International

The Government of Colombia presents twelve questions that it will propose in a popular consultation to promote its reforms

The Government of Colombia announced this Tuesday the twelve questions that will be included in the popular consultation that President Gustavo Petro will file on May 1 before the Senate to achieve the approval of the stagnant reforms in Congress.

The twelve questions are focused on the labor reform proposed by the Government and which was archived after its third debate in the Seventh Senate Commission last month.

“If we were not sure that these questions would get the yes, we would not be proposing them, it was that simple,” said the Minister of Labor, Antonio Sanguino, at a press conference with the Minister of the Interior, Armando Benedetti.

For his part, Benedetti said: “If the consultation is won, Congress has two periods before then to pass the law based on what was approved in the consultation or if not the president takes it out by decree.”

The consultation is binding if it obtains the necessary majorities and is declared valid in terms of participation.

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In Colombia there are 40,963,370 people qualified to vote, so at least 13,654,456 citizens must pay for the popular consultation to be valid and for half plus one of the votes to be expressed in favor of each question of the Government.

Therefore, the consultation is “mandatory, first for Congress and then for the President of the Republic,” Benedetti added.

These questions “constitute the soul and backbone of the labor reform that will be proposed in the popular consultation that we hope will be endorsed or facilitated with the approval of the Senate of the Republic in its plenary,” explained Minister Sanguino at the press conference.

The consultation will consist of closed-answer questions: Colombians must vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ before each initiative and to move forward, “each question has to pass the threshold” required, Benedetti added.

The questions are aimed at improving the labor rights of all Colombians with proposals such as the regulation of the working day with a maximum of eight hours a day or the guarantee of medical permits, including licenses for disabling menstrual pain.

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In addition, they have a section focused on the business world with proposals such as the elimination of outsourcing and abusive intermediation in employment contracts, minimum hiring quotas for people with disabilities or the guarantee of fair wages for rural workers.

The complete content of the questionnaire, according to the ministers, was built from more than 20,000 proposals sent by citizens through the portal enabled until last Monday, April 21.

The popular consultation must be officially filed by President Gustavo Petro, on May 1, as, as he said, a tribute to the working class of Colombia within the framework of International Labor Day.

International

IEA warns Middle East conflict could spark worst energy crisis in decades

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East could trigger the worst energy crisis in decades, warned Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), who described the situation as “very serious.”

Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, Birol compared the current scenario to the oil crises of the 1970s, noting that during those events the world lost around five million barrels of oil per day in each crisis.

“Today, we have lost 11 million barrels per day—more than the two major oil shocks combined,” he said.

The Turkish economist referred to the conflict that began on February 28, following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran, which have significantly disrupted global energy markets and driven oil prices higher.

Birol warned that the global economy is facing a “very, very serious threat” and expressed hope that the crisis will be resolved soon.

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“No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues in this direction. Global efforts are urgently needed,” he emphasized.

International

Colombian Air Force Hercules plane crashes during takeoff with troops onboard

A Lockheed C-130 Hercules operated by the Colombian Air Force was involved in a “tragic accident” while taking off from Puerto Leguízamo, in the Putumayo department of southern Colombia, as it was transporting troops, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez reported on Monday.

The minister stated on social media that the exact number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been determined. He also extended his condolences to the families affected and urged the public to avoid speculation until official information is confirmed.

“This is a deeply painful event for the country. Our prayers are with the victims and their families,” Sánchez said, adding that emergency protocols have been activated and an investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, President Gustavo Petro expressed hope that there would be no fatalities in what he described as a “horrific accident that should not have happened.”

Petro also highlighted ongoing efforts to modernize the country’s air fleet and reiterated the need to acquire new helicopters and transport aircraft to strengthen military mobility, particularly in remote regions.

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According to local media reports, approximately 110 soldiers were on board the aircraft. So far, at least 20 injured military personnel have been rescued.

International

Paris prosecutors alert U.S. over alleged deepfake strategy linked to Elon Musk

The Paris Prosecutor’s Office said on Saturday that it had alerted authorities in the United States over suspicions that tech entrepreneur Elon Musk may have encouraged the spread of sexualized deepfake content on the social platform X to artificially boost the company’s valuation.

According to prosecutors, the controversy surrounding explicit AI-generated videos—reportedly linked to Grok, the platform’s artificial intelligence system—may have been deliberately triggered to increase the market value of X and X AI.

The office added that the alleged strategy could be tied to the planned June 2026 public listing of a new entity formed through the merger of SpaceX and X AI.

French authorities said they contacted the U.S. Department of Justice as well as legal representatives at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this week to share their concerns.

Responding on X in French to a report about the case, Musk referred to French prosecutors using an offensive term.

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When contacted, X’s legal representative in France did not immediately comment.

Grok, the platform’s AI system, has its own account on X, allowing users to interact with it or request content generation. For a period, users were able to tag the bot in posts to generate or edit images, a feature that may have facilitated the spread of such material.