Italian Hostage Freed

• Four Italian journalists taken hostage in Syria freed

  Four Italian journalists who were being held hostage in Syria have been freed, Prime Minister Mario Monti said in a statement on Saturday.

• Italian hostage held by Al-Qaeda freed after 14 months

  An Italian hostage kidnapped by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in February last year in Southern Algeria was released on Tuesday and is in a hotel in Burkina Faso, officials said. "Maria Sandra Mariani is free. I have just informed her relatives. I join them in their great satisfaction and relief at this magnificent news," Foreign Minister Giulio...

• Odisha MLA kidnapping: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Koraput for high-level meet

  Even as Maoists in Odisha freed Italian national Paolo Bosusco after keeping him captive for nearly a month yesterday, the hostage crisis is still far from over with abducted tribal MLA Jhina Hikaka continuing to be held captive by another faction of the Maoists.

• Odisha hostage crisis: No sign of breakthrough, rebel mediators seek Chief Minister's intervention

  There is no sign of a breakthrough yet in the hostage crisis in Odisha after only one Italian hostage was released on Sunday. Talks between the state government and the mediators for the Maoists lasted barely 45 minutes on Tuesday evening. The mediators, who wanted to complete the negotiations agreed to wait till today afternoon to hear the final v...

• Odisha hostage crisis: Maoists release one of the two Italian nationals

  After spending 11 days in Maoist captivity, one of the two Italian nationals, Claudio Colangelo, who was taken hostage, has been released in Odisha's Kandhmal district. The other Italian national, Bosusco Paolo, is still being held hostage by the Maoists.