Adoption / Orphan(s) - Malawi, Russian etc, - read the latest

Mercy for Madonna?

Madonna attorney denies adoption reports

WENN

Reports that Madonna has received approval to adopt a Malawian child are false, her lawyer has said.

Earlier today, it was reported that the singer had convinced three appeal judges to allow her adoption of toddler Mercy James.

However, Madonna's attorney Alan Chinula told Access Hollywood that the claims were "not true at all".

He said: "The Chief Justice is not very amused. We're very unhappy about it."

Chinula also plans to meet with the judge to explain that the situation is a misunderstanding.

The lawyer added that the court's ruling on Madonna's petition to adopt could come any day.

Madonna to adopt Mercy after all: did money help overturn the decision?

Rumours About Madonna's Adoption Approval “Not True”

Though tons of reliable sources have reported that Madonna’s adoption of Mercy James was back on, Madonna’s adoption lawyer in Malawi is reporting otherwise.

Debunking the rumors and premature celebrations, Madge’s attorney, Alan Chinula, the rumors are “not true at all.” In fact, the rumours may have actually set Madonna back in her battle to get Mercy, by ticking off judges in Malawi’s high court. Says Chinula:

“The Chief Justice is not very amused,” and that, “We’re very unhappy about it.”

Unfortunately for Madonna and Mercy, it looks like nothing has really changed except that now people are even more suspicious about corruption in the Malawi courts system (which may cause judges to decide against Madonna’s appeal to appear more judicious).

“Madonna has not been informed that a ruling has been made,” says her rep. “We remain hopeful.”

Malawi court to allow pop star Madonna to adopt Mercy, says lawyer

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Madge is 'ecstatic' as Mercy joy nears

Madonna wins bid to adopt orphan from Malawi

Madonna Will Get Africa Tot

Madonna's Mercy adoption on track?

Madonna successful with appeal

Madonna's adoption appeal successful

Madonna gets green light to adopt Mercy after all, say Malawi officials

Madonna to adopt child from Lesotho?

The 50-year-old singer, who is in the process of appealing a court ruling that she cannot adopt four-year-old Mercy James from Malawi, is said to be considering giving a child from the impoverished African kingdom a home as she is desperate to become a mother again, reports dailymail.co.uk.

"Madonna is not a patient person. She has said she won't give up on Mercy but if she's blocked from adopting her legally then she will think about trying to adopt another baby. She has already started looking into other African countries," said a source.

"If a miracle happens and she gets to adopt Mercy, I see no reason why she wouldn't go ahead and adopt another child from a different African country as well. She has done some research on Lesotho and because it's a place that is ravaged by AIDS and has a high number of orphans, it could be the perfect second choice," the source added.

Madonna Gets Mercy! Court Allows Second Adoption

Malawi court allows Madonna to adopt second child

BLANTYRE (Reuters) - U.S. pop star Madonna was allowed to adopt a second child from Malawi Friday after the country's Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling in a case that has been criticized by local rights groups.

Chief Justice Lovemore Munlo said Madonna had shown an interest in helping Malawi orphans and that 4-year-old Mercy James would have a better life with the star.

He said a lower court had erred in turning down the adoption request because Madonna was not resident in Malawi.

"We find the judge in the lower court to have dwelled so much on media reports on the issue of residence and to us this was not evidence enough to deny Madonna a chance to adopt Mercy James. We therefore grant Madonna the adoption order," Munlo said.

"Madonna has shown that she is bold, and compassionate enough to come forward to adopt Chifundo James."

The Supreme court ruling cannot be challenged.

Madonna's lawyer said the singer welcomed the ruling. "I've just talked to Madonna and she's very excited about this news," lawyer Alan Chinula told Reuters.

If it's true that she's willing to go to another country to adopt a kid, then that's proof (in my mind) that she doesn't care about the child herself, but wants something else out of adopting a child. That might be attention, or to feed into her savior complex, or to simply help someone in that area, or all three (more like the first two), but it doesn't have much to do with actually caring about the child.

Imagine what she said to him or what she gave him to change his mind.

Malawi father drops fight to stop Madonna adoption-LINK

BLANTYRE (Reuters) – The father of a Malawian girl being adopted by Madonna says he has dropped his fight to get the child back and has urged the U.S. pop star to take good care of her.

Malawi's Supreme Court on Friday approved Madonna's application to adopt a second child from the country, overturning a lower court ruling.

James Kambewa, the father of 4-year-old Mercy James, originally said he opposed the adoption.

However, he told Reuters on Saturday he had decided not to fight the case, asking only that Mercy be brought up knowing he was her biological father.

"Let the child go ... My only plea to Madonna is that she should seriously look after the child," he said in an interview.

"I am asking Madonna to make sure that, while the child is growing, she must be informed of me as her biological father ... she really must know that while she is far away the father is still alive."

A Malawian court ruled in April that Madonna could not adopt Mercy because she was not a resident of the southern African country.

The Supreme Court overturned that decision, saying the child, who has been living in an orphanage, would have a better life with the singer. She never lived with Kambewa.

"When the child was born I was never told," he said.

Rights groups have accused the government of giving Madonna special treatment by skirting laws preventing non-residents from adopting children.

The government came under fire in 2006 after Madonna, who has supported orphans in the country through her Raising Malawi charity, adopted 13-month-old David Banda.

Officials at the charity said Mercy was expected to be flown out of Malawi this week.

Remember:
this is sort of a "Just the facts ma'am" type of Adoption thread. It's just for reporting new developments, not for posting the stories that rip on Madonna adopting kids

If you want to see editorials by people who criticize Madonna being permitted to adopt, please see the Anti Adoption thread (which is located in this forum).

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The latest adoption news...

I look at this and I want to go "Awwww, how sweet," but it's more like
I like the headline, because they refer to her as a "Pop star," and she said in some old interview a year or two ago that she hates to be called a pop star.
MADONNA Popstar phones new daughter daily

Madonna phones her newly adopted daughter Mercy James every night.

The singer won her appeal to adopt the four-year-old Malawian last Friday and has since moved the toddler to a luxury lodge in the country's capital Lilongwe, and sent a nanny and nurse to look after her.

The popstar is already doting on her new daughter and speaks to her every day.

She reportedly told Mercy on Sunday: "Mommy is waiting for you across the seas."

Madonna's aides are now working on legal documents and travel papers for Mercy - whose mother died during childbirth - and she is expected to fly by private jet from Malawi and join Madonna's family in New York soon.

Looks like Mercy's supposed real father got nothing and Madoona only bribed the officials after all, with her big bucks.

Yep, that's what it looks like.

To see news stories which discuss it, please see the Anti Adoption Thread, Page #11 on the discussion board,
or
the June 2009 > Baby Stealing Section on the Madonna Blows Chunks (Anti Madonna) Site

(For anyone who comes across this post in the year 2010 or after...
Eventually -as in January 2010- the "June 2009" section will be going into the Site Archive Section, (specifically, June - December 2009)).

Previously, the press were saying that Grandma-donna was not taking the new kid with her on tour, now they're saying the opposite.

Even so, the kid will spend more time with nannies and butlers than with Grandma-donna, no doubt.

Mercy to go on tour with Madonna

June 22 (UPI) -- Mercy James Ciccone, the little girl Madonna adopted from Malawi, is set to accompany the U.S. pop star when she goes back on tour this summer, sources said.

The Mirror reported the child will leave London for New York with the singer later this week, then return to England in July when Madonna resumes her "Sticky and Sweet" concert tour.

Mercy, who has been variously reported as 3 or 4 years old, is then expected to travel to Italy, Germany, Sweden, Hungary and Israel where her mother is performing, the newspaper said.

Madonna meets Mercy's father

Madonna set to meet father of adopted daughter Mercy

By Tom Mctague 18/10/2009

Madonna will take her adopted daughter back to her African home next week.

The singer hopes to meet the father of four-year-old Mercy James, who she controversially adopted in June.

Madge wants to see if povertystricken James Kambewa, 24, who opposed the adoption, can still play a part in Mercy's life. A source close to the star said: "Madonna wants Mercy to learn all about her culture and the community where she was born.

"She realises her kids need a sense of home and she's determined to do all she can to give that to them. She doesn't want to deny Mercy anything in life - and that includes meeting her dad if that's possible."

Mercy's adoption caused worldwide anger after the Sunday Mirror revealed James was fighting it. Now Madonna, 51, hopes she can iron out any problems face to face with him in Malawi.

Illiterate James earns £23 a month working 12-hour nightshifts as a porter 200 miles from the orphanage where his daughter was cared for when her 19-year-old mother died weeks after giving birth.

Accompanying Mercy on the trip will be Madonna's adopted Malawian son David Banda, three. The millionaire singer, who has two other children, will dine with Malawi's president Dr Bingu Wa Mutharika before flying on to New York.

Madonna To Lay Foundation Stone At Malawi School

The foundation stone for a girls' school will be laid Sunday in Malawi by the woman behind the multi-million dollar facility.

Madonna has adopted a son and daughter from the African nation where over one million children have been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic.

The foundation stone for the 15-million-dollar school will also be laid by Malawi's president.

Madonna's adoptions of two Malawi children have been controversial.

The government has been accused of giving the entertainer special treatment in by-passing laws that prevent non-residents from adopting Malawi children.

Earlier this year, the country's supreme court overturned a lower court decision saying the pop singer could not adopt a four-year-old girl because she does not live in Malawi.

Malawi Villagers Want More Cash For Madonna School land

Malawi villagers want more cash for Madonna school land
(AFP) – 39 minutes ago

BLANTYRE — More than 100 villagers in Malawi demanded Thursday more compensation from the government for land on which US pop star Madonna is building a girls academy.

Madonna, who has adopted two children from Malawi, led a groundbreaking ceremony last week for the school being built on the outskirts of the administrative capital Lilongwe.

The villagers have since vowed to continue protesting until they receive more funds from the state, which sold the land to the star's charity on a 99-year term.

"The government short-changed us on the land. It gave us peanuts. I should have pocketed 200,000 kwacha (1,428 dollars), instead I received 50,000 kwacha (357 dollars)," Milosi Jere, one the villagers, told AFP.

It seems slightly hypocritical to be sanctioning an all girls academy while trampling on the villagers rights i.e there homes and land. I know the (probably corrupt) government condoned it, but I doubt whether M could care less. She wants her "Oprah Academy" publicity! Incidentally why don't these celebrities think boys education is just as important?

Wonder if Mercy will go to the new Academy? She could be flown over each morning in an M lear jet and then M could pick her up via same lear jet every afternoon-that is if she isn't too busy trying to do pilates. As for all the nasty carbons being pumped into the atmosphere as a result, who really cares about those? Mad can vouch for that!

Just the thing to happen, she's ripping them off the real value of the land.
They had been running this news for quite a time now.

Malawian Villagers Block Construction of Madonna Charity's School

Malawi is threatening to arrest villagers demanding higher compensation for land the government is leasing to Madonna’s Raising Malawi charity to build an academy for girls, reports Reuters.

Protesters in Chinkhota, about 10 miles from the capital of Lilongwe, are blocking construction of the planned school, saying the government has not provided enough money for them to relocate and farm elsewhere. Regional officials said Thursday they would call in police if they cannot reach an agreement with village representatives.

Madonna, who has adopted two children from Malawi, personally broke ground last month for the $15-million school, which is slated to be built in two years and enroll 500 girls from all over the small southern African country.

Malawi villagers want more cash for Madonna school land

BLANTYRE — More than 100 villagers in Malawi demanded Thursday more compensation from the government for land on which US pop star Madonna is building a girls academy.
Madonna, who has adopted two children from Malawi, led a groundbreaking ceremony last week for the school being built on the outskirts of the administrative capital Lilongwe.
The villagers have since vowed to continue protesting until they receive more funds from the state, which sold the land to the star's charity on a 99-year term.
"The government short-changed us on the land. It gave us peanuts. I should have pocketed 200,000 kwacha (1,428 dollars), instead I received 50,000 kwacha (357 dollars)," Milosi Jere, one the villagers, told AFP.
"We will continue to protest until we get ... honest dues. We are not against the Madonna, but the government for cheating us on the value of the land," said Jere, speaking from Chinkota village on the outskirts of Lilongwe.
Jere accused the district commissioner of mismanaging the payments to some 140 villagers for the land where they eked out a subsistence living.
"That piece of land gave me food to feed my children," Jere said.
Lilongwe district commissioner Charles Kalemba told a local newspaper on Thursday that his office paid about 70 million kwacha to the villagers for their "livelihood, and not as compensation".
He said the land was "government land because it falls under Lilongwe city" but the villagers say their families have lived on the land for 100 years.
"We are against the government for cheating on us. We like what Madonna is doing for us and this country," said another villager Panji Phiri.
Madonna's charity Raising Malawi said it spent 70 million kwacha on the land.
Madonna broke the ground last week to signal the construction of the 500 bed academy, which will accommodate girls from "impoverished backgrounds" to train as future leaders.

This post has been edited by anshirk on Nov 8 2009, 05:29 AM

Malawi villagers warned in Madonna school building dispute

LILONGWE (Reuters) - Malawi threatened on Thursday to arrest protesting villagers blocking construction of Madonna's multi-million dollar girls academy, a new controversy for the singer in the African country where she has adopted two children.

About 140 villagers are demanding more money for land the government has leased to Madonna's charity -- Raising Malawi -- for 99 years.

District Commissioner for Lilongwe Charles Kalemba, other senior government officials and Raising Malawi failed to reach an agreement in talks with representatives of the villagers on Thursday in a bid to resolve the dispute.

"If we cannot agree on this and if you cannot understand that this is government land, then I will have no choice but tell police to arrest you people for blocking development work on the site, " Kalemba told the village chief, Chinkhota.

Madonna launched the construction of the school last month and pledged to build similar facilities in other countries if the project succeeds.

The Raising Malawi Academy for Girls -- in Chinkhota village about 15 km (10 miles) outside the capital Lilongwe -- is expected to be completed in two years and will admit 500 girls from the small southern African country's 28 districts. The construction is expected to cost $15 million.

Malawi's government came under fire after Madonna adopted 13-month-old boy, David Banda, in 2006, with critics accusing it of giving her special treatment by skirting laws that ban non-residents from adopting children.

In June this year, Malawi's Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling made in April which said Madonna could not adopt a four-year-old girl -- Mercy James -- because the singer was not a resident of the country.

An AIDS epidemic has left more than a million children orphaned in Malawi, a country of 13 million people.

"We are protesting because we feel government and Raising Malawi have not been fair ... earlier agreements about how much they were supposed to pay us have been scrapped and now we are being told the land does not belong to us," Chinkhota told Reuters after the meeting.

"The construction of this school will be affected if these problems are not resolved, my people are not given enough money for them to buy farm land somewhere else and continue their lives."

Ministry of Lands senior official Nector Mhura said compensation for the land was based on fair market prices.