QUITO, Ecuador: Ecuador’s president gave renegade Colombian rebels 12 hours Thursday night to show whether three abducted reporters are alive, or face a forceful response.
The government Thursday received photos Thursday from the Colombian TV station RCN suggesting the three had been killed.
The journalists were abducted by rogue forces of Colombia’s FARC guerrillas along the countries’ shared border on March 26.
President Lenin Moreno, in an emotional speech, said if the government does not receive word on the team’s status “we will move forcefully ... not hesitating to punish these human rights violators,” the president said.
He spoke at Quito airport upon his return from a regional summit in Peru. “The clock starts clicking right now,” Moreno said.
Reporter Javier Ortega, 32, photographer Paul Rivas, 45, and their driver Efrain Segarra, 60, were kidnapped by rogue Colombian FARC guerrillas on March 26 at the Ecuador-Colombia border.
On April 3, Colombia’s RCN television aired a 23-second video showing the trio wearing chains with locks around their necks, the first proof of being alive.
One of the hostages asked Moreno to reach an agreement for their release.
Moreno in turn announced his government “will do everything possible and impossible so that they return safe and sound,” according to a spokesman.
Moreno decided to return urgently to Quito after a Colombian television channel announced it had received photographs that show the three journalists may be dead.
The journalists were on assignment in the border area where Ecuadoran security forces have come under a series of deadly attacks blamed on rogue FARC elements involved in drug trafficking.
The larger FARC movement reached a historic peace agreement with the Colombian government in 2016.
Ecuador gives kidnappers 12 hours for news on abducted reporters
Ecuador gives kidnappers 12 hours for news on abducted reporters
List Magazine launches The List Awards
RIYADH: Luxury travel and lifestyle magazine List has announced the launch of The List Awards, in association with Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille.
The List Awards are a first-of-its-kind recognition celebrating excellence across travel, wellness, culture, and fine dining in Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf region.
Winners will be officially announced in the Winter 2026 edition of the magazine and across its social and digital platforms.
The awards aim to define what world-class excellence looks and feels like in a new era of Saudi hospitality, creativity, and experience-driven living by recognizing establishments and cultural experiences shaping modern luxury in the region.
The selection process is not based on submissions, paid placements or public voting. Instead, List’s editorial team and a panel of independent judges personally experience each venue, brand or experience.
Each entry is then explored, debated, and verified against key criteria: originality, precision, consistency, and relevance to the modern Saudi traveller.
Nóirín Hegarty, List’s editor-in-chief, said: “Saudi Arabia is in the midst of an extraordinary cultural and creative transformation. The List Awards were born from a desire to recognise that energy and define what excellence truly looks like today.
“These awards are not about prestige for its own sake — they are about experience, authenticity, and intent. Every name on the list earned its place because it represents the best of the best and the future of luxury in the region and beyond.”
