Malawi Officials Blast Madonna's School Plans

Madonna performs during the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show.

The government of Malawi has accused Madonna of refusing consultation over her plans to build 10 new schools in the impoverished African nation. Malawi's Ministry of Education spokeswoman Lindiwe Chide told Reuters that the government was "fed up" with the pop icon, complaining that she did not inform authorities when she scrapped plans for a girls academy due to the alleged mismanagement of funds. "Now she decides to announce that she plans to build 10 schools without getting authority from us again," Chide said of the singer's partnership with the non-profit organization buildOn. "We now feel like this is all about propping up her global image and not in our interest."

"She has no mandate to decide where she wants to build a school because she doesn't know our needs and where we want new schools," Chide told Reuters. "She first needed to consult us, get permission from us before doing anything."

"This is simply not true," Trevor Neilson, the head of the Global Philanthropy Group, fired back in a statement released by Madonna's spokesperson. "The government of Malawi has been fully updated on Madonna's effort to provide funding for ten schools to be built in communities where there are no schools." According to Neilson, Madonna's Raising Malawi organization had communicated with Malawi's Minister of Education and that buildOn had discussed the project with local officials and "cleared all plans for school construction with them."

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Malawi Officials Blast Madonna's School Plans

Madonna performs during the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show.

The government of Malawi has accused Madonna of refusing consultation over her plans to build 10 new schools in the impoverished African nation. Malawi's Ministry of Education spokeswoman Lindiwe Chide told Reuters that the government was "fed up" with the pop icon, complaining that she did not inform authorities when she scrapped plans for a girls academy due to the alleged mismanagement of funds. "Now she decides to announce that she plans to build 10 schools without getting authority from us again," Chide said of the singer's partnership with the non-profit organization buildOn. "We now feel like this is all about propping up her global image and not in our interest."

"She has no mandate to decide where she wants to build a school because she doesn't know our needs and where we want new schools," Chide told Reuters. "She first needed to consult us, get permission from us before doing anything."

"This is simply not true," Trevor Neilson, the head of the Global Philanthropy Group, fired back in a statement released by Madonna's spokesperson. "The government of Malawi has been fully updated on Madonna's effort to provide funding for ten schools to be built in communities where there are no schools." According to Neilson, Madonna's Raising Malawi organization had communicated with Malawi's Minister of Education and that buildOn had discussed the project with local officials and "cleared all plans for school construction with them."

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Beyonce Hospital Complaints Dismissed by Health Officials

Beyonce hosts the screening of "Live at Roseland: The Elements of 4" at the Paris Theatre in New York.

Complaints that Beyoncé and Jay-Z's luxury birthing suite at the Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan led to mistreatment of other patients have been reviewed and dismissed by New York State health officials. Patients had claimed that the superstar couple's security had kept them away from their children in the neonatal facility. Health department spokesman Jeffrey Gordon said they received two complaints, but both were dismissed by last night.

According to media reports, the superstar couple paid over $1 million to claim and furnish an entire floor of the hospital, but Lenox Hill has officially denied this, saying that Jay-Z and Beyoncé paid the standard rate for an executive suite, without disclosing that price.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Find music selection in Amazon here

Read more »