Argentina’s dead prosecutor scandal heats up and it’s not good for the president – Canadian police are being somewhat obtuse about an alleged mass shooting plot – Boko Haram mounts a cross border attack – Colorado lets the good times roll, and the cash rolls in behind it – You’ve got to hear what a wacky little old lady did in a Florida court – And a lot more in your CareerSpot World News Briefs:

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (CFK) faces an investigation over allegations she helped cover up Iranian links to a deadly 1994 bombing.  A prosecutor asked a court to open the probe, based on allegations made by his predecessor – Alberto Nisman, who was found shot to death in his home under mysterious circumstances.  CFK denies the allegations, and Nisman’s documentation assembled before he died lacked actual evidence.

Police in Canada say they’ve foiled an imminent plot to carry out mass shootings around the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, way off in the east.  But they insist it wasn’t “terrorism”, and not related to Islamic fundamentalism.  The Royal Canadian Mounted Police tracked one suspect, a 19-year old man, to a home where he was found dead.  Then, they arrested a 23-year old woman from Geneva, a tony suburb outside Chicago, who had just arrived at the Halifax airport, and two other Canadians.  We’ll be looking for more on this in the coming days.

Boko Haram has carried out its first attack on Chad.  Militants from Nigeria crossed Lake Chad in motorboats and attacked a village, killing about ten people and setting some buildings on fire.  Chadian troops killed two invaders and chased off the rest, and air strikes quickly finished off the Boko Haram motorboats.  This is Boko Haram’s second cross-border attack in a week, the other being in Niger.  The terrorists want to show that they can still strike wherever they want, despite coming under intense pressure from the Chadian military, generally acknowledged as the regions most effective.

As many as 25 Islamic State (IS) fighters infiltrated the outer security layer of Iraq’s Al-Asad Air Base, most of them wearing Iraqi military uniforms.  The first wave detonated suicide bombs, the second wave tried to get further in but were immediately killed by Iraq’s 7th Infantry.  So, lots of dead IS fighters, not a lot of effectiveness.  None of the 400 or so American troops on the base were in any danger.

Sunni Taliban militants killed at least 20 people at a Shiite mosque in a wealthy area of Peshawar, Pakistan.  At least one attacker was arrested, another detonated a suicide bomb, and a third shot and killed by police after worshippers physically prevented him from detonating his vest.  “People here showed great courage.  They grabbed one of the attackers from his neck, and he couldn't detonate (his explosives), and he was shot and killed.” 

An American cop is under arrest after being recorded slamming a 57-year old grandfather to the ground for no reason, leaving the man partially paralyzed.  Cops in Madison, Alabama got a call about a suspicious man looking in garages in a bedroom community in a University area.  They found Sureshbhai Patel, a man from India who does not speak English and who was there to visit his son.  One cop was trying to get some information out of him when Officer Eric Parker grabbed Patel from behind and did an MMA take down, fracturing the older man’s neck.  Police officials arrested Parker and are moving to fire him.

A year after right-wing street demonstrations led to months of trouble in Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro says eleven people have been arrested in an alleged coup plot.  One of the suspects is an ex-Air Force general who purportedly was planning to lead the bombing of the Presidential Palace and other buildings.  Maduro has now alleged seven plots against his government since he won the election to succeed the late Hugo Chavez. 

Is the number seven even plausible?  Well, there’s been economic chaos caused by big business interests that oppose Maduro’s Socialist programs.  At least one coup plot was mounted against Chavez, until the people rose up and the military forced the plotters to back down.  And last year’s right-wing protests were dubbed “the exit strategy” – meaning an “exit” of the democratically-elected government that won every election since 2001.

More political Fists of Fury:  Yesterday, fistfights broke out in the Ukraine and South African Parliaments, this time it was Italy.

It’s now been a year since the US state of Colorado became the first in the nation to allow people to buy and sell marijuana legally.  And since then, the state government has collected US$53 Million in tax revenue on reefer.  That’s nothing to sniff at, but it’s below the expected $70 Million windfall.  Why so low?  It’s not like Colorado has a shortage of pot smokers.  One problem is the 28 percent sales tax, which makes black market weed a little more economical than the stuff sold in stores.  A similar over-taxing problem occurred in the other US state with legal weed, Washington.

And..

An 80-year old defendant had the courtroom in stitches in Broward County, Florida.  Dolores Sheinis was in court for violating an injunction and resisting arrest, but her sense of humor probably did her more good than her lawyer.  After some wisecracking, the judge asked, “Ma’am, have you ever thought of doing a stand-up routine?”  Delores replied, “If you pay me good money, sweetheart, I’ll be there.  I’m really short of funds,” she replied.  The judge said he doesn’t get called “sweetheart” in court very often, to which Delores asked, “Does that mean you're taking me for breakfast?”  But the best part came when the judge said, “You brightened my day, ma’am.”  And Delores said, “That’s what the last guy said!”

Happy Valentine's Day!