41.   The blast followed weeks of anti-government unrest in this central Gulf island state, a key financial hub in the region and a key U.S. Navy base.

42.   The blast followed weeks of anti-government unrest in the island state, a financial hub in the Gulf and host to a key U.S. Navy base.

43.   The island is a regional financial hub and is home to a key U.S. Navy base.

44.   This small island state, a key base for the U.S. Navy and a major financial hub for the region, has been shaken by weeks of anti-government disturbances.

45.   Traffic jams developed in the mid-afternoon Friday as thousands of people left work early in the bustling financial hub to watch England take on Brazil in the World Cup.

46.   Twenty-seven people have been reported killed in the unrest in Bahrain, a financial hub and a key U.S. Navy base.

47.   Hong Kong is likely to become a regional center for China as Shanghai assumes its role of international financial hub, a leading investment banker said Monday.

48.   This was an added reason for China to maintain the conditions that made Hong Kong an international financial hub, he said.

49.   Malaysia is poised to emerge as a financial hub due to its strong economic growth and the globalisation of the financial market, a junior minister here said Monday.

50.   Singapore is globalising its strong currency through capital market reforms at home to stave off competition from its neighbours and remain a premier financial hub, analysts said Wednesday.