Madonna applies to adopt two children

Pop star Madonna has applied to adopt two more children
 in Malawi.

The 58-year-old appeared in court in the Malawian capital
Lilongwe to make the application.

She previously adopted two children from the African 
country: David Banda in 2006 and Mercy James in 2009.

The star has two other children - Lourdes and Rocco -
 from previous relationships. Last year saw her involved
 in a custody dispute over Rocco with ex-husband Guy
 Ritchie.

She eventually lost the case, with the 16-year-old moving 
to London to live with his father.

'Embarrassment of riches'

Madonna has yet to comment on her attempts to adopt
 two further children, but a government spokesman
 confirmed the singer had appeared in High Court on Wednesday.

She flew into the country on Tuesday, fresh from the 
Women's March in Washington, where her comments
 on Donald Trump caused an uproar.

Court spokesman Mlenga Mvula said the star would have
 to wait a week before hearing the court's decision.

Madonna explained her decision to become an adoptive parent in an article for Harper's Bazaar in 2013.

"I decided that I had an embarrassment of riches and
 that there were too many children in the world without parents or families to love them," she wrote.

"I applied to an international adoption agency and went through all the bureaucracy, testing, and waiting that 
everyone else goes through when they adopt."

However, she was vilified in the press with some -
 including relatives of the adopted children - questioning
 her suitability as a parent.

Madonna called the furore "a real low point in my life".
"I was accused of kidnapping, child trafficking, using
 my celebrity muscle to jump ahead in the line, bribing government officials, witchcraft, you name it."

"This was an eye-opening experience," she continued. 
"I could get my head around people giving me a hard time
 for... publish in my Sex book, even kissing Britney Spears
 at an awards show, but trying to save a child's life was 
not something I thought I would be punished for."


Hospital

The star's relationship with Malawi dates back to 2006, 
when she established the Raising Malawi charity, with the 
goal of improvised children's lives.

She initially planned to build a $15m (£12m) girls' 
academy, but later changed strategy, and used the 
money to fund a number of schools.

The charity also provides scholarships to female 
students, and is currently building the country's first 
paediatric intensive care United at the Queen Elizabeth 
Central Hospital, in Blantyre.

Madonna visited the project last summer, and took David
 and Mercy to visit the orphanages where they lived before being adopted.