Zimbabwe government publishes bill to overhaul constitution News
Zimbabwe government publishes bill to overhaul constitution

[JURIST] In a greatly anticipated move, the government of Zimbabwe [JURIST news archive] has published a draft bill proposing sweeping changes to the country's constitution [text], including the creation of a new two-chamber parliament. Shortly after the elections last year, President Robert Mugabe [wikipedia profile], leader of the ruling Zanu PF party [official website], announced plans to amend the constitution [JURIST report] and hold votes on a constitutional amendment to liquidate all private land ownership and convert all productive farmland to government control [JURIST report]. Critics contend that the creation of a bicameral parliament, consisting of a senate and lower house, is simply a way for Mugabe to pack the legislative body with his loyalists. The Mail & Guardian has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

UN General Assembly approves Palestine partition plan

The UN General Assembly approved UN Resolution Resolution 181 (II) on November 29, 1947, recommending that the British Mandate for Palestine be split into a Jewish state, an Arab state, and an international zone for Jerusalem. The vote in the assembly was 33 for to 13 against, with 10 abstentions. The resolution sparked a war between Palestinian Arabs and Jews in 1947 and a wider war after Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon invaded the new State of Israel in 1948. Read Resolution 181 (II).

UN divided Palestine between Arabs and Jews

On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly voted to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab territories, leading to the establishment of a Jewish state the following year. Read UN General Assembly Resolution 181.

Defense Secretary Robert McNamara resigns during Vietnam Conflict

On November 29, 1967, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara announced that he was resigning from his office to accept an appointment as head of the World Bank. The announcement came as the Vietnam Conflict was becoming increasingly unpopular in the United States and abroad.