Madonna adoption ruling delayed

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The 50-year-old pop star and her three children later stopped at a day care centre that has been built with funds from her charity.

Madonna spent about an hour in court in the Malawi capital of Lilongwe. The court docket listed only the child's name - Chifundo James, which means "Mercy" in a local language.

A Malawian welfare official and another person involved in the proceedings say the girl is about four years old. The girl's father is believed to be alive but no other details were available.

The girl's unmarried 18-year-old mother died soon after she was born, according to an uncle, John Ngalande.

The adoption of her three-year-old son, David, whom she met at a Malawian orphanage in October 2006, was finalised last year.

Children's advocacy groups have accused Madonna of wielding her wealth and influence to circumvent a Malawian law requiring an 18- to 24-month assessment period before adoption.

A coalition of non-governmental organisations have criticised the pop star's latest adoption application.

"We feel Madonna is behaving like a bully," said Undule Mwakusungura, chairman of the Human Rights Consultative Committee. "She has the money and the status to use her profile to manipulate, to fast-track the process."

Madonna and all three children stopped at the Mphandula child care centre, which is about 30 miles from Malawi's capital. The pop star showed up wearing camouflage trousers and big black boots with her hair in a ponytail. She was accompanied by Lourdes, David and Rocco - who sported a mohawk haircut.