9 planes make emergency route changes after bomb threats in South America Former comedian appointed Slovenia’s premier-designate

SANTIAGO: Nine planes were forced to make emergency changes to their routes within Chilean, Argentine and Peruvian airspace on Thursday because of bomb threats issued to Chile's civil aviation authority, its director general told journalists.

At least two of the planes were operated by LATAM Airlines and three by Sky, a low-cost Chilean airline, the companies confirmed.

Victor Villalobos Collao, the director general of Chile's civil aviation authority (DGAC), said 11 threats were made in total on Thursday, two of which were "fictitious" and nine of which related to existing flights.

All of the planes were declared free of explosives, and at least one plane was later allowed to resume its flight, he said.

He said calls warning of bombs onboard flights were made to LATAM'S offices, and the civil aviation authority, and police were now trying to trace their origin. "We always have an abandoned suitcase or two, that's normal," he told journalists in a briefing at Santiago airport. LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA: A former comedian whose party finished second in Slovenia's parliamentary election was appointed prime minister designate on Friday.

The political novice on the national stage, Marjan Sarec, who will propose a minority government consisting of five center-left parties, was backed in a 55-31 vote in Parliament.

The leftist parties have allied to sideline the top party in the June 3 parliamentary vote, the anti-immigrant, right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party

led by former prime minister Janez Jansa.

Jansa, an ally of Hungary's anti-immigrant Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has failed to win support from other parliamentary groups for a right-leaning coalition in traditionally moderate Slovenia.

Analysts have predicted that Sarec's minority government would be unstable and

likely won't last long. “Irrespective of who voted for me on Friday and who voted against, all can rest assured that I will be working for the benefit of everyone,” Sarec said as he was sworn in.

Sarec, who has been mayor of the small Slovenian town of Kamnik since 2010, emerged Marjan Sarec

as a significant political figure when he unexpectedly forced incumbent Borut Pahor to a second round in the October presidential election.

Before his career in politics, Sarec also worked as a comedy actor and journalist at the public broadcaster RTV Slovenia. He formed his party in 2014.

Sarec's appointment marks a rare case in Central Europe where a liberal politician has been elected to a senior post. Populists have lately been winning power in the region, ranging from Hungary to Poland and Italy.

Sarec, 40, is the youngest prime minister designate in Slovenia since its brief war for independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.