Baby girl for Jolie in Africa

A star is born. Hollywood heavyweights Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt - described as the "World's Most Beautiful Family" by 'People' - have had a baby daughter in one of the most anticipated celebrity stories of the year, the magazine said yesterday.

A representative for the couple said Ms Jolie, 30, had given birth to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt on Saturday in Namibia, a sparsely populated desert country in southwest Africa. There were no further details available, People reported.

The couple, dubbed "Brangelina" by the tabloids, have been closely followed by the paparazzi in Namibia since arriving there weeks ago to have their baby.

Ms Jolie reportedly took a shine to Namibia, better known for dunes and diamonds, while filming the movie Beyond Borders. She is a frequent visitor to Africa and is a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The couple have been staying in a sealed off beach resort in the tiny village of Langstrand and it was unclear if the child had been delivered there or at one of the private hospitals in the nearby towns of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.

Witnesses said security around the villa had been tightened with additional vehicles arriving driven by security personnel.

Local residents in the Walvis Bay, shrouded in fog yesterday morning, were thrilled by the celebrity birth.