Argentina admits failure in Jewish bombing probe News
Argentina admits failure in Jewish bombing probe

[JURIST] Argentine newspaper La Nacion reported Wednesday that Argentina has taken formal responsibility for its failure to discover who was behind the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center [Wikipedia backgrounder; AMIA center website] in Buenos Aires that killed 86 people and that Argentine President Nestor Kirchner [Wikipedia profile] has admitted that previous administrations tried to downplay the failures in the investigation. Kirchner added that the families of the victims would now have a chance to receive federal compensation for their losses. US, Israeli, and Argentine officials blame Iran for being behind the attacks, a claim adamantly denied by Iran. Read the Nacion article [in Spanish]. UPI has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Montgomery started racially-integrated bus service after boycott

On December 21, 1956, buses in Montgomery, Alabama, started racially integrated service following federal court rulings ending on-board segregation. Bus boycott leaders Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Ralph Abernathy were among the first riders under the new scheme. Learn about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Stalin born

On December 21, 1879, Joseph Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia. In 1922, he became leader of the USSR until his death in 1953. During his time as Soviet dictator, Stalin industrialized his country, which he then led to become one of the world's two superpowers after WWII. Through his infamous purges, show trials and nationwide famines, Stalin also became responsible for millions of deaths.