 Botafogo line-up named for Libertadores showdown with La U
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here. Botafogo returns to the field this Tuesday (27), at 21h30 (Brasília time), when they host Universidad de Chile, at Estádio Nilton Santos, for the sixth and final round of the Conmebol Libertadores 2025 group stage. The Glorious team is in third place in Group A with nine points, while the Chileans lead with 10 points. In other words, the match is a real final, as Estudiantes, in second place with nine points, is expected to beat Carabobbo (one point) and secure their spot in the round of 16. As they had their match postponed over the weekend, for the Brasileirão, Botafogo's last match was against Capital-DF (1-0), for the Copa do Brasil, where they played with a completely reserve team. In this scenario, coach Renato Paiva kept only left-back Alex Telles among those who started playing in the last match and returned to full strength for the decision.O GLORIOSO BOTAFOGO ESTÁ ESCALADO! 🔥💪🏼 #VamosBOTAFOGO — Botafogo F.R. (@Botafogo) May 27, 2025 📸 PABLO PORCIUNCULA - AFP or licensors
