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
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.
The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.
Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.
Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.
The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.
More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.
The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.
Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.
Central America
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.
In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”
Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.
“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.
The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.
International
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
Several U.S. strikes targeted areas near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to Iranian state media citing local authorities, as hostilities between the United States and Iran intensified.
Officials in Iran’s Hormozgan Province said the island of Qeshm was struck multiple times by what they described as U.S. missiles during the evening. The reports were carried by the Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim.
Iranian state television also reported that the Bandar Abbas region, located on the Iranian coast overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of what authorities described as an “enemy U.S. air attack.”
According to local officials quoted by state television, no casualties have been reported following the strikes.
The reported attacks come amid renewed military tensions between Washington and Tehran, although U.S. authorities had not immediately commented on the reported operations.
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
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