Madonna 'refuses Mercy's father access'

Madonna has refused to allow a man said to be the father of her adopted daughter to visit the 4-year-old, after questioning the legitimacy of his claims.

The 52-year-old singer adopted daughter Mercy from a Malawi orphanage last year. James Kambewa has since come forward and requested a meeting with the child, saying that he is her biological father.

However, Madonna's spokeswoman Barbara Charone told the South African Sunday Times: "The extended family members had no knowledge of a father. The village leadership had no knowledge of a father... the mother was raped and left."

Kambewa, a 26-year-old waiter from Durban, initially opposed the adoption, but has since told newspapers that he is happy that Mercy is living with the star.

Mercy is the second child Madonna has adopted from the African country, after adopting son David in 2006 with ex-husband Guy Ritchie.