Word: last
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...waved off predictions of Dubai's demise, staunchly defended his economic development model and dismissed Western media criticism as a bigoted slur on an Arab success story. "I can safely say that we have succeeded in containing the risks of the global financial crisis in record time," he said last April. Indeed, even as the property bubble was bursting and throwing thousands out of work in his realm a year ago, Dubai played host to probably the biggest party ever thrown in the Middle East: a $20 million red-carpet extravaganza, with fireworks visible from outer space, to celebrate...
...Northern League, founded in 1991 on a platform to separate the richer northern regions from the rest of Italy, is as strong as it has ever been. It is now a key ally in Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's majority in Parliament after garnering 10% of support in the last national election on a campaign focused on deepening worries about crime and the economy. Last week, the league floated (but then withdrew) a measure in Italy's budget bill that would have capped unemployment benefits for foreign-born workers. (See a story about how the Northern League roils even...
...rights. "The insults and rhetoric help to exploit uncertainty and create political consensus," says Mario Marazziti, Sant'Egidio's spokesman. "But in the end, it is against the national interest. Italy is in demographic decline, and the only real chance is to work to integrate immigrants, who are the last hope for the country to start to grow again. All the rest just creates conflict and puts off resolving this crisis...
...feel sorry for the five British yachtsmen who set sail from the tiny Middle East state of Bahrain last week. First, a dodgy propeller apparently stalled their vessel's progress toward the nearby emirate of Dubai. Worse still, seemingly adrift in the Persian Gulf, their 60-ft. boat appears to have inadvertently coasted into the territorial waters of Iran. Duly halted by Iranian naval vessels on Nov. 25, the men - seasoned sailors who had planned to take part in a yacht race from Dubai the following day - were swiftly whisked into the uncertain fate of Iranian custody at a moment...
...predict. Britain was resurrected as "Little Satan" in Iranian propaganda this year and accused by the regime of directly fomenting the turmoil on the streets of Iran that followed the disputed re-election of Ahmadinejad in June. An Iranian employee of the British embassy in Tehran was sentenced last month to four years in jail for his alleged involvement in the demonstrations. (See pictures of people around the world protesting Iran's election...