Madonna message

Los Angeles, Nov. 15 (Reuters): Pop diva Madonna is asking fans to donate money so that she can build a girls’ school in Malawi for underprivileged children.

a video posted on her website, the singer described her inspiration for building the multimillion dollar project. “There are very few girls in Africa in general who are encouraged or allowed to go to secondary school, so after spending a lot of time there I realised that one of the ways I could help is to build a girls' school,” said Madonna, who officially adopted a young Malawian boy, David Banda, in May.

“I would really be grateful if you would get involved and help me in any way that you can, with donations, spreading the word, visiting my website, reading about the progress that we’ve made so far,” Madonna said in the appeal, which was posted on Thursday.

Post ashes

London: A deceased postman has become an unlikely celebrity in Holland after his ashes washed up there, reports The Daily Telegraph. After John Lea’s cremation, one of his sons put his ashes in a bottle with photographs of Lea and a few details about his life, such as the fact that he had been in the army and travelled a lot. Kevin Lea, 48, then dropped the bottle from a ferry half way across the Channel while on a trip to France after deciding his father needed “one last big adventure”. It has since twice come ashore in Holland, leading to his father appearing in national papers and on TV. Lea senior, from Weymouth, Dorset, died last summer aged 78, leaving behind wife Pat and eight of his nine children.

Status con

London: A conman pretended he was a member of rock band Status Quo to take advantage of a seaside town’s hospitality, reports The Daily Telegraph. When the trickster duped members of Dover Town Council in Kent into believing he was frontman Francis Rossi, they were so impressed they invited him to be guest of honour at the town’s annual carnival parade. Councillor Chris Precious said the man, whose true identity is unknown, spent the day enjoying the hospitality of the town’s mayor before his secret was found out.

Rod party

London (AP): Prince Charles’s office says Rod Stewart will headline a star-studded bash for the prince’s birthday. The pop star will perform at a party Camilla is giving at their Highgrove estate home. It is the third celebration for the prince, who turned 60 on Friday.