International
Colombia’s health reform approved in first debate
May 24 |
The Seventh Commission of the Colombian House of Representatives, approved on Tuesday in a first debate the health reform proposed by the Government of Gustavo Petro.
After more than eight hours of debate, with 14 votes in favor and 6 against, the committee decided to approve the health reform bill.
To become law, the initiative will have to go through three more debates: one in the plenary session of the House of Representatives and two in the Senate.
The Colombian Ministry of Health said that the House of Representatives Committee approved a total of 143 articles that will change the country’s healthcare system.
The Health initiative promoted by President Gustavo Petro will allow all Colombians to have a healthcare model with quality infrastructure, workers in the sector with good salary conditions and patients with comprehensive care.
“The health reform has been approved in the commission. Hard work, deep debate. Much deeper than when Law 100 was approved,” assured the Colombian head of state.
President Petro has considered the reform of the health system as one of the pillars that will mark the agenda of changes announced by his government.
The reform proposed by Petro’s government seeks to make health care a universal right and not a commodity. It also proposes a model in which the Primary Care Centers and the comprehensive and integrated networks will be made up of public, private and mixed entities.
After the approval of the parliamentary commission, the Health bill now goes to the plenary of the House of Representatives for the second debate.
International
Football Fan Killed in Clashes After Colombian League Match
Fans of Cúcuta Deportivo and their traditional rivals Atlético Bucaramanga clashed outside the stadium following their local league match on Tuesday, leaving one supporter dead and several others injured.
The deceased fan was stabbed, according to a senior police official in Cúcuta who confirmed the cause of death in a video statement. Local media reported that the victim was a supporter of the visiting team, Atlético Bucaramanga.
The match ended in a 2-2 draw. Authorities had banned the entry of Atlético Bucaramanga’s organized supporters into the stadium in an effort to prevent disturbances.
Despite the restrictions, violence broke out in the surrounding areas after the game. Among the injured were three police officers, an institutional source told AFP.
The incident adds to a series of recent violent episodes linked to Colombian football. The most recent occurred in December, when supporters of Atlético Nacional and Independiente Medellín clashed in the stands and on the pitch, leaving 59 people injured.
International
Missing Spanish Sailor Rescued After 11 Days Adrift in Mediterranean
The man had departed from the port of Gandía, on Spain’s eastern coast, with the intention of reaching the southern Spanish town of Guardamar del Segura, a journey of about 150 kilometers, a spokesperson for Spain’s maritime rescue service told AFP.
Search boats and aircraft were deployed on January 17, but the operation was called off on January 22 after efforts proved unsuccessful. Alerts were then issued to vessels navigating the area in case they spotted any signs of the missing sailor.
As hopes were fading, a surveillance aircraft from the European Union’s border agency Frontex spotted the sailboat on Tuesday, along with a person signaling for help, approximately 53 nautical miles northeast of Bejaia, Algeria.
A nearby vessel, the Singapore-flagged bulk carrier Thor Confidence, carried out the rescue and is expected to bring the man to an end to his ordeal when it arrives on Thursday in the southern Spanish port city of Algeciras.
Maritime rescue services shared images on social media showing a small white sailboat drifting at sea and secured alongside the much larger ship.
It remains unclear how the sailboat ended up hundreds of kilometers off its intended route or how the man managed to survive for so long alone in open waters.
International
Rubio Says U.S. Could Participate in Follow-Up Russia-Ukraine Talks
The United States could join a new round of talks this week aimed at ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday.
Teams from Kyiv and Moscow met last Friday and Saturday in Abu Dhabi in their first publicly acknowledged direct negotiations to discuss the peace initiative promoted by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
“They are going to hold follow-up talks again this week,” Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “There could be U.S. participation.”
However, Rubio suggested that Washington’s role may be more limited than during last week’s discussions, which included Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
The secretary of state indicated that progress may have already been made on security guarantees for Ukraine, one of Kyiv’s key demands in any agreement with Moscow after nearly four years of Russian invasion.
“There is one remaining issue that everyone is familiar with, and that is the territorial claim over Donetsk,” Rubio said, referring to the eastern Ukrainian region that Russia wants Ukraine to cede.
“I know that active efforts are underway to see whether the positions of both sides on this issue can be reconciled. It remains a bridge we have not yet crossed,” he added during the hearing.
Rubio acknowledged that the territorial question would be particularly difficult for Ukraine to resolve.
Guatemala President Says Starlink Terminal Found Inside Prison
Football Fan Killed in Clashes After Colombian League Match
Missing Spanish Sailor Rescued After 11 Days Adrift in Mediterranean
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
-
Central America3 days agoGuatemala seizes over a ton of cocaine hidden in flour at Pacific port
-
International4 days agoDelcy Rodríguez seeks political agreements after Maduro’s ouster
-
International3 days agoHistoric snowstorm paralyzes Toronto after 60 centimeters of snow
-
International3 days agoSpain’s irregular migrant population rises to 840,000, study finds
-
Central America2 days agoGuatemala Police Arrest Prison Guard Caught in the Act of Extortion
-
Central America2 days agoHonduras swears in conservative president Asfura after disputed election
-
International4 days agoFederal immigration agents kill man in Minneapolis, sparking protests and outrage
-
International23 hours agoFootball Fan Killed in Clashes After Colombian League Match
-
Central America2 days agoBukele leads public trust rankings as UCA survey highlights gains in security
-
International2 days agoWinter Storm Fern Leaves 30 Dead and Over One Million Without Power Across the U.S.
-
International2 days agoDoomsday clock moves to 85 seconds before midnight amid rising global risks
-
Sin categoría2 days agoEight Killed in Series of Armed Attacks in Ecuador’s Manabí Province
-
International3 days agoRights group says nearly 6,000 killed in Iran protest crackdown
-
International23 hours agoRubio Says U.S. Could Participate in Follow-Up Russia-Ukraine Talks
-
International2 days agoSpain approves plan to regularize up to 500,000 migrants in Historic Shift
-
International23 hours agoMissing Spanish Sailor Rescued After 11 Days Adrift in Mediterranean
-
Sin categoría2 days agoEl Salvador Launches Fourth Year of Ocean Mission to Protect Marine Ecosystems
-
Central America23 hours agoGuatemala President Says Starlink Terminal Found Inside Prison
-
International3 days agoVenezuela frees at least 80 political prisoners, NGO says
-
International3 days agoEU launches new probe into X over AI-generated fake nude images
-
International3 days agoSevere winter storm grips U.S., leaves multiple dead as extreme cold persists
-
International3 days agoFrance debates ban on social media for children under 15