Word: year
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...been that kind of a year for Lula; even in the middle of the worst global economic crisis in 80 years, everything went right for him. His government lowered interest rates to a level not seen in decades, and foreign reserves rose to a record high. Brazil was last into and first out of the recession, and domestic consumption remained high as the gap between rich and poor narrowed at an unprecedented rate. Rio de Janeiro became the first South American city to win the right to host the Olympics. Meanwhile, Lula's opposition flailed aimlessly. His personal popularity regularly...
...timing of the movie's release, at the start of an election year, is also controversial. The opposition, still looking bland and disorganized, is worried it could be one more glamorous nail in its coffin. Lula is determined to have his handpicked successor, Dilma Rousseff, elected, and a feature film starring him as a sainted everyman can only add to his appeal and help Lula bring her vital votes in the October election...
...opposition is also concerned that the film could help prolong Lula's political life after he leaves the presidency. The 64-year-old is constitutionally prohibited from seeking a third consecutive term but has hinted he is not ready to retire definitively from politics. "Lula is very popular, and his political life is not over," says João Augusto de Castro Neves, a political analyst in the capital, Brasília. "He could still be President in 2014 or have another political position. I think the intention with the film is almost to provoke the opposition. Lula...
...harsh criminal-justice system. The execution has sparked a diplomatic row between China and the U.K., but global condemnation will do little to provoke reform. China is the world leader in the use of the death penalty - Amnesty International documented some 1,700 judicial killings in China last year, but the true total could be as much as three times that - and Beijing makes no apologies for its hard line. In a statement issued after the execution, a Chinese court said drug crimes were "serious criminal offenses" demanding harsh punishment...
...Such progress came too late to save Akmal Shaikh, who on Dec. 29 became the first European in 50 years to be executed in China when he was given a lethal injection in the northwestern city of Urumqi. The 53-year-old Brit was convicted of smuggling 4 kg of heroin into China from Tajikistan. Shaikh's family had pleaded for Chinese courts to take into account his history of mental illness. The human-rights group Reprieve documented numerous incidents of erratic and delusional behavior by Shaikh, including his recording of a song, titled "Come Little Rabbit," that he apparently...