Madonna To Adopt New Child From Malawi

Madonna and Guy Ritchie are set to adopt a 13-month-old Malawian girl called Mercy.

According to reports, the couple have been given permission to collect the child - despite a long battle with the country's authorities over their first adopted child, 22-month-old David.

British newspaper The Sun claims Madonna first visited Mercy's orphanage last October, when authorities asked her to consider 10 different children.

Sources claim Madonna had hoped to adopt a girl called Grace, but her family objected, so she turned her attentions to Mercy - who she will be able to bring home next April.

The Sun's source says, "Mercy is a beautiful baby girl. She's so joyful and happy and giggles every time she's picked up. Madonna just loves the way she claps her hands and laughs constantly. She has huge dancing eyes. Madonna calls her her smiling angel."

Like her soon-to-be sibling David, Mercy has family still alive - an aunt who was too poor to look after her.

Madonna will be hoping the adoption doesn't cause the same controversy. She was criticised for adopting David because he had a father still alive.

She was also forced to go through a complicated adoption process - and is due a visit from Malawian officials to determine if she is a suitable parent for David, nearly a year after she brought him back to the U.k.