International
Bill to reduce working hours in Chile is approved
March 22 |
The Chilean Senate approved on Tuesday a bill that modifies the Labor Code in order to reduce the workday to 40 hours per week, while the initiative must pass to the Chamber of Deputies and Chamber of Deputies.
The Senate Chamber approved the bill that allows working hours to be reduced from 45 to 40 hours per week without affecting workers’ remuneration, with a vote without abstentions or opposing positions.
The Minister of Labor, Jeannette Jara, said that they expect the bill to be analyzed by the deputies and approved in the first days of next April.
According to local media, the initiative contains the proposal of working four days a week and a three-day rest, as well as flexibility for caregivers of children and adolescents up to 12 years old.
Information platforms indicated that the idea was promoted in 2017 by the then deputy Camila Vallejo, who currently serves as Minister of the General Secretariat of Government, and the also legislator Karol Cariola.
Vallejo at that time stated that “more working hours, does not always mean more productivity”. With Tuesday’s approval, the official emphasized that “approving the 40 hours is approving more and better time for families. After five years since we introduced it in Congress, I thank those who unanimously supported this important project. These agreements are what move Chile forward”.
International
President Sheinbaum Hails Fátima Bosch’s Miss Universe Win as a Victory for Women’s Voices
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum praised Fátima Bosch on Friday for winning the Miss Universe 2025 title, recognizing her as a symbol of courage for Mexican women and highlighting her stance against an act of injustice during the international pageant.
Bosch, a native of Tabasco, claimed the crown at the competition held in Thailand. Her participation drew significant attention following an incident involving the director of Miss Universe Thailand, Nawat Itsaragrisil, who told her to remain silent for not sharing event-related content on her social media platforms. The remark prompted Bosch to walk out of the room in protest, an action supported by several other contestants.
President Sheinbaum denounced expressions like “you look prettier when you’re quiet,” asserting: “Women look more beautiful when we speak up and participate. And she raised her voice, saying, ‘This is unjust, I don’t agree.’”
Fátima Bosch, 25, became the fourth Mexican woman to win the Miss Universe crown, joining Lupita Jones (1991), Ximena Navarrete (2010), and Andrea Meza (2020).
Bosch triumphed over Thailand’s Veena Praveenar, who placed as first runner-up, and Venezuela’s Stephany Abasaly, who took third place. This year’s pageant featured contestants from 120 countries and territories, including nine mothers, one transgender woman, a genocide survivor, and the first-ever Palestinian contestant in the competition’s history.
International
Peru Orders Arrest of Betssy Chávez Amid Diplomatic Rift With Mexico
Peru’s Judiciary issued an international arrest warrant and ordered five months of pretrial detention on Friday for former Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, who is facing charges of attempting a coup d’état and is currently taking refuge in the Mexican Embassy in Lima.
Peru severed diplomatic relations with Mexico, arguing that the asylum granted to Chávez constitutes interference in its internal affairs. The former prime minister is accused of participating in former President Pedro Castillo’s attempted coup in December 2022.
“The court orders five months of pretrial detention for the defendant Betssy Chávez Chino, as well as national and international search and arrest notices,” the Judiciary stated.
Judge Juan Carlos Checkley argued that there is a “clear” flight risk and a significant chance of jeopardizing the upcoming oral trial.
The Supreme Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office said it secured pretrial detention for Chávez “on charges of rebellion and, alternatively, conspiracy, to the detriment of the State.”
Chávez, who has been on trial since March 2025, faces a potential 25-year prison sentence. She has been staying for 18 days at the Mexican Embassy residence in Lima, awaiting a safe-conduct pass to leave the country.
The Peruvian government announced on November 7 that it intends to seek a review of regional diplomatic asylum regulations, following Mexico’s decision to grant protection to Chávez.
Relations between the two countries deteriorated after Castillo’s ousting, when Mexico granted asylum to the former president’s wife and two children. Since then, both governments have withdrawn their ambassadors.
International
Paraguay launches dengue vaccination for children in high-risk areas
Dengue fever, transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, remains a persistent threat in tropical and subtropical countries such as Paraguay, where it claimed the lives of 132 people among nearly 100,000 infections during the 2023–2024 Southern Hemisphere summer, according to official data. However, that figure was lower than the record set in the 2012–2013 season, when 252 deaths were reported among roughly 130,000 infections.
“Today marks a very important step toward protecting our children and bringing peace of mind to families,” Paraguay’s Minister of Health, María Teresa Barán Wasilchuk, said in a speech on Wednesday.
The vaccine will be administered to children between 6 and 8 years old in municipalities with the highest incidence of dengue cases in the past five years. Authorities will use TAK-003 (Qdenga), developed by Takeda—one of Japan’s largest pharmaceutical companies—which was approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2024.
“We celebrate this step, which positions Paraguay as a country with one of the most robust immunization programs,” said Héctor Castro, director of the Acosta Ñu Pediatric Hospital. “We will work tirelessly to ensure this government decision becomes a success in the fight against this scourge.”
Vaccinating children against dengue “is not only a historic and public health milestone, but also a humanitarian one,” Castro added during remarks delivered at the hospital in San Lorenzo, near the capital, Asunción.
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