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Dozens treated in Chile for suspected pollutant exposure

AFP

More than 100 people have sought medical treatment this week after suspected exposure to a pollutant in an area known as the “Chilean Chernobyl” for the environmental impact of heavy industry.

Local authorities declared an environmental emergency in the area, suspending classes and banning physical activity, after the Quintero Air Quality Station reported a concentration of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the air five times the norm on Monday.

A total of 105 people — among them 50 children — have sought help in the towns of Quintero and Puchuncavi in the Valparaiso region, complaining of headaches, itchy eyes and throats, and nausea, the SMA environmental agency said late Wednesday.

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The Quintero prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the incident.

Quintero and Puchuncavi, two coastal towns with some 50,000 inhabitants combined, have been deemed “sacrifice zones” since 1958, when the Chilean government converted what was an fishing and farming community into an industrial hub.

Today it houses four coal-fired thermoelectric plants and oil and copper refineries.

Environmental group Greenpeace dubbed the area the “Chilean Chernobyl” after hundreds of people sought medical help for symptoms ranging from dizziness and headaches to vomiting blood and paralysis of the extremities in an episode in 2018.

On Wednesday, Chile’s environmental superintendent Emanuel Ibarra ordered six companies operating in the area to “limit their productive activity, without harming the primary supply.”

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The companies include Chile’s principal fuel company, Copec.

On Tuesday, the regulator also ordered measures to reduce pollution from the operations of state mining company Codelco — the world’s largest copper producer — and the Aes Andina thermoelectric plant in the area.

Codelco, which is responsible for eight percent of the world’s copper supply, said in a statement that its Ventanas smelter halted operations on Monday and will “maintain a voluntary suspension of operations” for maintenance.

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International

President Boric announces curfew following triple police homicide in Chile

Chile offers residency and Chilean nationality to Nicaraguan opponents

Chilean President Gabriel Boric has implemented a nighttime curfew in three municipalities of the Biobío region following the murder of three police officers. The Chilean leader emphasized that “criminals will answer to Chile and its justice system.”

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Boric stated that he made the decision “after discussing with the General Director of the Carabineros, the Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, the Head of National Defense, and the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, having also considered various alternatives and taking into account the needs of the ongoing investigation.”

He further detailed that “I have instructed to decree a curfew in the municipalities of Cañete, Contulmo, and Tirúa from midnight to 7:00 AM. Additionally, police and military presence will be intensified to our utmost capacity with joint patrols in the area.”

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International

President López Obrador meets with Astros and Rockies ahead of Mexico City Series

Last Friday, before the 2024 Mexico City Series between the Astros and Rockies at Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium in Mexico City, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador met with representatives from both teams.

Through his social media, the President shared his interaction with executives from the Houston and Colorado teams, as well as with Astros’ Mexican pitcher, José Urquidy.

“Yesterday (Friday), before starting the tour, I had breakfast with executives and friends from the Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies. There’s increasingly more baseball fever in our country,” López Obrador wrote.

The photos also featured former Mexican major leaguers Vinicio “Vinny” Castilla and Jorge de la Rosa, both of whom played for the Colorado team.

On Saturday night, the Houston Astros won the first game in the “capital inferno,” home of the Mexico City Red Devils, with a commanding score of 12 to 4.

This Sunday, the second game of the series will take place at AHH, with both teams arriving in Mexico on a losing streak. Another great Major League celebration is anticipated at the “fire diamond.”

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International

Social media star Om Fahad fatally shot in Baghdad

An Iraqi TikToker, previously sentenced to prison last year for posting content deemed “indecent” on social media, was fatally shot in Baghdad on Friday, according to two security officials.

Om Fahad, who had tens of thousands of followers on TikTok and Instagram, gained fame for her videos featuring her in tight outfits dancing to Iraqi music, in a country that is predominantly conservative and patriarchal.

The young woman was shot by an assailant on a motorcycle while she was in her vehicle outside her home in central Baghdad, two security officials reported anonymously to AFP.

In February 2023, a court initially sentenced Om Fahad to six months in jail for “publishing various videos with indecent intentions that violate modesty and public morals.”

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