International
A chaotic televised council of ministers reflects the fractures of the Petro Government
The President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and his cabinet starred this Tuesday in a chaotic council of ministers of more than four hours long that for the first time was broadcast on television and social networks and reflected the internal fractures of the Government.
Petro decided to broadcast the session with the argument that “democracy is that the people can watch, participate” in the decisions of the Government, because he believes that “every administrative act must be public and transparent”.
However, the council of ministers ended up being a scenario of confrontation in which several officials, with Vice President Francia Márquez at the head, criticized the president’s decisions, such as the return to the Government as head of office of former Ambassador Armando Benedetti, accused of corruption, as well as the excessive power of Chancellor Laura Sarabia, Petro’s right hand.
Petro, who is facing the last year and a half of his government in Colombia, also took the opportunity to question the results of some of his ministers and talk about other important issues such as the diplomatic crisis with the United States and Venezuela’s support to face the violence at the border.
The breaking point was marked by the vice president, who is also Minister of Equality, and who took advantage of the space transmitted to the country to express to Petro her dissatisfaction with the appointment of Benedetti and to criticize the new foreign minister Laura Sarabia.
“I don’t think so, and I respect Benedetti, but I don’t share your decision; I respect you because you are the head of state and you are the president, but I don’t share your decision to bring to this Government those people who we know have a large part of responsibility for what is happening,” said Márquez, who was seconded in her criticism by the Minister of the Environment, Susana Muhamad, and by the director of the Department for Social Prosperity (DPS), Gustavo Bolívar.
Benedetti, appointed today in the new position by Petro, was one of his greatest supporters in the 2022 presidential elections and his first ambassador to Venezuela, a position he left in the middle of a scandal of illegal wiretapping in which he even threatened to reveal alleged irregularities in the campaign of the current president.
Sarabia, then chief of staff, was also involved in that scandal, because illegal interceptions of her nanny, Marelbys Meza, were known, who was subjected to a polygraph test without a court order after the alleged robbery at her house of a suitcase in which there was about 7,000 dollars.
However, Sarabia enjoys enormous power in the Government, where she has held different positions, the most recent, that of chancellor, since last week.
“And I don’t think in this Government Laura Sarabia’s attitudes with us, with me, that I have had to tell her, ‘Respect me, I’m the vice president’,” Márquez claimed.
Because of these scandals, the Minister of the Environment assured: “I have to say that neither foreign relations nor the current office management are in the hands of this project, they are in the hands of the opposite of this project.”
Petro took advantage of the council of ministers to criticize, again, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, because he considers that migrants should arrive in their country without being handcuffed and that once this happens, we will talk about business.
“Trump thinks we kneel for the merchandise, he thinks we are like him. Watch out! We are different, we are not him, we can understand each other yes, I am not saying no, he has to understand the difference. Progressiveness puts the person above the merchandise. First they arrive without wives and then we talk about business, not the other way around,” he said.
He also said that the Venezuelan authorities are “deactivating camps” of the National Liberation Army (ELN) in that country, something that happens in the midst of the confrontations between that guerrilla and a FARC dissident in the border region of Catatumbo.
“Our strategy with Venezuela in international politics worked, that is, they are deactivating ELN camps in Venezuela because they consider it valuable (to have) a healthy diplomatic relationship with Colombia,” Petro said.
At the close of the Council of Ministers, the director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency of the Republic (Dapre), Jorge Rojas, described the decision to broadcast the session on television and social networks as “very bold, even risky”.
“In a gesture that I value for its capacity for transparency and communication with public opinion, but that we surely have to review in its methodology so that this communication with the Colombian people is assertive, has results and conclusions,” he said.
What happened today at the House of Nariño ignited social networks where citizens have commented sarcastically on what was said by the head of state and his ministers.
International
Former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney dies at 84
Dick Cheney, former U.S. vice president under George W. Bush and a chief architect of the 2000s “war on terror,” died Monday night at age 84.
According to a family statement, Cheney passed away due to complications from pneumonia and cardiovascular disease.
Cheney, who rose to political prominence as White House Chief of Staff under President Gerald Ford in the 1970s, went on to become one of the most influential vice presidents in U.S. history during the Bush administration (2001–2009). He was widely known as one of the strongest advocates for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
In his later years, however, Cheney emerged as a vocal critic of the Republican Party under Donald Trump’s leadership.
“Dick Cheney was a great man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country and to live with courage, honor, love, kindness, and a passion for fishing,” his family said in a statement.
International
Sheinbaum maintains 70% approval despite growing discontent in Mexico
Seven out of ten Mexicans — 70% — approve of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s performance a little over a year into her term, even as disapproval reached its highest level in October at 30%, according to a monthly survey published by the newspaper El Financiero.
The approval rating marks a slight decline compared to September (73%), August (74%), and especially February, when Sheinbaum peaked at 85%. Meanwhile, disapproval rose to 30%, three points higher than in August and double the levels recorded between January and March, when just 15% of respondents disapproved of her leadership.
Of the 1,000 Mexicans surveyed, 59% rated the government’s response to last month’s deadly storms — which left 83 people dead and 16 missing — as good or very good. Additionally, 56% gave positive marks to cleanup and recovery efforts, while 40% viewed them negatively.
Support programs for affected families received 53% positive and 42% negative evaluations. Sheinbaum’s visits to impacted areas generated a narrower split: 50% approval versus 45% disapproval.
The president’s empathy stood out as her most valued attribute, earning 63% favorable ratings, followed by honesty (59%), leadership (59%), and ability to deliver results (47%).
International
Shootout in Sinaloa leaves 13 gunmen dead as authorities rescue kidnapping victims
A confrontation between Mexican security forces and an armed group in the troubled state of Sinaloa left 13 gunmen dead and four others arrested, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch reported on Monday.
Sinaloa, located on the Pacific coast, has been shaken for more than a year by a violent power struggle between factions of a powerful local cartel — a conflict that has resulted in at least 1,700 homicides, including 57 minors, and nearly 2,000 disappearances.
The shootout occurred around 12:45 p.m. local time (18:45 GMT) in the municipality of Guasave, where authorities were able to rescue nine kidnapped individuals following the clash. Officers also seized seven vehicles, long weapons, and tactical equipment, according to the minister’s post on X.
García Harfuch explained that security forces “were attacked by an armed group hiding under a bridge” while patrolling the La Brecha community of Guasave, prompting an “immediate response” from authorities.
The detainees and seized items have been turned over to Mexico’s federal prosecutor’s office, he added.
The internal war within the Sinaloa Cartel erupted after the capture of longtime leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who was betrayed and extradited to the United States in July 2024 by the son of his former partner Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Guzmán has been serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison since 2019.
Former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney dies at 84
Sheinbaum maintains 70% approval despite growing discontent in Mexico
Shootout in Sinaloa leaves 13 gunmen dead as authorities rescue kidnapping victims
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
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