Italians As Hostages

Police were blocking all access to streets near the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's Gulshan, where heavily armed attackers, who all are from "good educational background", holed up overnight Friday, torturing and killing some of their captives including nine Italians, seven Japanese, three Bangladeshis and one Indian teenager.

Seven Italian nationals are thought to be among the hostages taken by gunmen who stormed a cafe popular with foreigners in the capital of Bangladesh on Friday, Italian state television said quoting the Italian ambassador to Bangladesh.

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...

In what is being seen as a softening of its earlier stand, the Odisha government has said it will seriously consider withdrawal of charges against some of the 25 prisoners if the Maoists release the abducted MLA Jhina Hikaka by 5 pm on April 18. The state Panchayati Raj Secretary PK Jena who was one of the three negotiators on behalf of the state g...

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.

Subhashri Das, also known as Mili Panda, wife of top Odisha Maoist Sabyasachi Panda has been acquitted by a fast track court in Gunupur in Odisha's Rayagada district. The court has cleared her of all charges in a case that accused her of taking part in a Maoist armed attack on the police in Kutinguda jungle in Gudari block of Odisha's Rayagada dist...

Subhashri Das, also known as Mili Panda, wife of top Odisha Maoist Sabyasachi Panda has been acquitted by a fast track court in Gunupur in Odisha's Rayagada district. The court has cleared her of all charges in a case that accused her of taking part in a Maoist armed attack on the police in Kutinguda jungle in Gudari block of Odisha's Rayagada dist...

Even as the 96 hour deadline for the release of the Italian tourist, given to the Odisha government by Sabyasachi Panda gets closer, the Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik made another statement to the house clarifying that the Maoist chief was not correct in his accusations of the government efforts being a farce. "Yesterday Sabyasachi Panda...

The criminal case against Subhashree Das alias Mili, wife of top Odisha Maoist Sabyasachi Panda, which came up for hearing at a court in Gunupur in Rayagada district on Tuesday has been postponed till Wednesday as several police witnesses failed to appear in court today.

Even as one Italian national was released by the Maoists in Odisha, hectic negotiations are on to ensure safe release of the second Italian national and a ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA still held captive.

Police were blocking all access to streets near the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka's Gulshan, where heavily armed attackers, who all are from "good educational background", holed up overnight Friday, torturing and killing some of their captives including nine Italians, seven Japanese, three Bangladeshis and one Indian teenager.

Seven Italian nationals are thought to be among the hostages taken by gunmen who stormed a cafe popular with foreigners in the capital of Bangladesh on Friday, Italian state television said quoting the Italian ambassador to Bangladesh.

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...

In what is being seen as a softening of its earlier stand, the Odisha government has said it will seriously consider withdrawal of charges against some of the 25 prisoners if the Maoists release the abducted MLA Jhina Hikaka by 5 pm on April 18. The state Panchayati Raj Secretary PK Jena who was one of the three negotiators on behalf of the state g...

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.

Subhashri Das, also known as Mili Panda, wife of top Odisha Maoist Sabyasachi Panda has been acquitted by a fast track court in Gunupur in Odisha's Rayagada district. The court has cleared her of all charges in a case that accused her of taking part in a Maoist armed attack on the police in Kutinguda jungle in Gudari block of Odisha's Rayagada dist...

Subhashri Das, also known as Mili Panda, wife of top Odisha Maoist Sabyasachi Panda has been acquitted by a fast track court in Gunupur in Odisha's Rayagada district. The court has cleared her of all charges in a case that accused her of taking part in a Maoist armed attack on the police in Kutinguda jungle in Gudari block of Odisha's Rayagada dist...

Even as the 96 hour deadline for the release of the Italian tourist, given to the Odisha government by Sabyasachi Panda gets closer, the Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik made another statement to the house clarifying that the Maoist chief was not correct in his accusations of the government efforts being a farce. "Yesterday Sabyasachi Panda...

The criminal case against Subhashree Das alias Mili, wife of top Odisha Maoist Sabyasachi Panda, which came up for hearing at a court in Gunupur in Rayagada district on Tuesday has been postponed till Wednesday as several police witnesses failed to appear in court today.

Even as one Italian national was released by the Maoists in Odisha, hectic negotiations are on to ensure safe release of the second Italian national and a ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA still held captive.