Madonna has been entertaining a gentleman caller.
Malawian social worker Simon Chisale was observed leaving the singer's London home Wednesday, presumably after taking stock of Madonna and Guy Ritchie's potential to become the adoptive parents of 22-month-old David Banda.
He declined to discuss his experience and tried to hide his face from reporters as he left the home.
Chisale was put on Madonna duty after Penstone Kilembe, the court-ordered social worker originally assigned to the case, was removed amid accusations that he had "personalized the whole issue" by hitting the pop star up for a plane ticket and cash.
As of Monday, Kilembe had yet to get the memo that his services were no longer needed.
"I am not aware of these developments," he told reporters.
Meanwhile, Madonna renewed her denials that she had used her fame in a bid to skirt some of the logistics of the adoption process.
"There has been absolutely no interference with government officials or use of Madonna's celebrity to speed up this adoption as reported," spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg told the Associated Press. "The plans to finalize the adoption of Madonna and Guy Ritchie's son David are proceeding as outlined almost a year ago.
To that end, Chisale arrived in the U.K. on Tuesday to begin his observation of the Ritchie clan.
He's expected to make a second visit to assess the couple's fitness as parents in December, after which he'll file a report to Malawi's High Court outlining his recommendation on whether David's adoption should be finalized.
The decision is expected to be made official in February 2008.
The Ritchies have had temporary custody of David since they took him out of an orphanage in October 2006, when he was 13 months old.
"After learning that there were over one million orphans in Malawi, it was my wish to open up our home and help one child escape an extreme life of hardship, poverty and in many cases, death, as well as expand our family," Madonna wrote in an open letter at the time.
Sunday, 9 September 2007
Taiwan-Africa summit a normal diplomatic activity: foreign minister
Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang said Sunday that the ongoing Taiwan-Africa Head of State Summit is a normal form of diplomatic activity aimed at promoting mutual cooperation and prosperity.
Huang made the remarks after officials with China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the summit as part of Taiwan's "checkbook diplomacy" aimed at promoting its de jure independence.
"China's linking such purely diplomatic activity to Taiwan independence demonstrates that Beijing's authorities are behaving hysterically in their efforts to isolate the nation diplomatically", Huang told reporters.
Noting that neither new cooperation programs nor loan projects will be put forward during the one-day summit, Huang said the host country provided only traveling expenses for those participating in the summit and other related administrative expenses related to sponsoring the activity.
Huang recalled that during the forum on China-Africa cooperation held in 2006, Beijing agreed to offer its African diplomatic allies financial aid worth US$20 billion, including elimination of external debts and interest-free and soft loans. It is China that has been engaging in so-called "checkbook diplomacy," he stressed.
Taiwan's first leadership meeting with its five diplomatic allies in Africa -- Swaziland, Burkina Faso, Sao Tome and Principe, Malawi and The Gambia -- opening the day at the Grand Hotel in Taipei, but
President Chen Shui-bian presented a commemorative stamp to Swazi King Mswati III prior to the opening of the First Taiwan-Africa Head of State Summit at Grand Hotel in Taipei. The stamp was issued to mark the event.
Leaders of other African allies -- Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika, Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, Sao Tome and Principe President Fradique de Menezes and The Gambia Vice President Isatou Njie Saidy were also presented with stamps as souvenirs.
Huang made the remarks after officials with China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the summit as part of Taiwan's "checkbook diplomacy" aimed at promoting its de jure independence.
"China's linking such purely diplomatic activity to Taiwan independence demonstrates that Beijing's authorities are behaving hysterically in their efforts to isolate the nation diplomatically", Huang told reporters.
Noting that neither new cooperation programs nor loan projects will be put forward during the one-day summit, Huang said the host country provided only traveling expenses for those participating in the summit and other related administrative expenses related to sponsoring the activity.
Huang recalled that during the forum on China-Africa cooperation held in 2006, Beijing agreed to offer its African diplomatic allies financial aid worth US$20 billion, including elimination of external debts and interest-free and soft loans. It is China that has been engaging in so-called "checkbook diplomacy," he stressed.
Taiwan's first leadership meeting with its five diplomatic allies in Africa -- Swaziland, Burkina Faso, Sao Tome and Principe, Malawi and The Gambia -- opening the day at the Grand Hotel in Taipei, but
President Chen Shui-bian presented a commemorative stamp to Swazi King Mswati III prior to the opening of the First Taiwan-Africa Head of State Summit at Grand Hotel in Taipei. The stamp was issued to mark the event.
Leaders of other African allies -- Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika, Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, Sao Tome and Principe President Fradique de Menezes and The Gambia Vice President Isatou Njie Saidy were also presented with stamps as souvenirs.
Zimbabwe Anglican church to sever ties with gays: official
The Anglican church in Zimbabwe Saturday said it will not "stand with homosexuals" at a synod of four southern African Anglican churches in Malawi which is set to revive the issue of gay clerics.
Refering to a diocesan act, a cleric at Harare diocese told AFP that three of the four dioceses in Zimbabwe had "unanimously agreed" to sever ties with dioceses in the Central African province which were in favour of homosexuals.
The Anglican province of Central Africa comprises Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The cleric, speaking on condition of anonymity, said according to the diocesan act, which came into effect on August 4, the Zimbabwe church will "dissociate and sever relationship with any individual, group of people, organisation, institution, diocese, province or people who indulge in or sympathise or compromises with homosexuality".
He said Zimbabwe, along with Zambia and some dioceses of Malawi, will lead the anti-gay lobby at the synod which opens Saturday in Malawi's southern resort district of Mangochi.
There are fears that the Central Africa province would break into three national provinces of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi.
Botswana does not qualify to be a province because it has only one dioecese instead of the required four.
The chasm in the African Anglican church has partly been sparked by the church's refusal to consecrate a liberal British vicar as bishop-elect of the diocese of Lake Malawi following allegations that he was gay.
Malawian Archbishop Bernard Malango, head of the Anglican Church in Central Africa stopped to confirm Nicholas Henderson amid allegations that the Briton supports gay rights or could be gay himself.
Malango was among the African Anglican primates who vehemently opposed the appointment of an American gay cleric, Gene Robinson, as Bishop of New Hampshire and the Canadian communion's decision to bless same-sex marriages.
Henderson is said to be an active member of a group calling itself Modern Churchpeople Union (MCU) which advocates interests of gay people among other revolutionary ideas.
Refering to a diocesan act, a cleric at Harare diocese told AFP that three of the four dioceses in Zimbabwe had "unanimously agreed" to sever ties with dioceses in the Central African province which were in favour of homosexuals.
The Anglican province of Central Africa comprises Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The cleric, speaking on condition of anonymity, said according to the diocesan act, which came into effect on August 4, the Zimbabwe church will "dissociate and sever relationship with any individual, group of people, organisation, institution, diocese, province or people who indulge in or sympathise or compromises with homosexuality".
He said Zimbabwe, along with Zambia and some dioceses of Malawi, will lead the anti-gay lobby at the synod which opens Saturday in Malawi's southern resort district of Mangochi.
There are fears that the Central Africa province would break into three national provinces of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi.
Botswana does not qualify to be a province because it has only one dioecese instead of the required four.
The chasm in the African Anglican church has partly been sparked by the church's refusal to consecrate a liberal British vicar as bishop-elect of the diocese of Lake Malawi following allegations that he was gay.
Malawian Archbishop Bernard Malango, head of the Anglican Church in Central Africa stopped to confirm Nicholas Henderson amid allegations that the Briton supports gay rights or could be gay himself.
Malango was among the African Anglican primates who vehemently opposed the appointment of an American gay cleric, Gene Robinson, as Bishop of New Hampshire and the Canadian communion's decision to bless same-sex marriages.
Henderson is said to be an active member of a group calling itself Modern Churchpeople Union (MCU) which advocates interests of gay people among other revolutionary ideas.
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