AUGUSTO PINOCHET

A Chilean court has increased the prison sentence for six former soldiers convicted in the 1973 kidnapping, torture and murder of folk singer Víctor Jara, as well as that of a government official.

A conservative lawmaker with a history of defending Chile’s military dictatorship and a former student protest leader are headed to a polarizing presidential runoff after failing to garner enough votes to win the country’s election outright.

Two onetime outsiders hailing from opposite extremes of the political spectrum have received the most votes in Chile’s presidential election but have failed to garner enough support for an outright win, setting up what’s likely to be polarizing runoff in the region’s most advanced economy.

Chileans are voting for president Sunday with a mix of dread, optimism and above all uncertainty about what lies ahead after a wave of social and political unrest that includes the current effort to rewrite the constitution.

Chile's election this weekend could see an ultra-right-wing populist, who considers Gen. Augusto Pinochet his hero, become president.

Boomer nostalgia and sense of mortality add up to huge readership numbers when a celebrity dies — and competitive obit writers are increasingly stocking up in advance.

.

France is putting on trial 20 men accused in the Islamic State group's 2015 attacks on Paris that left 130 people dead and hundreds injured.

France is putting on trial 20 men accused in the Islamic State group's 2015 attacks on Paris that left 130 people dead and hundreds injured.

The Chilean ex-army colonel was convicted in the disappearance and murder of 23 workers in 1973 shortly after Augusto Pinochet seized power in a military coup

Chile’s election of a new constitution-writing assembly helps bend the arc of democracy in Latin America.

Chinese officials say 11 more people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in a southwestern city bordering Myanmar that is the scene of China’s current sole active outbreak.

Constitutions are pretty formulaic,” said the professor, David Law of the University of Hong Kong. A more inclusive country and the erasure of a much-amended relic of military rule, the 1980 constitution. Law, the Hong Kong professor, said South Africa's constitution “in particular is pushed as an example for every Global South/transitional/developing country out there. Not so clear.″Approved after the 1994 end of white racist rule, the South African constitution drew from codes in Germany, Canada, India, Namibia and elsewhere. “This is not a good analogy, but ask yourself how much constraint the U.S. Constitution would have imposed on Trump if Trump had final say over the meaning of the Constitution," Law said.

-FILE- In this Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, file photo the sun bounces off the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)THE HAGUE – More than 120 countries elected British lawyer Karim Khan on Friday as the next prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, one of the toughest jobs in international law because the tribunal seeks justice for the world’s worst atrocities -- war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Khan, who has specialized in international criminal law and international human rights law, was widely seen as the favorite to get the job. He has worked as a prosecutor at the tribunal prosecuting war crimes in former Yugoslavia and crimes against humanity and genocide in Rwanda. Khan is no stranger to the International Criminal Court, known as the ICC, having acted as a defense lawyer for Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto and persuading judges to throw out prosecution charges against his client.

Whether a new constitution can deliver the sweeping, egalitarian change that many in the country of 19 million people want won’t be clear for years. “How will a new Chilean constitution define new economic and social rights, which are only attainable if the funding resources are there?" The vote on a new constitution was the result of an agreement between the government of President Sebastian Piñera and the opposition. The old constitution was amended over the years, notably with the 2005 repeal of an article that had allowed appointed senators and senators for life in Congress. Also, Chile's Indigenous groups are not specifically mentioned in the old constitution, and there is a push for Indigenous candidates to be allowed to run in April for election to the constitutional convention.

Chileans voted overwhelmingly Sunday to rewrite the country’s current constitution, which dates from the military dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet four decades ago. Critics said a new constitution was needed to reform deep economic and social inequalities, while supporters of the current constitution feared changing it could lead to instability. Voters rejected an alternative that would have seen a mix of current lawmakers and elected citizens rewriting the constitution. The decision would appear to reflect a lack of faith in the country’s current elected leadership. Chile’s current constitution enshrines the free-market principles endorsed by the former military leadership.

The special convention would begin drafting a new constitution that would be submitted to voters in mid-2022. “What happened in the social outburst is now reflected in the outcome of the plebiscite," said one celebrant, Paulina León. “The people have demonstrated saying they want better pensions, better health, better education. Officials trying to ensure voters felt safe barred infected persons or those close to them from the polls, and long lines formed at voting places. Voters had to wear masks — dipping them only briefly for identification purposes — and brought their own pencils.

More than three decades ago, Chileans went to the polls in a landmark plebiscite and voted to end the dictatorial rule of Gen. Augusto Pinochet. On Sunday, Chile votes on another referendum aimed at erasing a key pillar of Pinochet’s legacy — the 1980 constitution approved under his authoritarian rule. AdvertisementPolls have indicated that around 70% of Chileans will vote in favor of the rewrite. “It’s ridiculous to waste millions changing a constitution in the midst of a pandemic,” said Daniel Sagredo, 65, a helicopter pilot. She recalls the elation of the 1988 referendum that ousted Pinochet, but regrets that a more equitable society did not emerge.

A man wearing a face mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic passes a mural of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, July 22, 2020. There may well be a collective sigh of relief in Venezuela from those he targeted, said Michael Diaz, a Miami defense attorney who has litigated against Nadler on behalf of Venezuelan clients. In June, he secured the arrest in Cape Verde of Colombian businessman Alex Saab as Maduros alleged front man was en route to Iran. Nadler, who still has a few weeks on the job, has not indicted Saab for the alleged food corruption. Nadler began working Venezuela cases in 2017, and Diaz said he quickly won a reputation as an aggressive prosecutor who had a good rapport with agents.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera lifted a curfew on major cities Saturday a day after more than 1.2 million people gathered here in the capital to protest the government. In Chile, a member of Congress earns almost $13,000 per month, while the minimum wage is about $422 a month. (Claudio Reyes / AFP/Getty Images)On Saturday, the city began to return to normal, though soldiers remained present in many subway stations. The protests had resulted in damage to 80 subway stations, at a loss of about $300 million. The victims were forced to undress at police stations, said the National Institute of Human Rights of Chile, an independent state agency.

The people, united, will never be defeated, chanted a lone masked woman in the middle of Plaza Baquedano, a central gathering spot in Chiles capital. Im here today because social injustices are very harsh in Chile today, said the masked woman, Marcela Balbontin, covering her face with a handkerchief with a blue and red flower print. At least four deaths were attributed to the police or military; others were killed during looting, fires or other incidents. My parents are from a frightened generation, but there is another generation that is not afraid and is here now, said Belen Leiva, 25, an actress. Soldiers are seen in all subway stations, which were attacked by protesters after the fare hike proposal was announced.

The Chilean government declared a curfew Saturday in the capital after protests against public transport fare hikes led to looting and arson attacks that paralyzed this city of 7 million. The decision to call a curfew was regarded as unprecedented during times of democratic governance in the South American nation. AdvertisementThe curfew, of indeterminate length, requires people to be off the streets from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The protests began this week as a social media campaign by middle school students who called on commuters to jump subway turnstiles in rejection of the transit fare hikes, announced on Oct. 6. On Saturday, Piera announced the suspension of the fare hikes in an attempt to mollify the protesters.

Chilean President Sebastin Piera on Saturday announced the repeal of a subway fare hike that had prompted violent student protests less than a day after he declared a state of emergency amid rioting and commuter chaos in the capital. "I have heard with humility the voice of my compatriots," Piera said before announcing that "we are going to suspend" the fare hike. By the end of the week, demonstrations had turned violent with thousands of students burning subway stations and damaging dozens of others and some set fire to a high-rise energy company building. The protests started on Friday afternoon when high school students flooded subway stations, jumping turnstiles, dodging fares and vandalizing stations as part of protests against a fare hike. Despite Piera's lifting of the fare hike, subway and public transportation services remained suspended late Saturday and the state of emergency was still in place.