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An Ecuadorian journalist who was held at gunpoint live on air has told Sky News how his attackers threatened to kill him if police arrived.

Jose Luis Calderon said the masked gunmen also placed an improvised explosive in his jacket pocket during the terrifying ordeal at TC Television’s studios in Guayaquil on Tuesday night.

The incident took place after one of the country’s most notorious drug gang bosses escaped from prison, sparking Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa to declare a 60-day state of emergency.

In footage of the incident, which was broadcast live on the TC network, Mr Calderon was seen attempting to plead with the masked gunmen, one of whom pushed a gun to his neck.

“They kept on repeating, ‘if the police come in, we’ll kill you’,” he told Sky News.

“It was a really chaotic moment, but in that instant, I kept my calm. You’ve seen the pictures, I’m calm, looking as if I’m praying, asking them not to go too far.

“There was no explanation about what was happening at that moment.

“The news programme was on air and that’s why you were able to see the footage. You could see what was happening when they pointed a gun at me, they put an explosive in my jacket pocket.

“They were really unnerving moments, but at the same time, I managed to stay calm.”

Hooded gunmen have burst onto a live TV set in Ecuador.
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Pic: TC Television

Live television images broadcast on Tuesday showed hooded people inside Ecuador's TC television station in Guayaquil, some of whom were seen waving guns.
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Pic: TC Television

Mr Calderon said he was not initially on air at the time the masked gunmen burst into the studio, and first became aware that there was an issue when he heard people shouting.

He and two colleagues attempted to hide in a nearby bathroom.

“We were hidden in there for a few minutes,” he said.

“We managed to speak to our relatives and warn the police about what was happening without knowing the exact details of what was going on and who was behind it.”

He said the gunmen discovered where they were hiding and ordered them to come out.

“We saw that they were hooded men, with big military-type guns, pistols, revolvers, there was even a machete,” he said.

“They made threats constantly. My colleagues were touched inappropriately.

“They led us to the studio, which was still live on air. When we arrived, just metres away there were colleagues, people working for the channel who were on the floor, very worried, on their knees, and they took us hostage.”

Hooded man points a gun at Ecuadorian TV presenter Jose Luis Calderon. Pic: TC television station
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Hooded man points a gun at Ecuadorian TV presenter Jose Luis Calderon. Pic: TC Television

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Mr Calderon said at one point a gunman shouted to say that they “had to kill one” of the hostages.

“People were very worried. In my case, I’ve been a journalist for 23 years, including in the field.

“I’ve covered events like this, and I’ve seen tragic events – but I’ve never been part of one.”

Mr Calderon said the gunmen, who he described as a group of “armed kids”, wanted him to communicate a message on the television, but it was not clear what they wanted him to say.

He said when police arrived and began shooting, the group dispersed and were eventually captured by police.

People accused of invading and taking over television station TC with weapons and forcing staff to lie and sit down, lie handcuffed on the floor in a police handout, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, January 9, 2024. Ecuadorean Police/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
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Ecuador’s national police service shared images of people detained by officers following the incident

People accused of invading and taking over television station TC with weapons and forcing staff to lie and sit down, lie handcuffed on the floor in a police haundout, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, January 9, 2024. Ecuadorean Police/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES

“We’re grateful that we’re alive. This is completely unheard of, for this sort of thing to happen on TV, for someone to threaten us on our property,” Mr Calderon said.

“The message that they wanted to send was just chaos. Here we are to impose ourselves above the law.”

Mr Calderon said that despite the incident – which he described as a “terrorist attack” – the people of Ecuador should keep “faith in the work” of the armed forces and police.

“There’s fear that another situation like this could happen. We’re hoping for action to be taken to guarantee our safety,” he said.

“My life was at risk, as well as my colleagues. I’ve never seen a situation like this.

“But we should have faith in the work of the armed forces. The police and the armed forces are in a position that allows them to take action against any situation.”

Following the incident, Ecuador’s attorney general’s office said 13 people had been arrested for breaking into the studio and were set to be charged with terrorism offences.

The charge holds a penalty of up to 13 years in prison under Ecuadorian law, if convicted.

Members of military stand guard near the Presidential Palace (Palacio de Carondelet), following the disappearance of Jose Adolfo Macias, alias 'Fito', leader of the Los Choneros criminal group, in Quito, Ecuador, January 9, 2024. REUTERS/Karen Toro
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Members of military stand guard near the Presidential Palace after the declaration of a state of emergency

A state of emergency has been declared in Ecuador Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

National police commander Cesar Zapata told the TV channel Teleamazonas that officers seized a number of guns and explosives at the scene.

The incident took place a day after Mr Noboa, the son of one of Ecuador’s richest men, who took office in November promising to stem a wave of drug-related violence on the streets and in prisons, declared a state of emergency.

The declaration was made after drug lord, Adolfo Macias – also known as Fito – was reported missing from his cell on Sunday.

The leader of the Los Choneros gang was serving a 34-year sentence in La Regional prison for drug trafficking and murder.

The leader of the powerful Los Choneros gang, Jose Adolfo Macias, alias 'Fito' Pic: Ecuadorean Armed Forces
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The leader of the powerful Los Choneros gang, Jose Adolfo Macias, alias ‘Fito’. Pic: Ecuadorean Armed Forces

His reported escape occurred on the same day he was scheduled to be transferred to a maximum security facility in the city of Guayaquil.

Ecuador‘s prosecutors have filed charges against two prison guards as part of their investigation into the alleged escape.

Los Choneros is one of the gangs authorities consider responsible for a spike in violence that reached new heights last year with the assassination of the presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

Interview conducted by Andrew Connell, deputy foreign news editor.

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Why Ukraine’s European allies will be nervously watching VE Day events in Red Square

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Why Ukraine's European allies will be nervously watching VE Day events in Red Square

Donald Trump has a soft spot for military spectacles and autocrats.

He will be looking on with envy as Vladimir Putin parades both in Moscow today, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping flying in to join Victory Day events in Red Square.

European allies of Ukraine will be watching nervously, wary of anything that could upturn the delicate quest for peace.

President Trump‘s patience with peddling his much vaunted “peace deal” has been wearing thin and allies had feared Ukraine could be punished for it.

That would have been grotesquely unfair, of course. Ukraine has bent over backwards to accommodate Mr Trump’s one-sided diplomacy that has so far seemed to favour the aggressor in this obscene war.

Russian army soldiers marching during a dress rehearsal for Victory Day parade in St. Petersburg on 7 May. Pic: AP/Dmitri Lovetsky
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Pic: AP

True, the Trump proposal does not agree to Russian annexation of all the land already taken by force and stops short of ordering the complete demilitarisation of Ukraine, but otherwise the proposals are pretty much everything that Moscow has asked for.

The deal is being pushed by Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump’s golf partner turned chief negotiator, a man regarded by diplomats as out of his depth and lost in the rough when it comes to the arts of statecraft.

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Like his president, Mr Witkoff has a history of doing business with Russian oligarchs, an apparently starry-eyed view of the Russian leader and has called Ukraine a “false country”.

Moment of truth approaching

Mr Witkoff and Mr Trump have so far given Mr Putin the benefit of the doubt, but a moment of truth is approaching. While Ukraine has agreed to a longer ceasefire in principle, Mr Putin will not.

Ukraine’s European allies feared that Mr Trump was about to despair of progress, blame Ukraine and take US military support with him.

Then came the minerals agreement between the US and Ukraine. The breakthrough gave the US president something to show for his efforts and assuaged his desire for some kind of deal. He seems to have moved on for now, at least, and approved the first $50m of arms sales to Ukraine.

Russian Air Force fly over Red Square, leaving trails of smoke in the colors of the Russian national flag during rehearsal. Pic: AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko
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Members of the Russian Air Force fly over Red Square during the rehearsal. Pic: AP

But these remain a tense few days ahead with plenty at stake.

Mr Putin’s self-declared three-day ceasefire raises the spectre paradoxically of escalation if either side breaks it.

The Russian lull is seen here in Kyiv as little more than a ploy.

If the Russian leader was serious about giving peace a chance, they say, he would have signed up to the permanent ceasefire being proposed by the Trump team.

Besides, Russia broke the last truce in Easter as soon as it had begun and used it to carry out surveillance and reinforcement operations says Kyiv. Why risk another pointless pause that is exploited by the invaders?

Escalation possible

If Russia plays the same games this time and Ukraine retaliates, there could be a significant escalation. Likewise, with any Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow during Victory Day.

Any major flare-up will not be looked on favourably by the US president if it upstages his first trip abroad this presidency, a three-day tour of the Middle East.

For now, his attention is not so much on the Ukraine conflict and he is no longer issuing threats to walk away and stop supporting the Ukrainians.

Russian servicemen march towards the Red Square before Victory Day military parade general rehearsal on 7 May. Pic: AP/Pavel Bednyakov
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Russian servicemen march towards Red Square in the rehearsal. Pic: AP

Read more from Sky News:
Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of breaching ceasefire
Putin prepares to host dozens of world leaders for Victory Day parade

That will be a relief here in the Ukrainian capital. They would be unwise to do anything to reengage him, for now at least.

Their European allies, though, know American involvement in this war appears to be receding.

Can they fill the vacuum?

This week, they remember the sacrifices made to bring peace and security to their continent 80 years ago.

Can they find the political will and unity to do so again, even without America?

Astonishingly, given all we have been through, that is still an open question.

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India will respond ‘in exactly the same light’ if Pakistan retaliates, high commissioner tells Sky News

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India will respond 'in exactly the same light' if Pakistan retaliates, high commissioner tells Sky News

India will respond to any escalation from Pakistan “proportionally and in exactly the same light”, the country’s high commissioner has told Sky News.

Weeks after 26 tourists were shot dead by gunmen in Indian-controlled Kashmir last month, India carried out missile strikes in Pakistan and Islamabad-administered parts of the disputed region.

On Wednesday, India said it hit nine “terrorist infrastructure” sites, while Pakistan said it was not involved in the April attack and the sites were not militant bases.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has since vowed that India will “now have to pay the price” for their “blatant mistake,” and skirmishes have also been reported along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

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Speaking to Sky’s The World with Yalda Hakim on Thursday, India’s high commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, said “the original escalation is Pakistan’s sponsored terror groups’ attack on civilians”.

India strikes ‘reasonable,’ says high commissioner

He then insisted India’s strikes in Pakistan and Kashmir were “precise, targeted, reasonable and moderate,” adding: “It was focused principally and solely on terrorist infrastructure.

“We made it abundantly clear that the object of this exercise was clearly to avoid military escalation.

“A fact that was actually acknowledged – in a left-handed way of course – by the Pakistani side in terms of their own statements, which said the airspace hadn’t been violated.”

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India awaits Pakistan’s response

Pakistan chose ‘to escalate the matter’

The high commissioner also said about claims Pakistan shot down Indian aircraft with Chinese-made fighter jets: “If it satisfies Pakistan’s ego to say that they’ve done something, they could have used that as an off-ramp to move on.

“Clearly they’ve chosen not to, and they’ve chosen to escalate the matter.”

A boy collects papers from the debris of a residential house damaged by a cross-border shelling in Gingal village near the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan, in Indian Kashmir's Baramulla district, May 9, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
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A boy collects papers from the debris of a damaged house in Gingal village. Pic: Reuters

And when asked about Pakistan’s threats of retaliation, Mr Doraiswami said: “We’re not looking for an escalation, but if Pakistan responds, as we have done, we will respond proportionally and in exactly the same light.”

He then referenced the border skirmishes, saying: “I do want to remind everybody: For the last 15 days, they’ve also opened artillery fire along the Line of Actual Control… That’s led to civilian casualties.”

Read more:
The story of India and Pakistan’s deadly conflict
How India and Pakistan’s militaries match up

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It comes after India said Pakistan attacked its military stations in the Kashmir region with drones and missiles on Thursday.

The country’s defence ministry said stations at Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur were “targeted by Pakistani-origin” weapons, and added “the threats were swiftly neutralised”.

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The demands and challenges facing the new pope

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The demands and challenges facing the new pope

There is a long list of demands in the new pope’s in-tray, ranging from the position of women in the church to the ongoing fight against sexual abuse and restoring papal finances.

People both inside the Catholic Church and around the world will be watching how the new pontiff deals with them.

US Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected as the new pope on Thursday after just two days of conclave.

The 69-year-old, who becomes the first American pope, will take the name Leo XIV.

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‘Evil will not prevail, we are all in the hands of God’, the new American Pope told the crowd.

On Friday, Pope Leo will lead his first holy mass as pontiff after already paying a surprise visit to see staff at his former residence.

Here, Sky News Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins takes an in-depth look at the challenges facing the new pontiff.

Sexual abuse

Many Catholic insiders credit Pope Francis with going further than any of his predecessors to address sexual abuse.

He gathered bishops together for a conference on the issue in 2019 and that led to a change that allows cooperating with civil courts if needed during abuse cases.

But it didn’t go as far as forcing the disclosure of all information gathered in relation to child abuse.

Any abuse allegations must now be referred to church leaders, but reformers stopped short of decreeing that such cases should also be automatically referred to the police.

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Clerical abuse victim says church still has ‘so much to do’

While many abuse victims agree they saw progress under Pope Francis, who spent a lot of time listening to their accounts, they say reforms didn’t go far enough.

The next pope will be under pressure to take strong action on the issue.

Newly-elected Pope Leo XIV appears on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. Pic: Reuters
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Newly-elected Pope Leo XIV appears on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Pic: Reuters

Women

Pope Francis also did more to promote women in the Vatican than any other pontiff.

Two years ago, he allowed women to vote in a significant meeting of bishops.

While he was clear he wanted women to have more opportunities, he resisted the idea that they needed to be part of the church hierarchy and didn’t change the rules on women being ordained.

A woman kneels at St. Peter's Square, on the first day of the conclave to elect the new pope, at the Vatican, May 7, 2025. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez
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A woman kneels at St. Peter’s Square, on the first day of the conclave to elect the new pope. Pic: Reuters

His successor will need to decide if they push this agenda forward or rein it back in.

It’s a pressing concern as women do a huge amount of the work in schools and hospitals, but many are frustrated about being treated as second-class citizens. 10,000 nuns a year have left in the decade from 2012 to 2022, according to Vatican figures.

Inclusion

“Who am I to judge?” Pope Francis famously said when asked about a gay monsignor in 2013.

His supporters say he sought to make the church more open, including allowing blessings for same sex couples but while critics argue he didn’t go far enough, some conservatives were outraged.

A gay couple kisses each other as thousands of catholics and conservatives gather together against the legalization of gay marriage and to defend their interpretation of traditional family values in Monterrey City, Mexico September 10, 2016. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril
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A gay couple kiss at a Catholic protest against the legalisation of gay marriage in Mexico. File pic: Reuters

African bishops collectively rejected blessings for same sex couples, saying “it would cause confusion and would be in direct contradiction to the cultural ethos of African communities”.

How welcome LGBTQ+ people feel in the church will depend partly on decisions made by the pontiff.

Conversely, the Pope must also bring together disparate groups within the Catholic faith.

Many are demanding a leader who can unite the various factions and bring stability in an increasingly unstable world.

The global south

While the Catholic church is losing members in its traditional base of Europe, it’s growing rapidly in the global south.

The area has become the new centre of gravity for Catholicism with huge followings in countries like Brazil, Mexico and the Philippines.

Pope Francis tried to expand representation by appointing more cardinals from different areas of the world, and the new Pope will be expected to continue this.

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Behind the scenes at the conclave

Finance

The Vatican is facing a serious financial crisis.

The budget deficit has tripled since Pope Francis’s election and the pension fund has a shortfall of up to €2bn (£1.7bn).

These money worries, which were compounded by COVID-19 and long-standing bureaucratic challenges, represent a major concern for the next pope.

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