[11.41 GMT] US 'in talks with Iraq militants' The US ambassador to Iraq tells the BBC that American officials have held talks with insurgency-linked groups. This will be interpreted as 'defeatism' by the hawks, but in reality it is a sign of hope in a very dark situation (Life in Iraq: A day at a glance). See also: Church leaders praise Christian peacemakers (Ekklesia, UK) and the Jill Caroll update at Christian Science Monitor (USA). Hostage Kember praises envoy (BBC News, UK); Kember refusing to star in own drama (Times Online, UK); Harrow Observer scoops Norman Kember interview (Press Gazette, UK); Hostage's captivity united UK Muslims, Christians (Garowe Online, Somalia); Inter-faith support helped save the Iraq hostages (Daily Star - Lebanon); "Don't Rescue Me with a Gun" By Pejman Yousefzadeh (TCS Daily, Washington DC, USA); Freed hostage recalls bread and boredom in a million-dollar house (CBC News, Canada) - Harmeet Singh Sooden. Pic: Zalmay Khalilzad, US ambassador to Iraq.