1.   The former hostage is in remarkably good shape considering his ordeal.

2.   Former Beirut hostage John McCarthy has paid tribute to the staff of RAF Lyneham who gave him help and support after his release.

3.   The former Beirut hostage, Brian Keenan, has celebrated a discreet wedding in a Dublin register office.

4.   He and his fellow former hostages feel a debt of gratitude towards the men and women at Lyneham who looked after them on their return from captivity.

5.   A psychiatrist who helped former hostages to overcome their ordeal has been presented with a People of the Year award.

6.   All three former hostages said they were looking forward to spending the holidays with family and friends, here and in Canada.

7.   As the first bus drove away, smiling former hostages waved to reporters and residents of the fashionable San Isidro neighborhood.

8.   A former hostage negotiator for the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police force, he has convinced kidnappers to free victims and coaxed the despondent out of jumping off bridges.

9.   A former hostage negotiator for the Washington Metropolitan Police, he has persuaded kidnappers to free victims and coaxed the despondent out of jumping off bridges.

10.   A few former hostages paused for snatches of conversation about the hijackers.