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NEWS ABOUT: orphan

Chinese Orphans Won't Be Named 'State' or 'Party'

Orphanages told to give kids better surnames

(Newser) - No longer will "state" or "party" be the last name of children in Chinese orphanages, Jezebel reports via MSNBC . Until now, orphanages commonly gave kids those generic surnames—which enabled people to peg them as orphans for life and leave them feeling marginalized. So China issued the rule... More »

Angelina Jolie Has Secret Family

She either has secret kids, or is helping orphans, depending on your take

(Newser) - If Angelina Jolie does in fact adopt another kid with Brad Pitt, it won't exactly be her seventh—she already has seven “children” in Jordan she's kept secret since 2003. The “secret family,” as the National Enquirer oh-so-sensationally dubs it, is actually a group of orphans living... More »

Elton Aims to Adopt 'Heart-Stealing' Ukraine Orphan

Singer changes his mind about starting a family

(Newser) - Pop king Elton John has fallen in love with a 14-month-old orphan and wants to adopt the little Ukrainian boy, reports BBC.The music man's partner, David Furnish, has long wanted a family, but John, 62, feared his age and their rock-'n-roll lifestyle would be unfair to a child. But... More »

Aussies Sorry for 10K Kids Shipped for 'Slave Labor'

British children were abused, kept hungry in program lasting until 1960s

(Newser) - The Australian prime minister will apologize to generations of British migrants shipped to Australia as children and subjected to abuse, hunger, and slave labor. Between the 1920s and 1960s the UK sent about 10,000 children to provide Australia with "good white stock," but when they arrived they... More »

Madonna's New Daughter Leaves Malawi

Private jet ferries Mercy to London

(Newser) - Madonna’s newly adopted daughter left Malawi for London yesterday on a plane owned by the pop singer, Access Hollywood reports. Chifundo “Mercy” James was accompanied on the flight by a nanny and child nurse, airport sources said, and should meet her new brothers and sisters—including David, also... More »

Madonna's Adoption Only Hurts Malawi

'Misguided' Material Mom should use international adoption as a 'last resort'

(Newser) - By adopting Mercy James, Madonna has actually endangered other Malawian orphans, writes Anna Feuchtwang in the Daily Mail. “Corrupt adoption agencies and child traffickers, newly alerted to the ease with which Malawian laws can be circumvented, are even now planning to target the country,” writes Feuchtwang, chief executive... More »

15 Years Later, Rwanda Moves Toward Forgiveness

Rwandan wants his country to inspire world

(Newser) - When Bishop John Rucyahana heard of the genocide wracking his native Rwanda in 1994, he did something unexpected: He returned home from Uganda. Since then, he has built schools for orphans and “reconciliation villages” where the genocide’s victims and perpetrators live together, Newsweek reports. “If Rwanda can... More »

Malawi Court Blocks Madonna Adoption

Judge cites requirement that prospective parents live in Malawi for 18 months

(Newser) - A Malawi court has rejected a bid by Madonna to adopt another local child, reports the Times of London. The judge cited a requirement that prospective adoptive parents live in Malawi at least 18 months, according to AP. The rule was waived when the singer adopted son David Banda. This... More »

Congo Orphan Faces Lawless World

War-torn nation struggles to cope with parentless children

(Newser) - An infant discovered in a corpse-ridden house may portend a new problem in Congo's humanitarian crisis, the AP reports. Eliya, found crying with a bullet wound, is one of 250,000 people displaced since fighting reignited in August. “Caring for orphans, that’s something new for us,” said... More »

Breastfeeding Officer Sparks Debate in China

'Police mum' promoted for helping orphaned babies in quake

(Newser) - A policewoman has sparked debate in Beijing after breastfeeding nine orphaned babies during last month's earthquake, Reuters reports. Officials have promoted Jiang Xiaojuan, 30, calling her "hero and model police officer," but others argue that merit, not deeds, should lead to promotion. Xiaojuan left her baby at home... More »

4K Orphaned in China Quake

Adoption requests pouring in from across country

(Newser) - The earthquake that killed more than 51,000 Chinese when it ripped through Sichuan province on May 12 also left more than 4,000 children parentless, a Chinese official said today—and the actual number could be yet higher because many remain missing. The Chinese people are rushing to adopt... More »

Madonna's Gardener Directs Her AIDS Film

He caught her eye making 'amazing' home movies

(Newser) - Madonna tapped a director whose work she knew well for her new documentary about AIDS orphans in Malawi, People reports. Nathan Rissman "was my gardener. He was my carpenter," she said. And his home videos of her kids "were amazing." More »

Reports of Horror at UK Orphanage Extend to 2007

Cops warn suspects not to threaten victims

(Newser) - British police are investigating charges that assaults at a notorious children's home occurred as recently as late last year, the Guardian reports. The revelation is the latest twist in an unraveling tale of sexual and physical abuse at the government-run home on the island of Jersey. Detectives said at least... More »

Fighting Scars Smallest Kenyans

Kids witness parents' death in ethnic clashes

(Newser) - The violence in Kenya is separating droves of children from their parents—sometimes forever, the BBC reports. One Nairobi orphanage is currently hosting 60 displaced children; some wait for their parents to find them, but most know their mothers and fathers are already dead. "It's been a traumatizing experience... More »

Chad 'Kidnappers' in France

Aid workers will serve out Chadian sentences in homeland

(Newser) - Six charity workers convicted of kidnapping children in Chad arrived today in their native France, where they are expected to serve out 8-year sentences, Reuters reports. The six, employees of humanitarian group Zoe’s Ark, will meet with a prosecutor to decide their prison placement. By serving their sentences in... More »

Soldier Saves Disabled Iraqi Youngster

Unlikely journey takes orphan from Baghdad to Wisconsin

(Newser) - Ala Eddeen was destined for a miserable, perhaps short life. Born with cerebral palsy, the 9-year-old orphan was on his way to an institution where at best "he would stare at a blank wall for the rest of his life," says Scott Southworth, a US military officer who... More »

7 Freed in Chad Kidnap Case

Reporters, flight staff released after Sarko jets in to mediate

(Newser) - Three French journalists and four Spanish flight attendants have been released in a bizarre alleged kidnapping case in Chad shortly after French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived to mediate. Still detained are members of French charity organization Zoe's Ark that attempted to airlift to France 103 African children they claimed were... More »

Nazi 'Mascot' Tells His Story

Jewish boy became SS plaything, kept secret until 1997

(Newser) - A new book details the secret history of a Jewish boy who became a mascot for the Nazi SS. After fleeing a Belarus village on the day his family was massacred, the 5-year-old was rescued by a Nazi soldier who gave him a new name—Alex Kurzem— and identity as... More »

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