BUENOS AIRES: No sign of others in Argentine prosecutor death

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina's government said Monday that a prosecutor who had accused President Cristina Fernandez of shielding Iranian suspects in the nation's deadliest terror attack died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside his locked apartment, a declaration sure to be closely scrutinized.

Alberto Nisman, who had been investigating the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people, was found in the bathroom of his apartment late Sunday, hours before he was to testify in a Congressional hearing about the case.

Investigating prosecutor Viviana Fein said the preliminary autopsy found "no intervention" of others in Nisman's death. However, Fein said she would not rule out the possibility that Nisman was "induced" to suicide, adding that the gun was not his.

"The firearm belonged to a collaborator of Nisman" who had given it to the prosecutor, Fein told Todo Noticias television channel.

According to the autopsy, Nisman had a bullet entry-wound on the right side of his head but there was no exit wound. His body was found inside the bathroom and blocking the door, and there were no signs of forced entry or robbery in the apartment, Fein said.

The findings left more questions than answers about the death, which came only five days after Nisman accused Fernandez and other officials of reaching a deal with Iran that shielded some officials from possible punishment for the attack.

Nisman was guarded by police because he had received threats. Late Sunday, agents alerted their superiors that he wasn't answering phone calls, according to the Security Ministry statement. Authorities called Nisman's mother and when she wasn't able to open the door because a key was in the lock on the other side, a locksmith was called, the ministry said. A .22 caliber handgun and a shell casing were found next to Nisman's body.

Monday afternoon, the presidency ordered the declassification of the names of the agents that Nisman had demanded as part of his probe, apparently an attempt by the administration to show transparency and avoid any accusations of wrongdoing.

In a letter on her official website, Fernandez lamented Nisman's death, saying it generated "stupor and questions." She initially used the word "suicide" in connection with his death but later put a question mark next to the word.

Congresswoman Cornelia Schmidt-Liermann, interviewed before the preliminary autopsy finding, said she had planned to pick Nisman up Monday at his residence and accompany him for his testimony.

"Everybody who had contact with him the last 24 hours says he was confident" about his testimony, she told The Associated Press. "There is no indication, under any circumstances, that he killed himself."

Schmidt-Liermann said Congress met Monday afternoon despite Nisman's absence, and many members signed a declaration urging a full investigation into Nisman's death and insisting that the investigation continue.

Schmidt-Liermann and others who knew Nisman said he lived under constant threats on his life from Iranian agents and pressure from the Argentine government.

Joseph Humire, executive director of the Center for Secure and Free Society, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said he was to testify with Nisman on a U.S. Congressional subcommittee in July 2013 but Nisman pulled out at the last minute.

"He pulled out because of threats from the Argentine government" that he would be fired if he testified, said Humire.

Nisman lived on the 13th floor of Le Parc tower, a complex of luxury condos in the trendy Puerto Madero neighborhood of Buenos Aires. He had 10 federal police assigned to his protection, according to a statement from the Ministry of Security, which did not provide details on where the officers were posted when Nisman died.

An adviser to the ministry, who was not authorized to talk to the press and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the agents were posted at the entrance to the building and in a car nearby, and that police were never posted inside the building.

Nisman was appointed 10 years ago by Fernandez's late husband, then-President Nestor Kirchner, to revive a floundering investigation into the bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association in Buenos Aires.

A small white van with several hundred pounds of explosives detonated in front of the seven-story building, causing it to collapse in the densely populated area of town.

Argentina has one of the largest concentrations of Jews outside of Israel, with estimates ranging around 200,000, mostly in Buenos Aires.

After years of inconclusive investigations and failed trials, an Argentine judge in 2006 accepted Nisman's request to order the arrest of a former Iranian president, foreign minister and other officials. Interpol later put most of them on its most-wanted list.

But Argentina and Iran reached agreement in 2013 to jointly investigate the attack, a move viewed with skepticism by Jewish leaders who feared it would undermine Nisman's probe.

Last week, Nisman accused Fernandez and other senior Argentine officials of agreeing not to punish at least two former Iranian officials in the case. He asked a judge to call Fernandez and others, including Foreign Minister Hector Timerman, for questioning.

"The president and her foreign minister took the criminal decision to fabricate Iran's innocence to sate Argentina's commercial, political and geopolitical interests," Nisman said last week.

On Monday, Timerman said he was sorry to hear of Nisman's death.

"What can I say?" he said from New York. "I'm simply saddened by the death of a person I knew and I hope that the cause of his death can be quickly determined."

A federal judge had begun the process of deciding whether to hear the complaint and whether anyone should be summoned for questioning. Administration officials have called the prosecutor's allegations ludicrous.

Fernandez's administration's popularity has waned amid rising inflation and other economic ills and Nisman's death could further cloud her last year in office.

"It's impossible that he killed himself," said Estela Damonte, a 47-year-old museum guide, adding that she had seen Nisman on television last week and it was clear that he believed deeply in his case.

Federico Valdez, who works at an insurance agency, had a different take. "Everything indicates that he killed himself," said the 62-year-old.

Israel's foreign ministry expressed "deep sorrow" over Nisman's death.

"Nisman, a courageous, venerable jurist who fought intrepidly for justice, acted with determination to expose the identities of the terrorists and their dispatchers," a ministry statement said.

Within hours after news of Nisman's death spread, a well-known group called "Indignant Argentines" called for demonstrations in several areas of Buenos Aires.

Under the slogan "I am Nisman," thousands marched chanting "Justice! Justice!" to demand the government clarify what happened to the prosecutor. Some scuffled with police.

One of their gathering points was the Argentine capital's famed Plaza de Mayo. Others gathered in front of the presidential residence carrying signs saying "Cristina Killer" and "Enough Abuse."

___

Prengaman reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writer Ian Deitch in Jerusalem and Vicente Panetta in Buenos Aires contributed to this report.

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Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Gov. Bobby Jindal: Muslim establish ‘no-go zones’ outside civic control

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Some countries have allowed Muslims to establish autonomous neighborhoods in cities where they govern by a harsh version of Islamic law, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Monday during a speech in London.

The Republican, who is considering a presidential campaign in 2016, later defended — and repeated — the statement after facing reporters' questions about his claims.

In a speech prepared for delivery at a British think tank, Jindal said some immigrants are seeking "to colonize Western countries, because setting up your own enclave and demanding recognition of a no-go zone are exactly that." He also said Muslim leaders must condemn the people who commit terrorism in the name of faith as "murderers who are going to hell."

Jindal aides said he did not make significant changes to the prepared text.

The claims on "no-go zones" are similar to those a Fox News guest made last week about places where non-Muslims were not welcome in parts of the United Kingdom such as Birmingham, and "Muslim religious police" enforce faith-based laws.

Steven Emerson, an American author who often is asked about terror networks, told Fox News that in Britain "there are actual cities like Birmingham that are totally Muslim, where non-Muslims just simply don't go in."

Prime Minister David Cameron responded by calling Emerson a "complete idiot."

Emerson later apologized and said his comments "were totally in error." Fox News also issued apologies for broadcasting the comments.

Jindal, however, used similar rhetoric during a speech, warning of "no-go zones" in London and other Western cities. Jindal's remarks come in the wake of the massacre by Islamic extremists at a Paris magazine's offices and subsequent attack on a kosher supermarket in the city. Three gunmen killed 17 people in the attacks.

"I knew that by speaking the truth we were going to make people upset," Jindal told CNN during an interview from London.

"The huge issue, the big issue in non-assimilation is the fact that you have people that want to come to our country but not adopt our values, not adopt our language and in some cases want to set apart their own enclaves and hold onto their own values," said Jindal. "I think that's dangerous."

Jindal's parents immigrated to the United States from India. As a young man, Jindal converted from Hinduism to Catholicism.

Asked for evidence of "no-go zones," Jindal pointed to a weekend article in The Daily Mail, a London tabloid, that said killings, sexual abuse of minors and female genital mutilation are believed to go unreported to local police in some areas. The article did not give specific religious groups or towns.

"The bigger point is that radical Islam is a threat to our way of life," Jindal said. Asked if he regretted talking about "no-go zones," Jindal replied: "Not at all."

Jindal spoke to the Henry Jackson Society, a British think tank named for a former U.S. Democratic senator from Washington state who was a presidential candidate in the 1970s

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Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Martin Luther King’s Legacy Extends beyond American Shores, Says Adefuye

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The Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, Prof Ade Adefuye, has said the legacy left behind by Martin Luther King Jr. extends far beyond the American shores, saying his “preaching and principle of non-violent approach to overcome oppression and injustice inspired a generation of African nationalists who led the struggle against colonialism across Africa in the 1960s.”

While speaking recently at the Martin Luther King Jr. annual award, Adefuye pointed out that King’s contribution to the struggle against apartheid in South Africa was well documented, with a steady stream of letters to the United Nations, saying his appeal “for action against apartheid in 1962 led to the establishment of the UN Special Committee against Apartheid in 1963.”

“Martin Luther King Jr’s life was a life of service and sacrifice. Indeed, he paid the supreme price fighting for equality and respect for African-Americans, the economically disadvantaged and victims of injustice. What is really remarkable about this remarkable man is that he sought change – he sought to improve society – by non-violent means,” he added.

He stated also that his struggle encouraged compatriots to live up to the great purpose and potential of America, saying he “sought to make America and the whole world a better place.

“Dr. Martin Luther King’s principle of non-violence is particularly relevant today when violence, terrorism and senseless killings of innocent people in several countries have become the new normal. Dr. King’s life and struggle remind us that it is possible to achieve social objectives by means other than violence’, he added.

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Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Woman Shocked to See Brother’s Mug Shot Used as Police Target Practice

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Florida Army National Guard Sgt. Valerie Deant was reduced to tears Saturday after she arrived at a firing range and found that target photos left behind by a local police sniper team were live mug shots, including a photo of her brother.

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Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Condoleezza Rice says she was stunned CIA mission was leaked

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Former national security adviser Condoleezza Rice told jurors Thursday she was stunned to learn that a classified mission to thwart Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions — now at the heart of a criminal leak trial — had been disclosed to a reporter.

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Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Florida teen honored for helping to save life of cop who arrested him

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A Florida police department is honoring a teenager for his role in saving the life of the cop who arrested him.

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Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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NATO Readies Forces On Short Notice As Russia Stations 3000 Ground Forces, 39 Ships, 45 Submarines

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NATO will be able to deploy forces on short notice – in any moment that an attack against one of its allies is launched – with its "high readiness spearhead force" in place for 2015. Troops from Netherlands, Norway and Germany were deployed to NATO's eastern allies to provide "a very rapid response force" to be able to protect all allies against any threat, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told press in Berlin on Jan 14.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reviews a guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony at the Chancellery in Berlin January 14, 2015.

Meanwhile, Russia had stationed 800 servicemen from its Northern Fleet in Alakurtti – just within 50 kilometres from the Finnish border – with the rest of the fleet to be deployed soon according to announcement made by Commanding Admiral Vladimir Korolev on Jan 13. Russia's Northern Fleet in full force consists of approximately 3,000 ground troops, 39 war ships and 45 submarines, he said.

NATO's deployment of its "high readiness spearhead force" is part of a Readiness Action Plan that was hatched at the Wales Summit in September 2014. This action plan is a response to the challenges that NATO and its country allies have seen to the East where Russia has illegally annexed part of a neighbour's territory – something that has not happened in Europe since World War Two, Stoltenberg said.

The Readiness Action Plan shall be implemented in full and on time because the high readiness force and the command and control presence in the East of NATO's alliance are key, Stoltenberg said. This has been discussed with German Chancellor Angela Merkel according to Stoltenberg, saying that Germany is NATO's staunch ally.

Both leaders have called for Russia to respect the core values and the rule-based system that NATO and its allies have strived to establish in Europe, including the Minsk agreement. One of the basic values is to respect the integrity and sovereignty of all nations in Europe – something that Russia has violated in Ukriane, Stoltenberg said. Through Russia's aggressive actions against Ukarine, Russia is undermining the order that has ensured peace and erased divisions in Europe over the last 25 years, he highlighted.

Russia has stationed 800 of its Northern fleet in the Finnish border to strengthen its defence manoeuvres against the west and bolster their rights over their territories in the Arctic, Korolev said in a statement obtained by Newsweek. The new base in Alakurtti will be built with 14 airfields from which 10 are already due to be opened in the succeeding months, Korolev outlined in his statement.  Russia's deputy defence minister general Dmitry Bulgakov confirmed Korolev's announcement, saying that all troops stationed in the new base will be given frost resistant uniforms that will protect them from temperatures as low as  negative 60 degrees Celsius.

During his press statement in Berlin, Stoltenberg underlined that NATO is not seeking confrontation with Russia. He said NATO aspires for a more constructive and cooperative relationship with Russia. But, for this to be possible, Russia must want it too, he said.

"Nobody wants a new Cold War. But we cannot compromise on the principles on which our security rests. And on which the international order is based," Stoltenberg added.

a.yenko@IBTimes.com.au

To contact the editor, e-mail: editor@ibtimes.com

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Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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US man wrongfully jailed for 20 years dies

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When Sharrif Wilson was released after being wrongfully imprisoned for more than 20 years, he couldn’t wait to have a hot slice of New York pizza.“I feel free. I feel great right now.

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Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Photos: Arrested Teenager Saves the Life of Policeman who was Booking Him to Jail

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A handcuffed teenager being booked into jail helped save a cop's life after the officer collapsed in front of him with a heart attack.
According to Daily Mail, Jamal Rutledge was being charged with criminal mischief and burglary when Officer Franklin Foulks fell to the ground in front of him and started clasping at his chest inside the jailhouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
 
When Rutledge noticed the downed officer, he got up and kicked the fence, yelling for help.

Other officers showed up and were able to restart Foulks's heart with a defibrillator then take him to hospital
after the medical emergency last September.

     Saviours: Medics later said that Foulks would have died had his rescue been slower

Doctors said that if the rescue had taken much longer, Foulks would have died.

Video footage from the jailhouse shows Rutledge squatting in the corner with his hands cuffed behind his back while Foulks fills out paperwork.

Rutledge was being booked for charges of violation of probation for criminal mischief and burglary, according to NBC Miami.

But shortly after, the officer slides off his chair, hits his head on another next to him, then starts writhing around on the floor.

After Rutledge investigates, he kicks at the security gate and points towards Foulks with his chained hands while other officers rush in.

Some time later, emergency responders arrive with the medical equipment needed to save him, cut off his shirt then use the defibrillator.

Rewarded: Rutledge, center, is to be commended for his actions towards Officer Foulks, to the left of him. The other three officers pictured also helped save him, and will be commended too by city authorities

Rutledge and three officers involved in the rescue are now to be publicly commended for their actions at a meeting of the Fort Lauderdale City Commission later this month

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Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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Refrain from Inflammatory Rhetoric, US Cautions Nigeria’s Leadership, Aspirants

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 The United States has urged the nation’s political leadership and aspirants to elective offices, to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric and supporting acts of intimidation ahead of the general elections barely a month away.

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Anthony-Claret Ifeanyi Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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