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London (dpa) - US pop diva Madonna is currently helping orphaned children with HIV and AIDS in Malawi and plans to adopt a child herself, British press reports said Thursday.
The 48-year-old singer already has two children of her own, Rocco, 5, and Lourdes, 9.
Government officials in Malawi said that Madonna is hoping to adopt a local child, the BBC and British newspapers quoted on Thursday.
Benston Kilimbe from the Social Welfare Department in the capital Lilongwe claimed the singer is due to file adoption papers, according to the reports.
Liz Rosenberg, a spokeswoman for the singer, confirmed that Madonna was on a "private visit" in Malawi, but said: "She has not adopted a baby, despite reports that she has."
There has been no official statement from the star herself, and the spokeswoman declined to confirm the press reports.
If the singer does go ahead with the adoption she would follow in the footsteps of Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie.
Jolie has a child with Brad Pitt and two adopted children from Cambodia and Ethiopia.
In a recent interview with Time magazine, Madonna said she planned to raise at least 1.6 million pounds (3 million dollars) for projects supporting AIDS orphans in Malawi.
Several British newspapers said Thursday Madonna had already chosen a one-year-old orphan boy from a "shortlist of 12" after visiting a number of orphanages in the Malawi capital.
The pop star, with wealth estimated at 250 million pounds, is the world's highest-earning pop singer, according to the latest edition of the Guinness Book of Records. She is married to the British film director Guy Ritchie, 38.
Copyright 2006 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
