AK-47 assault rifle; it will be adopted by the Soviet Army in 1949 and become the most produced assault rifle in history. November 15 The International Telecommunication Union becomes a specialized agency of the United Nations. The Universal Postal Union (UPU) becomes a specialized agency of the United Nations (effective July 1 1948). November 16 In Brussels, 15,000 people demonstrate against the relatively short prison sentences of Belgian Nazi criminals. Great Britain begins withdrawing its troops from Palestine. November 17–December 23 – John Bardeen and Walter Brattain working under William Shockley at AT&T's Bell Labs in the United States demonstrate the transistor effect, a key element for the electronics revolution of the 20th century. November 17 – The Screen Actors Guild implements an anti-Communist loyalty oath. November 18 – Ballantyne's fire: A fire in Ballantynes department store in Christchurch, New Zealand, kills 41 people. November 20 Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh: Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II), the daughter of George VI of the United Kingdom, marries The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey in London. Paul Ramadier resigns as Prime Minister of France. He is succeeded by Robert Schuman, who calls in 80,000 army reservists to quell rioting miners in France. November 21 – The United Nations Conference on Trade and Employment begins in Havana, Cuba. This conference ends in 1948, when its members complete the Havana Charter. November 24 – McCarthyism: The United States House of Representatives votes 346–17 to approve citations of Contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten", after the screenwriters and directors refuse to co-operate with the House Un-American Activities Committee concerning allegations of communist influences in the movie business. The ten men are blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studios on the following day. November 25 The New Zealand Parliament ratifies the Statute of Westminster, and thus becomes independent of legislative control by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The new Pakistan Army and Pashtun mercenaries overrun Mirpur in Kashmir, resulting in the death of 20,000 Hindus and Sikhs. November 27 – In Paris, France, police occupy the editorial offices of the communist newspapers. November 29 – The United Nations General Assembly votes for the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine which will partition Mandatory Palestine between Arab and Jewish regions, resulting in the creation of the State of Israel. December December – 1947 anti-Jewish riots in Aleppo, organised by the