31.   The emotional funeral took place amid heightened tensions over the lagging Kosovo peace process.

32.   The fighting in Hebron took place amid winding, cramped downtown streets, where soldiers and protesters ducked into shops and doorways for cover.

33.   The kidnapping, the third this year, took place amid a crackdown on crime.

34.   The meeting took place amid pressure from the United States and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to get both sides to agree on U.N. action, diplomats said.

35.   The meeting is taking place amid heavy security.

36.   The meeting takes place amid a controversial series of nuclear tests by France in the South Pacific.

37.   The meeting took place amid a flurry of judicial moves aimed at answering extremism and corruption.

38.   The meeting took place amid pressure from the United States and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to get both sides to agree on U.N. action, the diplomats said.

39.   The meeting took place amid complaints that high interest rates were strangling businesses.

40.   The meeting took place amid unusually tight security, in the wake of the attacks on New York and Washington.