Serbia seeking ICJ advisory opinion on Kosovo independence News
Serbia seeking ICJ advisory opinion on Kosovo independence

[JURIST] Serbian President Boris Tadic has said that Serbia country is planning to file a petition with the UN Security Council seeking an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice [official website] on the legality of independence for the region of Kosovo [JURIST news archive], the now UN-administered territory that is still technically part of Serbia. Tadic said Monday that Serbia would "urgently launch an initiative" with the Security Council on the issue. Tadic's comments came after a UN-set Dec. 10 deadline for the end of negotiations passed without an agreement on the future of Kosovo.

Negotiations on a UN-supervised independence plan for Kosovo have been stalled [JURIST report], in part due to Serbia's insistence that the province should only be given autonomous status, rather than full independence. AFP 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.