Amid deadly protests, Chilean president promises reforms

Protesters in Santiago, Chile.
(Image credit: Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images)

After more than a week of violent protests over economic inequality, Chilean President Sebastián Piñera announced reforms on Tuesday that he hopes will quell the demonstrators' anger.

Piñera said the basic pension will go up by 20 percent, the minimum wage will rise, electricity rates will go down, and the government will introduce a new higher tax bracket and cover the cost of expensive medical treatments, BBC News reports.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.