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.
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.
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
Venezuela Earthquakes Spark Diplomatic Thaw With Former Critics
The devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela have triggered an unprecedented diplomatic thaw between Caracas and several governments that had maintained strained relations with the country, raising hopes that the humanitarian response could pave the way for broader international engagement under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The United States, Chile, Argentina, El Salvador and Israel were among the first countries to announce humanitarian assistance, deploy search-and-rescue teams or establish direct contact with acting President Delcy Rodríguez to coordinate relief efforts in the hardest-hit areas.
Canada also joined the international response by announcing humanitarian aid while opening a domestic debate over the importance of maintaining diplomatic representation in countries such as Venezuela to better respond to emergencies and assist its citizens abroad.
The wave of international cooperation marks a sharp contrast to the diplomatic tensions that followed Venezuela’s disputed presidential election on July 28, 2024, in which Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner.
In the aftermath of that vote, the governments of Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay publicly questioned the official election results, triggering one of the region’s most significant diplomatic crises in recent years.
The Venezuelan government responded by withdrawing its diplomatic personnel from several of those countries and demanding the departure of their representatives, further deepening the country’s international isolation.
The humanitarian emergency created by the twin earthquakes has now prompted renewed communication between Caracas and governments that had previously suspended or significantly reduced diplomatic engagement, underscoring how major natural disasters can temporarily reshape international relations despite longstanding political disagreements.
International
Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 1,700 as Search for Survivors Continues
Venezuelan authorities have raised the death toll from last week’s twin earthquakes to more than 1,700, as rescue teams continue searching for survivors in the country’s hardest-hit coastal region.
According to the latest official report released on Sunday, the powerful earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, have claimed at least 1,719 lives. National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez also reported that 5,034 people were injured, while 15,866 have been displaced and another 22,619 are receiving medical care.
The United Nations has expressed growing concern over the scale of the disaster, estimating that as many as 68,000 people could still be missing.
La Guaira bears the brunt of the disaster
The coastal state of La Guaira has suffered the greatest loss of life and the most extensive damage. The Venezuelan government has declared the area a disaster zone and placed it under military control as emergency operations continue.
Five days after the earthquakes struck, search-and-rescue teams remain on the ground, supported by additional heavy equipment and international rescue crews. However, hopes of finding more survivors beneath the rubble continue to diminish with each passing day.
One of the most dramatic rescue operations unfolded Monday in Catia La Mar, where emergency teams from El Salvador, Mexico, and Venezuela worked together to reach a 21-year-old man who has remained trapped inside a collapsed building since the earthquakes struck.
The twin earthquakes hit Venezuela on June 24, with the epicenter located between San Felipe and Yumare in the country’s northern region. The first quake, measuring magnitude 7.2, struck at 6:04 p.m. local time. Just 39 seconds later, a second and stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred farther to the southeast. Combined, the seismic activity lasted nearly three minutes, causing widespread devastation across several regions of the country.
International
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
Not even the wires were left behind at a small grocery store. Before the ground had even stopped shaking, looting and theft began in the areas hardest hit by the double earthquake that struck Venezuela.
Reports of robberies have multiplied in the coastal state of La Guaira, located near Caracas and now transformed into a landscape of collapsed buildings and debris.
Videos circulating on social media show groups of people removing boxes of household appliances from a damaged store. Other images show similar boxes being carried on top of vehicles and motorcycles.
Social media platforms have also been filled with accusations against police officers and military personnel who allegedly stole from homes and even from victims who died during the disaster.
A branch of a major pharmacy chain was looted, along with supermarkets and other businesses. Some residents have described the situation as “disaster tourism,” while others say the looting reflects hunger and desperation among people who lost everything in a country already facing a prolonged economic crisis.
“Is it fair that our own people turn against our own people?” said María Esther Bernal, 71, who rented commercial spaces to Chinese merchants, all of which were looted. “They left nothing behind, not even the wallpaper. They even took the cables,” she said.
“Next door, a man died. He was Chinese. People walked over his body while they looted the place. It was a supermarket,” she added.
An AFP journalist witnessed looting in La Guaira since Thursday, following the earthquakes.
Jenifer Mayora, 34, defended some of the actions, saying that “the things people took were because the owners of the stores allowed us to take them.”
However, she criticized the limited response from authorities. “I have been waiting for a mattress so my children can sleep,” she said.
Residents have expressed anger over what they describe as a slow and insufficient response from authorities after the double earthquake, which has left around 1,450 people dead and tens of thousands missing.
Communities are demanding not only faster rescue operations in La Guaira, but also stronger security measures and urgent assistance with food, water, and medicine.
Venezuela Earthquakes Spark Diplomatic Thaw With Former Critics
Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 1,700 as Search for Survivors Continues
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
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