UNITED KINGDOM
Magna Carta copy hailed
A “copy” of the Magna Carta, the medieval English document that has formed the basis of constitutions around the world, owned by Harvard Law School is actually an exceedingly rare original, British researchers said yesterday. Experts from King’s College London and the University of East Anglia said that the document, which the US institution acquired in the 1940s for US$27.50, is just one of seven from King Edward I’s issue of Magna Carta in 1300 that still survive. Dating from June 1215, the Great Charter first put into writing the principle that the king and his government were not above the law. It was a key document in the drawing up of the US Declaration of Independence and constitution. King Edward I then issued a final version of the Magna Carta with minor changes, also known as the Confirmation of the Charters, in 1300. In 1946, the Harvard Law School Library bought what it thought was a copy for the equivalent of about US$470 today, according to a US Department of Labor inflation calculator. However, researchers said that its dimensions were consistent with those found in the six previously known originals, as is the handwriting, with the large capital “E” at the start in “Edwardus” and the elongated letters in the first line. “This is a fantastic discovery,” said David Carpenter, professor of medieval history at King’s College London. “Harvard’s Magna Carta deserves celebration, not as some mere copy, stained and faded, but as an original of one of the most significant documents in world constitutional history, a cornerstone of freedoms past, pres
Photo: AP
INDONESIA
Papuan separatists killed
The military has killed 18 Papuan separatists during an operation in its easternmost region of Papua, an official said yesterday. The military seized dozens of munitions, including a rifle, bows and arrows, and an unspecified homemade weapon during Wednesday’s operation, military spokesperson Kristomei Sianturi said in a statement. The military sustained no casualties, the statement said. The military deployed some personnel in the area of the operation to “anticipate movements” from the remaining rebels, it said. A spokesperson for the Papua separatists did not immediately respond to a request for comments. Rebels have fought a low-level campaign for independence in the resource-rich Papua region bordering Papua New Guinea ever since the area was brought under Indonesian control following Dutch rule in a vote overseen by the UN in 1969.
Photo: AP
INDIA
Strategic hills captured
Security forces have killed 31 Maoist rebels during a three-week operation aimed at capturing strategic hills previously under the control of guerrillas, the government said. India is waging an all-out offensive against the last vestiges of the Naxalite rebellion, named after the village in the foothills of the Himalayas where the Maoist-inspired guerrilla movement began nearly six decades ago. The latest gunbattle took place in the forested Karreguttalu Hills along the border of the states of Chhattisgarh and Telangana, Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah wrote in Hindi on X on Wednesday. “Security forces have eliminated 31 notorious Naxalites in the largest operation against Naxalism to date,” Shah said. “The hill, once ruled by red terror, now proudly waves the tricolor,” he said, referring to the national flag.
ent and yet to be won.”
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
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