Continued from here ... Brad and Angelina were in the area and toured the Genocide Museum. 'Nuff said.

Holt International has included a report on a new partner agency, the Cambodian International Children Friends Organization... more

As predicted by many, the Khmer Rouge trials are not getting off to a good start. Actually, they're not getting off to any start yet, and it's looking more and more likely that the the powers that be in Cambodia are determined to place obstacle after obstacle in the road to justice in hopes that some will prove either insurmountable or so time consuming that there will no longer be a point.

The International Bar Association has canceled a training program for Cambodian attorneys preparing for the Khmer Rouge genocide... more

The Vatican has come out with a statement about human trafficking that got some press recently.

"It's worse than the slavery of those whose slaves who were taken from Africa and brought to other countries," said Cardinal Renato Martino, former longtime Vatican envoy to the United Nations and current head of the Holy See's office concerned with migrant and itinerant peoples.

At a news conference to present Pope Benedict XVI's annual... more

Continued from the previous post ...

In the same breath, this wacko-in-charge is stressing that every child should be raised and educated in the family, but ...

According to Alexander Lukashenko, the chain of efforts meant to protect a child has four major steps. First, defining the child who needs aid. Second, taking the child away from the dysfunctional family and removing threat to life and health.... more

Belarussian President, Alexander Lukashenko, a bully in the classic Cold -War-bang-the-shoe-take-draconian-measures sense, is once again picking on the little guys. In a convoluted attempted to get parents to straighten up and fly right, if that is what this is about, he has ordered children to be removed from "immoral" families and sent to orphanages. This has been signed into law and will come into effect right after Christmas on January 1st.

Did... more

King Norodom Sihamoni was in France this week and attended a dinner in his honor hosted by Jacques Chirac. Chirac dedicated the dinner to the memory of victims of the Khmer Rouge, stressing the importance of the up-coming trials.

"Peace is rooted in the commitment of all parties to complete the national reconciliation," Chirac said at the dinner. "But we know that hearts and spirits will only be able to... more

Continued from the previous post ...

Nepalese responding to the situation through the BBC's website are cautiously hopeful.

"I am happy, but we have learned in Nepal that the future is always uncertain."

And:

"We are so happy at this news. But we will hold our breath until there is real... more

Things may well be looking up in Nepal now, which will be wonderful news to all those with Nepalese children, and anyone hoping to adopt from that country in the future. After more than a decade of civil war, a peace deal was signed last night in Kathmandu between the government and Maoist rebels.

The accord is comprehensive, calling for a temporary cease-fire to become permanent, making... more

Anyone reading this blog even occasionally will most likely have come across a diatribe or two on Her Royal Baronessnessmess Emma Nicholson. I can't stand the woman, although I've not met her and hope to never have the occasion to do so, because of what she almost single-handedly has done to children of Romania out of some twisted concept of righteous I-know-what's-good-for-you-so-there POV ... and because she's tried very hard to smear her views across international adoption in general. The woman still touts her efforts... more

It's news from Britain today for some reason ...

A story from the UK addressed the misperceptions about international adoption there by citing one family's journey. Pointing out that the media coverage of celebrity adoptions making the process look fast and easy is not an accurate portrayal, the article gives history and perspective.

While... more