It's thought that hot pot originated in Mongolia (it's easy to imagine gathering around a coal fire in that cold and wind-swept region).

NPR: Friends, Family and a Feast: A Hot Pot How-To

The financial turmoil that swept the region two years ago has turned attention to internal problems, rather than regional solidarity, and many countries have cut defence spending sharply.

ECONOMIST: China and the Philippines

Others say they moved in and out of their villages as soldiers from various armies and rebel groups swept through the region.

NPR: Congo Violence Creates Medical Crisis

George Washington University Professor Marc Lynch, in his new book Arab Uprising, refers to a shared and cohesive narrative of protest that has swept across the region.

BBC: PJ Crowley: Al-Qaeda losing the fight and the argument

The need for Arab leaders to speed up reforms, scrap trade barriers and seek new ways of boosting sluggish industries has clearly taken on a heightened sense of urgency in light of the uprisings that swept through the region during the Arab Spring.

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The European portion is particularly interesting, given that many solid businesses in the region are probably getting swept up in the sovereign debt crisis.

FORBES: Earnings: Are Big Banks Like JPMorgan Ready To Rock, Or Roll Over?

The economic miracle that began here in Japan after the Second World War has now swept across the Pacific and throughout the wider region.

WHITEHOUSE: President Addresses CEO Business Summit

It swept a 500-mile (800km) swathe of the mid-Atlantic region on Friday night.

BBC: US storm-hit millions swelter in heatwave

The Republicans have had a big advantage in the region in presidential elections for a quarter-century: Mr Bush swept the South in the 2000 presidential election.

ECONOMIST: More bad news for the Democrats

The clashes seemed confined to that region, but in late March, similar Buddhist-led violence swept the town of Meikthila in central Myanmar, killing at least 43 people.

NPR: Mosque, Orphanage Burned In New Myanmar Violence