Rice calls for Russia to improve democratic development News
Rice calls for Russia to improve democratic development

[JURIST] Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice [official profile] said Wednesday that Russian needs to increase its democratic development in order for the US-Russia relationship to deepen. In an interview [transcript, in Russian] with Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy, Rice said that there needs to be an independent media and that President Vladimir Putin should not have so much personal power. Rice also said that the US is following the fraud trial of Mikhail Khodorkovksy [trial website; JURIST news archive] to see what the outcome says about the rule of law in Russia. At a press briefing [transcript] Tuesday, Rice said that her agenda while in Russia included talking about "domestic developments in Russia and about continuing concerns about the course of both democratization in Russia and issues concerning the rule of law." Reuters has more. MosNews has local coverage.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

Nepal ends monarchy, establishes republic

On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.