ON June 28 Belgium announced it had ratified the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court. The court has now received 14 of the 60 ratifications required to take universal jurisdiction over individuals even in countries which have not agreed to the ICC.
Retired Lt.-Gen. Romeo Dallaire was found drunk and unconscious in a park. He has been struggling against post-traumatic stress for years after leading the UN mission in Rwanda in which UN higher ups prevented him from stopping a planned genocide resulting in some 800,000 deaths.
For background on the Rwanda genocide see:
Was Rwanda genocide UN supported de-population?
U.N. Kangaroo Court Diverts Blame From U.N. Leadership For Rwandan Genocide
U.N. Head Calls For Inquiry Into Rwandan Massacre Fiasco
France’s Report On Rwanda Blames U.N. And U.S.
Zenit news reports that on June 23, Navarre’s (Spain) Parliament approved the proposal of a statutory law for juridical equality of irregular couples, which equates their rights with those of married couples. The text, which was opposed by the Party of the Union of the Peoples of Navarre, also gives homosexuals the right to adopt children.
The Society for Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) reports that the British secretary of state for international development has confirmed that the UK spent 40 million pounds last year on ‘reproductive health’ and family planning projects as part of its overseas aid contributions. Further, 42 million pounds was used for this in 1998, and 38 million in 1997.
Two studies have demonstrated a link between the early onset of puberty in girls and the lack of presence of the girls’ biological fathers in the home.
The National Post reports that Wyeth-Ayerst Canada Inc. has begun rolling out the second half of a contentious direct-to-consumer ad campaign for its birth control pill, Alesse, after receiving the go ahead from Advertising Standards Canada. The Markham, Ont.-based drugmaker had originally intended to launch the full campaign, consisting of TV, cinema and outdoor ads, in early May, but confusion arose as to whether it violated Health Canada regulations. (Pro-Life E-News)