Clooney's wife Amal pregnant with twins - 'Felt compelled to adopt'

LOS ANGELES, Feb 9, (Agencies): Amal Clooney, the prominent Lebanese-British human rights lawyer and wife of American actor George, is pregnant with twins, a family friend said on Wednesday.

'She's pregnant with twins,' the friend said, asking to remain anonymous and without providing any further details about the sexes of the babies or due date.

The 39-year-old rights lawyer and 55-year-old Hollywood star tied the knot in Venice in 2014.

Amal's clients include former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Australian WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

After her wedding, she threw her legal clout and celebrity behind a series of high-profile cases including Britain's possible restitution of the Elgin Marbles to Greece.

She defended Al-Jazeera reporter Mohamed Fahmy after he was jailed in Egypt and was part of the legal team for former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed following his toppling in 2012.

She has also defended the cause of young Yazidi women who were abused by fighters of the Islamic State jihadist group.

Amal was born in Lebanon before her family moved to Britain when she was three years old.

Actor, director and producer George was married to actress Talia Balsam from 1989 to 1993, before his role in hit television series 'ER' propelled him to international stardom.

US pop superstar Madonna felt 'compelled' to adopt four-year-old twin girls from an orphanage in Malawi after hearing of their plight through her charity work, court papers revealed Wednesday.

The High Court in the Malawian capital Lilongwe on Tuesday granted the singer permission to adopt the twins, adding to two other children she has already adopted from the country.

Madonna confirmed the adoption on Instagram, posting a picture of herself holding hands with the two girls, twins Esther and Stella, who wore identical blue dresses decorated with white hearts as they walked past a grassy field.

'I can officially confirm I have completed the process of adopting twin sisters from Malawi and am overjoyed that they are now part of our family. I am deeply grateful to all those in Malawi who helped make this possible,' she wrote.

'Thank you also to my friends, family and my very large team for all your support and love!'

Court documents detailed how the twins were taken in by the orphanage because their mother died soon after childbirth, their father left to marry another woman, and their grandmother struggled to look after several children.

Some Malawian activists have criticised Madonna for allegedly bending the rules and for exploiting one of the world's poorest countries.

But judge Fiona Mwale said the singer would provide a loving family life for the children in 'a luxurious, spacious and comfortable abode in an affluent neighbourhood' of the United States.

The ruling also said that Madonna, 58, was 'above the age normally considered within the ranges of parenting' and had submitted a medical report to prove her good health.

Contact

'Her charity work brings her into contact with orphanages… and it was as a result of this contact that she felt compelled to fill a gap in their lives and open up her home to them,' Mwale said.

'The petitioner satisfied me that this adoption is motivated by her desire to offer a home, love, protection and guidance to the infants.

'She would like to share what she has with those who are less privileged.'

The ruling said the twins' father, identified by the initials A.M., gave his consent for the adoption and accepted it 'permanently terminates' his parental rights — adding that he had not received any incentives.

Madonna's earlier adoptions of David Banda in 2006 and Mercy James in 2009 from Malawi have been criticised by some biological family members over a lack of contact with the children.

Madonna, who was in court for the private ruling, set up a charity called Raising Malawi in 2006, and has been a regular visitor to the country, taking David and Mercy last year when she visited a children's hospital surgical unit funded by the charity.

She has not always been welcomed with open arms.

In 2013, she was stripped of VIP status by former president Joyce Banda's government, which accused her of being 'uncouth' and wanting unending gratitude for her adoptions.

Lady Gaga hit back at cyber bullies who made fun of her body during her spectacular halftime show at Sunday's Super Bowl.

'I heard my body is a topic of conversation so I wanted to say, I'm proud of my body and you should be proud of yours too,' the 'Born This Way' singer wrote on her Instagram page on Tuesday.

Succeed

'No matter who you are or what you do. I could give you a million reasons why you don't need to cater to anyone or anything to succeed. Be you and be relentlessly you,' she added.

Gaga, whose Super Bowl outfits included a crop top and glittering shorts, was mocked by some viewers on social media for the appearance of her stomach.

'Tried to enjoy @ladygaga's performance, was distracted by the flab on her stomach swinging around,' tweeted one viewer, Nathan @negans_swing.

Others came to her defense. 'Guys making fun of Lady Gaga's 'muffin top' is the reason why girls have so many body image issues,' wrote Twitter user Alexa Morgan.

The 'Bad Romance' singer said in 2012 that she had suffered from anorexia and bulimia since she was 15 after being criticized at that time for apparently putting on weight.

Gaga's halftime performance at the National Football League championship game between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons was a high energy medley of some of her biggest hits. The show mixed patriotism with anthems to inclusion, and drew widespread praise.

Sales of her albums and singles soared 1,000 percent after the show, according to NielsenMusic. Lady Gaga sold about 150,000 digital albums and songs on Sunday, compared to about 15,000 a day prior, Nielsen said.

She also announced a US and European tour, starting in August, and will perform at the Grammys in Los Angeles on Sunday, although she is not nominated this year.