Former Lebanon hostage and archbishop's envoy Terry Waite has called for charges against British computer hacker Gary McKinnon to be dropped, amid fears for his safety if he is extradited from the UK to the USA.

Colombian president Alvaro Uribe admits that a Red Cross symbol was worn by a member of the military mission that freed 15 hostages including Ingrid Betancourt from Farc rebels recently.

World Council of Churches general secretary the Rev Dr Sam Kobia has expressed "joy" at the liberation of Ingrid Betancourt and other hostages in Colombia - and has called for more humanitarian releases.

The recent freeing of Clara Rojas and Consuelo González in Colombia has been welcomed by a World Council of Churches' spokesperson as a sign of hope that non-violence and justice is still possible in the troubled country.

In a gesture of support toward the families of the Korean hostages being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and a Methodist minister from Kenya, visited them yesterday while on a trip to Korea.

As two hostages are released today, the general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), the Rev Dr Ishmael Noko, calls on the international community to South Korea in its efforts to secure the safe release of the remaining hostages still held by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Taliban militants in Afghanistan say they have freed two women from among the 21 South Korean hostages they are currently holding, claims a news report on the BBC. Two others have already been killed.