Chile: Civil Registry Strike /Desert in Bloom

Some 2,000 civil servants stopped work in Chile and demonstrated in Santiago in support of a strike at the Civil Registry that has been going on for one month. The strikers are demanding wage increases, but an agreement has not been reached. Both Chileans and foreigners frequently wait in long lines at the Registry, only to go home empty-handed. And in the northern part of the country, Chile’s Atacama Desert is a sight to behold. It is in bloom for the first time in 12 years following massive downpours earlier in the year. teleSUR