A former US marine held by Farc rebels in Colombia has been released to the International Red Cross. The American, Kevin Scott Sutay is said to be in good health. Sarah Rainsford reports from the Cuban capital Havana. “Kevin Scott Sutay arrived in Colombia in June. The 27-year-old headed to the jungle and was probably captured by militants from the Farc. According to local media reports, he was armed only with the machete and GPS and claimed he was simply testing his survival techniques. Colombia's government called to his immediate release that the case threatened to damage historic peace talks with the Farc that help in progressing slowly here in Havana for the past year. The Farc has described his release as a humanitarian gesture.”

World News from the BBC

A series of attacks including a wave of car bombings in Iraq has killed at least 65 people and wounded many others. Most of the victims died in a series of coordinated blasts in predominantly Shia districts of the capital Baghdad. A busy market and a bus station were among the targets. The single deadliest attack took place in the northern city of Mosul when a car bomb exploded outside a bank where soldiers were queuing to collect their wages.

The Israeli government says it will release another 26 Palestinian prisoners as a part of a deal brokered by the United States earlier this year for the resumption of peace talks. It will be the second batch of prisoners to be freed under the agreement. A statement from the office of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says those to be released had all been jailed for violence committed before a 1993 interim accord.