Madonna to adopt second Malawian child

Pop star Madonna is to adopt a second child from Malawi, according to officials in the African country, who say that she has filed adoption papers and will travel there this weekend. Reports claim that the lucky child is a three-year-old called Mercy.

The 50-year-old pop icon has already adopted one Malawian baby, David Banda. In 2006 she flew to Africa to collect him, and the adoption process was finalised last year, despite the reservations of David's natural father Yohane. The star also has a 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from a previous relationship with Carlos Leon, and an eight-year-old son, Rocco, from her marriage to British film director Guy Ritchie.

However, Madonna's current lifestyle has not won her many fans in Malawi. Following her high profile split with Ritchie last year, she has taken up with a 22-year-old Brazilian model called Jesus Luz, a move that "negatively effected" her adoption plans, according to sources in Africa.

"Our official policy is that we do not encourage our children to be sent into broken homes. The news she is linked to another woman's husband and a young man less than half her age makes us question her morals," said a senior official from Malawi's Ministry of Women and Child Welfare Development.

Such legal niceties did little to prevent Madonna's last adoption and although there was no comment from the pop star herself she has indicated that a new adoption could be on the cards. Writing in response to questions from readers of Malawi's Nation newspaper last week, Madonna said: "Many people - especially our Malawian friends - say that David should have a Malawian brother or sister. It's something I have been considering."