Rock stars staged a final Live8 concert in Edinburgh yesterday in a last-minute bid to press world leaders gathering in nearby Gleneagles to do more to alleviate poverty.
The free gig featured artists including James Brown and Annie Lennox, the Proclaimers, Natasha Bedingfield, Jamie Cullum and Wet Wet Wet. Ten other Live8 concerts on Saturday across four continents featured what was billed as the greatest ever line-up of rock and pop talent.
About 50,000 people crowded into the Murrayfield sports stadium in Edinburgh, 65km (40 miles) from where leaders of the G8 began their summit.
"The prime minister goes into this negotiation with the biggest democratic mandate ever assembled on one single issue in history," organiser Bob Geldof said in Gleneagles.
Bono called Canadian prime minister Paul Martin "difficult" and "annoying" after he said it would take time for his country to meet demands to boost overseas assistance to 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product.