1.   Fierce fighting continued amid rebel threats to kill hostages.

2.   Mr Speight has allegedly threatened to kill the hostages if an armed rescue mission is mounted.

3.   Russian authorities broke off talks with the Chechen gunmen after they killed two hostages on Tuesday.

4.   The guerrillas threatened to kill their hostages.

5.   Five Kurdish gunmen are threatening to kill twenty hostages at the Turkish consulate in Munich.

6.   A bank robbery in Bern has gone bad, a hostage has been killed and the robbers are threatening to kill more.

7.   A police rescue attempt failed, and at least five hostages were killed.

8.   After regaining control, state officials announced that rebels had killed hostages by slitting their throats.

9.   During the four months of the crisis, the rebels, while threatening repeatedly to kill the hostages, did not physically harm any of the captives.

10.   During the standoff that followed, Tolbert killed a hostage before a SWAT team gunned him down.