IRA ending ‘armed campaign’ in hopes of reviving Northern Ireland peace talks News
IRA ending ‘armed campaign’ in hopes of reviving Northern Ireland peace talks

[JURIST] The Irish Republican Army [Wikipedia backgrounder] announced Thursday that it would end its "armed campaign" and instead make its fight for Northern Ireland a purely political one. The move was characterized by British Prime Minister Tony Blair [press release] and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern [Wikipedia profile] as "a momentous and historic development" [Ireland Online report]. The IRA has observed a cease-fire since 1997, but officials are still cautious about a promise to end armed action altogether [International Herald Tribune report]. There is interest from all sides in creating a new Catholic-Protestant leadership for Northern Ireland, but a lasting agreement has never materialized, in part because of actions of the IRA. AP has more.

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.