Italian hostage Paolo Basusco is likely to be freed soon. The Odisha government made a late night announcement that the rebels had agreed to a swap deal to free the tourist from his three-week captivity. Meanwhile the Andhra group that abducted BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka extended its deadline till April 10th. The talks hit a roadblock after the group added five more names to their original list of 27 jailed Maoists that they wanted freed.<br />Chief Minister Patnaik had told the Assembly that the Maoists were seeking the release of six people. A claim that Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda had countered. Panda threatened to take the "extreme step" against the 54-year-old Italian hostage if his demands were not met within 96 hours. The two sides held two rounds of talks after this threat.<br /><br />For more log onto- http://alpha.newsx.com
