Schroeder adopts Russian baby boy

The couple developed close ties with Russia's President Putin

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his wife Doris have adopted a Russian baby boy - two years after adopting a Russian girl.

The boy, nearly a year old, comes from St Petersburg, like the couple's adopted daughter Viktoria, who is now aged five.

Doris Schroeder-Kopf, Mr Schroeder's fourth wife, also has a 15-year-old daughter, Klara, who lives with them.

Mr Schroeder left office last November and now heads a Russian gas project.

While chancellor, Mr Schroeder became a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who supported his adoption of Viktoria in 2004. She came from a St Petersburg orphanage.

Their latest adoption was first reported by the German newspaper Bild and confirmed by sources close to Mr Schroeder in his Social Democratic Party (SPD).