Word: libya
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...seen swathed in animal skins and surrounded by a posse of virgin female bodyguards, the colorful leader has become as well known for his unusual personality as for his controversial political moves, the latest of which included celebrating convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi's return to Libya. Never one to stray far from the limelight, Gaddafi marks his 40th year in power on Sept. 1 - a milestone that makes him the third longest serving head of state in the world after King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. (See a gallery...
...Born in 1942 to a Bedouin family in the Libyan desert region of Sirte, he graduated with honors from the University of Libya before pursuing a British military education...
...Gaddafi invented a system of government unique to Libya called the "Jamahiriya," or state of the masses, in which the nation is supposedly governed by the populace through local councils. Though Gaddafi technically holds no formal office through this system and is officially known only by the title Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution, he is still considered the de facto leader of the nation. The Jamahiriya, however, has been dismissed by several international observers, including the CIA, as a military dictatorship...
...exploded ever Lockerbie, Scotland, and killed 270 people, Gaddafi's refusal to extradite the suspects to America or Britain led to drastic U.N. sanctions. Gaddafi finally admitted responsibility for the attack in 2003 and paid more than $2.7 billion to the families of the victims, initiating the end of Libya's international isolation...
...Bulgarian intelligence? This is what we have to find out." - Following the 2006 decision to sentence five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death for allegedly infecting more than 400 Libyan children with HIV. Gaddafi's decision to release the medics to Bulgarian authorities in 2007 further bolstered Libya's relations with Europe. (Washington Post...