They said that the rebels had been sent by Ivan Marquez, a member of the Farc's seven-man ruling secretariat, and head of the rebels' International Front, which handles the guerrillas' foreign affairs.

BBC: Aerial attack kills 13 Farc rebels in Colombia

Just as important to the commission, says Fred-Olav Sorensen, head of its secretariat, are the widespread feelings of uncertainty engendered by rapid change.

ECONOMIST: Norway

Up to 40 separate studies of defence expenditure are close to completion, which will be submitted to the NSC's small secretariat, led by the new national security adviser, Sir Peter Ricketts, a former head of the Foreign Office.

ECONOMIST: The future of British defence