Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on February 27, 2015

Prominent Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov shot and killed in Moscow; was Putin critic

MOSCOW (AP) - Boris Nemtsov, a Russian opposition leader and sharp critic of President Vladimir Putin, was gunned down Saturday near the Kremlin, officials said. Nemtsov was killed just a day before a protest planned against Putin's rule.

The death of Nemtsov, a 55-year-old former deputy prime minister, ignited a fury among opposition figures who assailed the Kremlin for creating an atmosphere of intolerance of any dissent. Putin quickly offered his condolences and called the murder a provocation.

Putin ordered Russia's law enforcement chiefs to oversee the probe. "Putin noted that this cruel murder has all the makings of a contract hit and is extremely provocative," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies.

Nemtsov assailed the government's inefficiency, rampant corruption and the Kremlin's Ukraine policy, which has strained relations between Russia and the West to a degree unseen since Cold War times.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Facebook that he was shocked by the killing of Nemtsov, who he called a friend and a "bridge" between the two countries. He said he hopes the killers will be punished.

Partial shutdown? House rejects Homeland Security funding bill - deadline is midnight

WASHINGTON (AP) - The rebellious Republican-controlled House unexpectedly voted down short-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security late Friday, increasing the prospect of a partial shutdown at midnight of an agency with major anti-terrorism responsibilities.

The vote was 224-203 against the measure as 52 Republicans abandoned their leaders on the legislation.

"You have made a mess," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said accusingly to Republicans as the vote neared.

Go here to read the rest:
AP News in Brief at 5:58 a.m. EST

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month
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