At least 66 people have died after a Colombian military transport aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff near the Peru border. The C-130 plane, carrying 125 soldiers and crew, reportedly erupted in flames, possibly triggered by ammunition onboard. Rescue teams have pulled out survivors from the wreckage, with many airlifted to military hospitals as authorities race to piece together what caused the deadly disaster.


Colombia Military Plane Crash: President Petro Urges Urgent Medical care For Those Critical

Gustavo Petro renews call to revive Bolivar's dream of Gran Colombia which is a EU-style union of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecudaor and Panama.


Gustavo Petro Revives Bolívar’s Dream: A “Gran Colombia” Union Like the EU?

Colombia has been rocked by two deadly attacks that killed at least 13 people and injured dozens more. In Cali, a vehicle bomb struck a military aviation school, killing five and injuring 36. Meanwhile, in Antioquia, an explosives-laden drone brought down a police helicopter during an anti-narcotics operation, killing eight officers.


Colombia explosion: President Petro calls it an act of terrorism

According to a United Nations report released on Monday (September 11), Colombia, known as the world's largest cocaine producer, set a record in 2022 for an all-time high cocaine production and coca-leaf cultivation, exceeding the figures from 2021.&nbsp;The release of the UN report comes amid the Colombian government's efforts under President Gustavo Petro to devise a strategy to combat drug consumption and trafficking. President Petro proposed the idea of forming an alliance among Latin American nations to collectively address drug trafficking issues with a fresh strategy.&nbsp;

The report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) revealed that coca-leaf cultivation witnessed a substantial increase of 13 per cent compared to 2021, covering an expansive 230,000 hectares of land.

<h2>Rising cocaine production</h2>

In this period, cocaine production surged from 1,400 tonnes to an alarming 1,738 tonnes, representing the highest figures since the UN initiated its data monitoring efforts in 2001. A significant portion of Colombian cocaine finds its way into the United States and Europe.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypt-protests-ethiopias-gerd-filling-labels-move-illegal-634846">Egypt protests Ethiopia's Nile dam filling, labels move 'Illegal'</a>

As far as the geographical distribution of coca cultivation is concerned, nearly two-thirds are concentrated in the southern departments of Narino and Putumayo, bordering Ecuador. These regions have been grappling with drug gang-related violence.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/us-saudi-arabia-are-in-dialogue-to-secure-metals-in-africa-report-634827">US, Saudi Arabia are in dialogue to secure metals in Africa: Report</a>

Additionally, North Santander, situated along the Venezuelan border, also saw substantial coca cultivation. Approximately half of drug crops were discovered in Indigenous reserves, with around 10 percent in forest reserves and five percent in natural parks, the UN report said.&nbsp;

<h2>Government's response&nbsp;</h2>

During the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Drugs in Cali, Colombian President Gustavo Petro advocated for a unified approach across Latin American nations to tackle drug trafficking.&nbsp;This is a fresh approach that entails looking at drug consumption as a matter of public health, rather than as what he labeled as an ineffective militarised strategy.

Watch | Morocco Earthquake: Death toll rises to over 2,122 rescue operation underway

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"What I propose is to have a different and unified voice that defends our societies, our future, and our history and to stop repeating a failed discourse that has already failed," he said urging to step away from move that leads to "immeasurable bloodshed and pain in Latin America."

Since taking office in 2022, President Petro has shown interest in the possibility of legalising marijuana in Colombia.

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According to a United Nations report released on Monday (September 11), Colombia, known as the world's largest cocaine producer, set a record in 2022 for an all-time high cocaine production and coca-leaf cultivation, exceeding the figures from 2021.

According to a United Nations report released on Monday (September 11), Colombia, known as the world's largest cocaine producer, set a record in 2022 for an all-time high cocaine production and coca-leaf cultivation, exceeding the figures from 2021. The release of the UN report comes amid the Colombian government's efforts under President Gustavo Petro to devise a strategy to combat drug consumption and trafficking. President Petro proposed the idea of forming an alliance among Latin American nations to collectively address drug trafficking issues with a fresh strategy. The report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) revealed that coca-leaf cultivation witnessed a substantial increase of 13 per cent compared to 2021, covering an expansive 230,000 hectares of land. Rising cocaine production In this period, cocaine production surged from 1,400 tonnes to an alarming 1,738 tonnes, representing the highest figures since the UN initiated its data monitoring efforts in 2001. A significant portion of Colombian cocaine finds its way into the United States and Europe. Also Read | Egypt protests Ethiopia's Nile dam filling, labels move 'Illegal' As far as the geographical distribution of coca cultivation is concerned, nearly two-thirds are concentrated in the southern departments of Narino and Putumayo, bordering Ecuador. These regions have been grappling with drug gang-related violence. Also Read | US, Saudi Arabia are in dialogue to secure metals in Africa: Report Additionally, North Santander, situated along the Venezuelan border, also saw substantial coca cultivation. Approximately half of drug crops were discovered in Indigenous reserves, with around 10 percent in forest reserves and five percent in natural parks, the UN report said. Government's response During the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Drugs in Cali, Colombian President Gustavo Petro advocated for a unified approach across Latin American nations to tackle drug trafficking. This is a fresh approach that entails looking at drug consumption as a matter of public health, rather than as what he labeled as an ineffective militarised strategy. Watch | Morocco Earthquake: Death toll rises to over 2,122 rescue operation underway × "What I propose is to have a different and unified voice that defends our societies, our future, and our history and to stop repeating a failed discourse that has already failed," he said urging to step away from move that leads to "immeasurable bloodshed and pain in Latin America." Since taking office in 2022, President Petro has shown interest in the possibility of legalising marijuana in Colombia. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. ×

Colombia's cocaine production hits all-time high in 2022, Petro calls for new strategy

Several protests against a planned reform that would increase taxes on the wealthy to fund social programmes were held across Colombia on Saturday.

The proposal is being promoted by President Gustavo Petro, the first elected socialist leader of the South American nation.

"Today, we ask the government to take into account the productive sector of the country, to understand that tax reform is not needed in the way they are doing it," businessman Alvaro Aparicio, 58, told AFP in Bogota.

People protested the measure sponsored by Petro, who entered office in August, on the streets of Cali, Barranquilla, Medellin, and other cities while donning white and waving the national flag.

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The proposal, which would boost taxes on the wealthy to pay for initiatives to combat poverty and inequality, is being discussed in Congress.

The peso has historically devalued versus the dollar, and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/colombia-bus-accident-at-least-20-killed-driver-lost-control-in-foggy-area-525848">Colombia</a> is currently experiencing significant inflation, along with other nations throughout the world. The unemployment rate is 10.6%.

Petro ran for office on a platform of taxing the wealthy more heavily, halting oil drilling, and giving arable land to farmers who lack access to it.

In 2019, 2020, and 2021, Ivan Duque, the former right-wing president of Ecuador (2018–2022), faced sizable demonstrations.

The bloodiest incident happened last year when the president at the time attempted to tax the middle class in order to combat the pandemic's effects.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Several protests against a planned reform that would increase taxes on the wealthy to fund social programmes were held across Colombia on Saturday. The proposal is being promoted by President Gustavo Petro, the first elected socialist leader of the South American nation.

Several protests against a planned reform that would increase taxes on the wealthy to fund social programmes were held across Colombia on Saturday. The proposal is being promoted by President Gustavo Petro, the first elected socialist leader of the South American nation. "Today, we ask the government to take into account the productive sector of the country, to understand that tax reform is not needed in the way they are doing it," businessman Alvaro Aparicio, 58, told AFP in Bogota. People protested the measure sponsored by Petro, who entered office in August, on the streets of Cali, Barranquilla, Medellin, and other cities while donning white and waving the national flag. Also read | Colombia breaks coca-growing record, slams 'failure of war on drugs', moots amnesty The proposal, which would boost taxes on the wealthy to pay for initiatives to combat poverty and inequality, is being discussed in Congress. The peso has historically devalued versus the dollar, and Colombia is currently experiencing significant inflation, along with other nations throughout the world. The unemployment rate is 10.6%. Petro ran for office on a platform of taxing the wealthy more heavily, halting oil drilling, and giving arable land to farmers who lack access to it. In 2019, 2020, and 2021, Ivan Duque, the former right-wing president of Ecuador (2018–2022), faced sizable demonstrations. The bloodiest incident happened last year when the president at the time attempted to tax the middle class in order to combat the pandemic's effects. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Tax reform bill triggers protests across Colombia

Colombia's first leftist President Gustavo Petro was sworn into office, the ex-rebel promises to fight inequality and heralding a turning point in the history of a country haunted by war between the government and guerrilla groups.

Ex-rebel Gustavo Petro takes oath as Colombia President

It is a battle of former mayors as Colombia's Presidential polls underway. On one side is Gustavo Petro a rebel-turned politician who was the former mayor of Bogota, on the other hand, is Rodolfo Hernández Suárez so-called TikTok king. For more perspective on this, we're joined by Emily Hart, Journalist from Colombia.

Colombia's Presidential polls: Will Petro become Colombia's first left-wing president?

As Colombia hopes for change with its presidential elections on May 29th, all candidates met for a final debate on Friday. While the race is between Petro and Gutierrez, Petro takes 40% opinion poll votes.

Colombia Presidential Election: Petro takes 40% opinion poll votes

After long-drawn debates between candidates , Colombians are ready to choose their new president and will go to the polls later today. Citizens will choose between Petro and Gutierrez.

Petro VS Gutierrez | First phase of Colombian Presidential Elections to begin soon

Colombia Presidential election: Petro and Gutierrez go head to head

There has been an interesting twist in the world of cryptocurrencies. While India is linking the concept of Bitcoin to a Ponzi scheme and is dismissing the idea of making it legal, many countries, on the other hand, have been aggressively working on issuing their own virtual currencies. Interestingly, a couple of them have already released state-backed digital tokens.&nbsp;

Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum have gained momentum in the last few months.

And it&rsquo;s not just private players which are backing this new-age currency. In fact, governments across the globe have also started to consider releasing their own cryptocurrencies.&nbsp;

Countries such as China, Estonia, and Iran have already floated ideas for their own digital currency.

&nbsp;Venezuela has gone ahead and released the world&rsquo;s first sovereign cryptocurrency - the Petro. The oil-backed digital token raised about 735 million us dollars on the first day of its pre-sale earlier this month. The country is now preparing for a new cryptocurrency called &quot;petro gold&quot; that will be backed by precious metals.

Apart from Venezuela, the Marshall Islands are also going to issue a cryptocurrency that will be circulated as legal tender. The new currency will be called SOV and it will act like regular money.&nbsp;

Its legal tender status has been approved by the country&rsquo;s parliament. It&rsquo;s interesting to note that the country has capped the SOV supply at 24 million tokens in order to prevent inflation.

While some countries are in the process of issuing digital currencies, others are still working on regulations to govern them. For instance, Switzerland has started to treat some digital currencies as securities under regulatory guidelines. &nbsp;

Singapore&#39;s central bank is assessing whether additional regulations are required to protect investors in cryptocurrencies. Other countries like South Korea, where trading in cryptocurrencies is more popular, are also looking at more efficient ways to regulate them.

But India has taken a different path. The country is planning to bar cryptocurrencies from its payments system. India&#39;s finance ministry has already cautioned investors about the risks of trading in cryptocurrencies. While many countries are embracing cryptocurrencies, there is still speculation whether it can transform economies into cashless societies. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

The article was written with inputs from Reuters.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

While many countries are embracing cryptocurrencies, India's finance ministry has cautioned investors about the risks of trading in cryptocurrencies

There has been an interesting twist in the world of cryptocurrencies. While India is linking the concept of Bitcoin to a Ponzi scheme and is dismissing the idea of making it legal, many countries, on the other hand, have been aggressively working on issuing their own virtual currencies. Interestingly, a couple of them have already released state-backed digital tokens. Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum have gained momentum in the last few months. And it’s not just private players which are backing this new-age currency. In fact, governments across the globe have also started to consider releasing their own cryptocurrencies. Countries such as China, Estonia, and Iran have already floated ideas for their own digital currency. Venezuela has gone ahead and released the world’s first sovereign cryptocurrency - the Petro. The oil-backed digital token raised about 735 million us dollars on the first day of its pre-sale earlier this month. The country is now preparing for a new cryptocurrency called "petro gold" that will be backed by precious metals. Apart from Venezuela, the Marshall Islands are also going to issue a cryptocurrency that will be circulated as legal tender. The new currency will be called SOV and it will act like regular money. Its legal tender status has been approved by the country’s parliament. It’s interesting to note that the country has capped the SOV supply at 24 million tokens in order to prevent inflation. While some countries are in the process of issuing digital currencies, others are still working on regulations to govern them. For instance, Switzerland has started to treat some digital currencies as securities under regulatory guidelines. Singapore's central bank is assessing whether additional regulations are required to protect investors in cryptocurrencies. Other countries like South Korea, where trading in cryptocurrencies is more popular, are also looking at more efficient ways to regulate them. But India has taken a different path. The country is planning to bar cryptocurrencies from its payments system. India's finance ministry has already cautioned investors about the risks of trading in cryptocurrencies. While many countries are embracing cryptocurrencies, there is still speculation whether it can transform economies into cashless societies. The article was written with inputs from Reuters. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: While the world plans to embrace cryptocurrencies, India is suspicious

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