Chile lawmakers to undergo drug test as new initiative begins

Fast News

All legislators will need to be tested twice every four-year term and any positive results will be made public, in an effort to raise transparency standards in parliamentary work.

Legislators who refuse to take tests could be referred to the House Ethics Committee. (AP Archive)

Chilean legislators will begin random drug testing in the next few days after a proposal making it compulsory was approved last month, despite criticism from some lawmakers.

The first 78 Chilean deputies to be tested were randomly drawn this week, and will now have their first series of drug tests, in an effort to raise the standards of transparency in parliamentary work.

The new proposal states that all legislators will need to be tested twice every four-year term, and any positive results will be made public.

"There is nothing more important than giving people transparency, that their parliamentarians are not consumers," right-wing Deputy Juan Antonio Coloma told the country's public TV channel on Thursday.

'Unacceptable show'

It comes as the Finish prime minister said she would do a voluntary drug test after being filmed on a night out.

The Chilean proposal, however, has divided lawmakers along party lines in a country that is in the process of voting on a new constitution, looking to overhaul national politics.

"I do not agree with the procedure," independent legislator Marcela Riquelme told TV Nacional de Chile, with others calling the measure an "unacceptable show".

Legislators who refuse to take tests could be referred to the House Ethics Committee.

Source: Reuters

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/chile-lawmakers-to-undergo-drug-test-as-new-initiative-begins/?feed_id=13254&_unique_id=63003a54c4ab7

Chile investigates massive sinkhole

Fast News

The National Service of Geology and Mining (Sernageomin) has sent specialist personnel to the area to run an inquiry on the sinkhole.

A sinkhole is exposed at a mining zone close to Tierra Amarilla town, in Copiapo, Chile, August 1, 2022. (Reuters)

Chilean authorities started investigating a mysterious sinkhole about 25 meters (82 feet) in diameter that appeared over the weekend in a mining area in the north of the country.

Chilean media on Monday showed aerial images of the sinkhole on land operated by a Canadian Lundin Mining copper mine, about 665 kilometers (413 miles) north of capital Santiago.

The National Service of Geology and Mining (Sernageomin) became aware of the sinkhole on Saturday and has sent specialist personnel to the area, the agency's director David Montenegro said in a statement.

"There is a considerable distance, approximately 200 meters (656 feet), to the bottom," Montenegro said. "We haven't detected any material down there, but we have seen the presence of a lot of water."

A sinkhole is exposed at a mining zone close to Tierra Amarilla town, in Copiapo, Chile, August 1, 2022. (Reuters)

Sernageomin reported the closure of areas from the entrance to the work site of the Alcaparrosa mine, located near the sinkhole.

In a statement released on Monday afternoon, Lundin Mining said the sinkhole did not affect any workers or community members.

"The closest home is more than 600 meters (1,969 feet) away while any populated area or public service are almost a kilometer away from the affected zone," the statement read.

Lundin Mining owns 80 percent of the property and the rest is held by Japan's Sumitomo Corporation.

Source: Reuters

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/chile-investigates-massive-sinkhole/?feed_id=5384&_unique_id=62e889c735116