Rage against the system: From Chile to Lebanon, why the sudden wave of protests?

The army is investigating a soldier suspected of firing toward protesters during Thursday's deadly clashes over the Beirut blast probe. Meanwhile, families of the blast victims have backed the judge leading the probe.

The first solar thermal power plant in South America hopes to reduce reliance on fossil fuels while maintaining jobs for the coal industry's workers.

Lebanon is once again caught in a regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran. A diplomatic row with the Gulf states could add to the country's political instability and economic crisis.

President Sebastian Pinera was involved with the controversial sale of a mining company in 2010, as revealed in the Pandora Papers. If impeached, he could have faced five years in prison.

More than half of families in Lebanon had at least one child who skipped a meal by October 2021 amid a "dramatic deterioration of living conditions", the UN's children's fund UNICEF said in a report released on Tuesday (November 23). Children have been hit hard by the country's deep economic crisis exacerbated by the global coronavirus pandemic which has left about eight in 10 people poor and threatens the education of some 700,000 children including 260,000 Lebanese, the report said.

On 19th December, Chile heads to the polls to choose a new president. The run-up to the elections have been deeply polarising, and the country's feminists fear that the unexpected frontrunner - far-right lawyer José Antonio Kast - could set women rights back by decades.

Some 30 countries around the world have already legalised gay marriage, but just a handful of them are in Latin America. They include Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, and now Chile can be added to that list. People there celebrated this week as the Chilean Congress voted to legalise same-sex marriage and adoption. The decision now needs to be signed by the president, who backs the law.

Ahead of Chile's presidential run-off on Sunday, FRANCE 24's Cole Stangler takes a closer look at the country's economy and the contrasting visions of far-right candidate José Antonio Kast and left-wing contender Gabriel Boric.

Lebanon blast linked to Hamas weapons depot: Anchal Vohra reports

The 2020 Beirut port blast was a traumatic experience for many people in Lebanon. A large number sought therapy in the aftermath. But, with doctors leaving the country, help is not easy to find.

At least 100 homes were burned down and 400 people were left homeless on Monday after fire broke out in a slum in the city of Iquique in northern Chile, local authorities reported.

The end of the standoff clears the way for ministers to meet after a three-month gap and come up with a plan to stop the country's economic meltdown.