Chilean president on defensive after earthquake
CONCEPCIÓN, Chile - President Michelle Bachelet defended herself yesterday against charges of government incompetence in a disaster that not only shattered lives and property but challenged the nation's very identity.
A society built on pride in its wealth and orderliness found itself suddenly facing gangs of rioters, a wounded economy and a shaken sense of civic responsibility after Saturday's 8.8-magnitude quake. A government that sent 15 tons of food and medicine, a search and rescue team and 20 doctors to Haiti found itself seeking emergency aid from other countries. Bachelet was on the defensive against a storm of claims that the government's response to the disaster was a failure.
The government extended an 8 p.m.-to-noon curfew to 6 p.m. and sent 14,000 troops to Concepción and surrounding areas to stop widespread looting.
The death toll rose to 796 and aftershocks continued to roll through the region. - AP
'If you don't address demand, you don't address the problem' Police are only addressing the supply, but demand is what fuels the illicit sex trade, experts say. Newsday political reporter Bahar Ostadan has the story.
'If you don't address demand, you don't address the problem' Police are only addressing the supply, but demand is what fuels the illicit sex trade, experts say. Newsday political reporter Bahar Ostadan has the story.
