International

Colombia’s House of Representatives approves Health Care Reform

Photo: @CamaraColombia

December 6 |

The Colombian House of Representatives approved with 82 Yes votes and 37 No votes the Health Reform proposed by President Gustavo Petro, in said plenary they approved 133 articles and eliminated 10.

It took more than five months of debate to approve the reform proposed by Petro, on Tuesday two articles were eliminated, article 128 which sought to capitalize the new EPS and article 42 which modified the way in which the directors of public hospitals were to be delegated, where the merit-based competition would not be considered.

Likewise, Articles 122 and 123 were approved in a final vote, which would allow Petro to issue norms that “guarantee the consultation and free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples, black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal and Palenquero communities and the Rrom people”.

After this intense discussion, the reform has another litmus test ahead: the debate in the Senate, where it must first be discussed in the Seventh Commission and then in the plenary.

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For his part, the Colombian Minister of Health, Guillermo Alfoso Jaramillo, welcomed the approval of the Health Reform proposed by the Executive.

“There are many changes in the bill and I believe they are for the better. We have managed to reach a consensus on many of the articles and we believe that this way, when it is reviewed in the Senate, it will be seen that we have accepted many of the points. So that we can continue working on the basis of what has been built and act to solve the serious problems that exist in the rural and marginalized sectors of the country”.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, this proposal is rejected by the Democratic Center, which maintains a plan for public health money to continue to be managed by private insurance companies or EPS.

International

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”

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International

Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.

Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.

A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”

According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.

International

Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.

Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.

“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.

“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.