International
Colombian Foreign Ministry calls ambassador to FAO Armando Benedetti for prosecution for sexist aggression
The Colombian Foreign Ministry called the country to the ambassador to the FAO, Armando Benedetti, to open a disciplinary process after his wife, Adelina Guerrero, denounced that she was the victim of an alleged sexist assault during a trip to Madrid.
Benedetti will have to present himself “in the term of the distance,” a figure provided for in the Law of Administrative Procedure taking into account that he resides in Rome, headquarters of the FAO, an official source told EFE on Tuesday.
According to Guerrero’s complaint, confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the aggression occurred on June 30 in the Spanish capital.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it was notified of the situation by the embassy in Spain, which is why it activated “the official mechanisms to know what happened and initiate the corresponding protocol.”
“This case is in the knowledge of our disciplinary internal control office, and when we have results we will act in accordance with the law,” said the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which later decided to call the ambassador.
According to the Blu Radio station, the Spanish authorities were informed of a possible verbal assault by Benedetti against his wife in a private residence in Madrid that “may have escalated to a physical assault, although witnesses present prevented this from happening.”
The radio pointed out that when the police arrived at the scene, the ambassador invoked his diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested, but the police opened a file for Guerrero’s complaint before a special unit of cases of gender violence.
The Diplomatic and Consular Association of Colombia expressed in a statement its “refeal” of these facts and deeply regretted that an incident of a family and personal nature has become a state problem due to the possible misuse of diplomatic immunity to evade responsibilities” by Benedetti.
“These acts are unacceptable and even more so when it comes to senior State officials who carry the representation of Colombians and must maintain the good name of our country,” said the Diplomatic and Consular Association.
The entity recalled “that feminist politics” and “gender equality” govern the country’s foreign policy and therefore, “the negative impact on Colombia’s international image is regrettable.”
“We emphasize that the chancellery has opened an investigation and we will be attentive to the delivery of the timely and forceful results that condemn the acts of mistreatment of women, ensuring that those responsible face the consequences of their actions because the State must have zero tolerance for such facts,” adds the statement of the Diplomatic Association.
Benedetti, for his part, said in his X account that “what has been said about an alleged aggression is not true and does not conform to the fact in Spain.”
“The truth will be proven in the Spanish court. At this moment I am in the middle of a divorce process that responds to the private and family sphere and, for the sake of my children, I will be cautious,” he added.
Armando Benedetti was one of the greatest supporters of the Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, during his electoral campaign and that is why he was appointed ambassador in Caracas in September 2022 but resigned in June last year when he was involved in a scandal of illegal eavesdropping in the presidential cabinet.
In a verbal confrontation with Laura Sarabia, then Petro’s chief of staff and current director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency (Dapre), Benedetti threatened to reveal compromising information about the financing of the presidential campaign.
After the resignation from the embassy in Caracas and the threats to Sarabia, the then Colombian foreign minister, Álvaro Leyva, said that Benedetti lacked credibility for being a “drug addict.”
However, in February of this year, Benedetti was appointed ambassador to FAO, for which the Government reopened that mission that had been closed since 1999, a designation that was denounced by the Diplomatic Association “for alleged irregularities that contravene the principles of our organization.”
Benedetti has four court cases open, one of them an investigation into the possible illegal financing of Petro’s campaign.
International
Trump signs order to end federal funding for NPR and PBS
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to halt federal funding for two public media outlets, PBS television and NPR radio, accusing them of being biased.
NPR and PBS are partially funded by American taxpayers but rely heavily on private donations.
Trump has long maintained a hostile relationship with most media outlets, which he has referred to as the “enemy of the people.”
An exception is the conservative Fox News channel, some of whose hosts have played important roles in the administration of the Republican magnate.
“National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) receive taxpayer funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB),” Trump said.
“Therefore, I direct the CPB board and all executive departments and agencies to cease federal funding for NPR and PBS,” he added.
The Republican leader argued that “neither of these entities provides a fair, accurate, or impartial portrayal of current events to the taxpayer citizens.”
At the end of March, Donald Trump called on Congress to end public funding for these two “horrible and completely biased networks.”
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
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