Pop star Madonna is to travel to Malawi in a bid to adopt a second child, government officials from the African country have told the BBC.

The 50-year-old is expected to arrive at the weekend and attend a procedural hearing at the High Court on Monday.

She recently told Malawian newspaper Nation that she had been considering another adoption, but wanted the support of the authorities.

Madonna's official adoption of David Banda was confirmed last year.

'Brother or sister'

She brought the child back to the UK from an orphanage in the country in 2006.

An official at the Malawian department of women and child welfare told the BBC's Raphael Tenthani that the pop star had already filed adoption papers and her case could be heard as early as next week.

The official later told the Reuters news agency: "We expect her over the weekend or earlier than that, but without a doubt she is coming before the end of this month."

Madonna's spokeswoman in New York, Liz Rosenberg, would not comment.

Her lawyer in Malawi, Alan Chinula, also declined to comment.

However, a US government official speaking under condition of anonymity told Reuters news agency that an adoption bid was under way.

Writing in response to e-mailed questions from Nation readers last week, Madonna said: "Many people - especially our Malawian friends - say that David should have a Malawian brother or sister.

"It's something I have been considering."

Critics accused the Malawian government of sidestepping laws banning foreign adoptions in order to allow the celebrity to take 13-month-old David home with her.

After the adoption was legalised, Madonna said the difficulties had arisen because "this adoption essentially was the beginning of the creation of adoption laws in Malawi".

She hoped it would make it easier for others to adopt from the country and explained: "I am the template or the role model, so to speak, for future adoptions."

The star also has two biological children - Rocco, her son with former husband Guy Ritchie, and Lourdes, whose father is Carlos Leon.

Film director Ritchie and Madonna's divorce was finalised in November.

Malawi does not as a rule approve adoptions for single or divorced people, but the official at the country's welfare department said that each case was considered on merit.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7966255.stm