51.   The region has become increasingly dangerous as rival groups fight for control of the coca fields and the millions of dollars in revenue they bring.

52.   The region may become more stable now that the Saddam-allied KDP is in full control of all the major cities.

53.   The United Nations has been trying unsuccessfully to arrange a referendum on whether the region would become independent or part of Morocco.

54.   GCC officials have often warned their region has become a target of international gangs taking advantage of the high per capita income in member states to promote their wares.

55.   In Brazil, the poor Nordeste region has become a rich hunting ground for child sex tourists.

56.   Experts have warned the region has become one of the most polluted areas in the world because of waste-dumping and repeated oil leaks.

57.   The region has become the battleground for computer majors as the market booms on the back of rising income and literacy levels.

58.   Towns in Minya province, especially Malawi, have come under police curfew since the region became center stage for attacks by Moslem militants.

59.   With the possibility of global armed conflict had receded since the end of the Cold War, the region has become the most dynamic area in the world.

60.   Tan Chin Nam, chief executive of the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board, said the Asia-Pacific region had become the fastest growing cruise market in the world.