The word 'ransoms' is correct and commonly used in written English.
It is a noun that refers to a sum of money or other payment demanded or paid for the release of a kidnapped person, or for the return of stolen property. Example: The wealthy businessman paid a large ransom to secure the safe release of his daughter who had been kidnapped by a notorious gang.
There had been warnings that al-Qaida in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM) was short of funds and likely to resort to ransoms and kidnapping of energy workers.
"As far as ransoms are concerned, I want to stress that in terms of hostage-taking, Italy respects international rules," he said.
"We are against paying ransoms and we take part alongside other countries in multilateral efforts to combat the phenomenon of kidnapping.
In theory, Italy signed up to not paying ransoms at a Nato summit in September 2014 but media reports suggested money changed hands in the Libya cases.
Italy last year secured the release of two construction workers held in Libya and the country has a track record of paying ransoms to get its citizens home safely.
The payments have fuelled an increase in hostage-taking by terror groups, with $66m of the $125m the Times tracked paid in the last year alone.The European governments who dished out the money (mostly France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Germany) have long denied paying ransoms.
America is also famously unwilling to pay ransoms for kidnapped civilians.Thankfully for business travellers who are headed to particularly terrifying places, taxpayer dollars are not the only possible source of ransom funds.
The payment of ransoms is a menace for law and order.
Only India's Supreme Court is resisting such dubious deal-making.In this section Asia's shifting balance Hunting corporate criminals The price of paying ransoms Old world, new economy South Africa's role in the world What?
Ransoms, for people as well as ships, have risen rapidly in recent years.
If ransoms are paid, as they have been before, more kidnappings are likely.
