Program Note: Tune in for a full report tonight on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

Madonna is pictured leaving a court in Malawi late last month.

CNN

Madonna's petition to adopt a second Malawian child was rejected by a local judge Friday, an official said.

"The decision came down to residency requirement and the fact that the judge believes she was being well taken care of in the orphanage," said Zione Ntaba, a spokeswoman for the Malawi Justice Department.

"For the Malawians, the fact that the child is at an orphanage, is being taken care of and is going through the school education system, that does qualify as the best interests of a child," Ntaba added.

The 50-year-old pop star had filed a petition to adopt a girl, Chifundo James, 4, whose first name translates to mercy in Chichewa, the country's national language. She has three other children, including a son she adopted from the southern African nation in 2006.

Read more...

Program Note: For more on the Madonna adoption controversy, tune in to AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

Madonna holds her adopted Malawian son, David Banda, in 2007.

Roland S. Martin
CNN Contributor

Pop star Madonna is back in the news; this time, heading back to the African nation of Malawi to adopt her second child.

You might remember all of the drama a few years ago when Madonna adopted a Malawi boy. Now she wants to adopt a girl, and a judge has said she will have to wait until Friday to see if she will get the go-ahead.

Madonna has been quoted in the Malawi newspaper Nation as saying, "Many people, especially our Malawian friends, say that David should have a Malawian brother or sister. It's something I have been considering, but would only do if I had the support of the Malawian people and government."

Keep Reading...

Madonna performs on stage at the premier of her 'Sticky and Sweet' world tour at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in Wales, Saturday.

Ed Hornick
CNN Political Producer

Madonna, no stranger to controversy, took a sour jab at Sen. John McCain as she kicked off her "Sticky and Sweet" tour Saturday night.

During a concert in Cardiff, Wales, images of the Arizona senator were shown alongside Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe, destruction and global warming on a screen above the singer.

Later, images of Beatles legend John Lennon, fomer vice president Al Gore, Mahatma Ghandi and Sen. Barack Obama were projected onto the screen, according to the Associated Press.

"The comparisons are outrageous, unacceptable and crudely divisive all at the same time. It clearly shows that when it comes to supporting Barack Obama, his fellow worldwide celebrities refuse to consider any smear or attack off limits," said McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds.

Read More...