International
Will Colombian Congress approve President Petro’s reforms?
August 9|
The change of the boards of directors of Congress, in this second legislative year that has just begun in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, is not a guarantee that the Colombian government will be able to move forward with the first three social reforms promoted during the first legislative year that did not see the green light due to timing: the health, pension and labor reforms, said political scientist Guillermo Segovia.
”The three could not pass in the normal procedure in the debates because they evidenced not only that there is a big problem that in part was the justification for the election of this government, the government was elected on the basis that there was an accumulation of protests related to the health issue, with labor issues and with the pension issue,” said Segovia.
“But once the Government and the criteria of the reforms were established, the sectors that traditionally manage the sectors of economic power, that manage those sectors of social rights have opposed in a very powerful way through the media, through the unions, the associations, the parliamentarians that have been financed by those unions, to the advancement of the reform”, he added.
In this second legislative year, the outlook for the passage of these three social reforms is uncertain.
Internal problems in the Historical Pact, the rupture of the broad front of the Government due to different scandals will force the current administration to make a greater effort to achieve the necessary votes in Congress to pass them into law.
Another important point to move forward the Health, Pension and Labor reforms will be the social mobilization in the streets and the will of the majority of Colombians who elected the progressive Government of Gustavo Petro precisely to advance the great social transformations never executed.
Once again, the unions, the traditional parties, the media and the lobbyists of the private health operators such as the EPS, Health Care Providers Companies, and the Private Pension Funds managed by the owners of the banks in Colombia will be in charge of preventing the reforms from succeeding and being sanctioned by the Executive.
International
Sexual assault attempt on Mexico’s president sparks outrage in historic center
A man harassed and groped Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum without her consent on Tuesday while she walked through Mexico City’s historic center, just meters from the National Palace, greeting members of the public.
The man, who appeared to be intoxicated, attempted to kiss the president from behind before grabbing her. Security personnel immediately intervened and detained him, with video footage showing Sheinbaum visibly tense following the incident.
Sheinbaum was on her way to the first National Meeting of Universities and Higher Education Institutions at the Education Secretariat headquarters, located just a few blocks from the palace. She chose to walk to the event due to the short distance.
During the stroll, in one of the busiest parts of the capital, the man took advantage of the crowd surrounding the president, approaching her from behind, trying to kiss her neck and placing his arms around her.
Hours later, federal authorities confirmed that the suspect — identified as Uriel Rivera Martínez — had been arrested and taken to the Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office for Sexual Crimes, according to the National Detention Registry.
Legal sources stated that Sheinbaum was the victim of a flagrant sexual abuse offense under Mexico City’s Penal Code, noting that no close assistant intervened at the very moment the assault occurred.
According to a 2024 survey by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), 15.5% of women in Mexico have experienced sexual harassment, groping, exhibitionism or attempted rape — five times the percentage of men, at 3.2%.
International
Longest government shutdown in U.S. history deepens airport and aid crisis
The U.S. government shutdown reached a historic milestone on Wednesday, becoming the longest in the nation’s history as Republicans aligned with President Donald Trump continue to clash with Democratic opposition over the federal budget.
The shutdown entered its 36th day, surpassing the previous record set in 2019 during Trump’s first term in office.
Over the past six weeks, the budget impasse has left roughly 1.4 million federal workers without pay. Employees deemed “essential,” including air traffic controllers and law enforcement officers, have been required to continue working despite not receiving their salaries.
Conditions at airports are growing increasingly strained. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the federal government may be forced to partially shut down U.S. airspace due to staffing shortages.
“So if we go another week from now, Democrats, you will see massive chaos… you will see massive flight delays,” Duffy cautioned.
Social assistance programs have also been disrupted. On Tuesday, Trump stated that food aid relied upon by millions of Americans would not be distributed until the government reopens — contradicting earlier administration comments indicating that partial benefits could still be provided.
International
Deadly fire in bosnian nursing home leaves 11 dead and dozens injured
At least 11 people were killed and more than 30 others were injured after a fire broke out overnight at a nursing home in Bosnia, authorities reported on Wednesday.
The cause of the blaze, which started late Tuesday on the seventh floor of a residential building in the city of Tuzla, remains unclear. Local media reported that the upper floors of the facility housed elderly residents with limited mobility or medical conditions.
Tuzla Mayor Zijad Lugavić said that firefighters and rescue workers were among the injured. Municipal authorities convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday to assess the situation and coordinate response efforts.
Ruža Kajic, a resident living on the third floor, said she had just gone to bed when she heard “bursting sounds” and saw flames descending from the upper levels.
Sexual assault attempt on Mexico’s president sparks outrage in historic center
Longest government shutdown in U.S. history deepens airport and aid crisis
Deadly fire in bosnian nursing home leaves 11 dead and dozens injured
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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