At least 17 Colombian troops have died in an ambush in the east of the country, close to Venezuela’s border. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23394408 Saturday’s ambush happened in a rural part of Arauca known as El Mordisco. A number of guerrilla fighters were injured and captured, reports said.
Earlier the Farc said it had captured a former US soldier. “Despite the law that allows us to keep the soldier Kevin Scott as a prisoner of war, we have made a decision to release him as a gesture in keeping with the spirit of talks under way in Havana,” Farc added that the capture showed “active participation in the field of North American military men and mercenaries in counter-insurgency operations under the guise of contractors”.

The US has denied he was on any form of military operation, saying he was in the area as a tourist and had “nothing to do with Colombia’s internal conflict”.