Preparations for Anti Poverty 'Live 8' Underway

The G8 summit of the leaders of industrialised nations will be held from 6-8 July at Gleneagles Hotel, and as the gathering draws closer preparations are underway for the musical events, which will take place under the Make Poverty History banner, and urge the richest nations to increase aid to developing countries.

At a press conference in London today, the organisers, including Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, who staged the Live Aid concert in 1985, are expected to unveil the details of an upcoming anti-poverty rally on 2nd July in Edinburgh. It will coincide with a massive Live 8 concert which is being planned to be held in London's Hyde Park, and an anti-poverty concert is expected to take place in Scotland four days later.

The anti poverty concert will take place in Edinburgh on 6th July, the opening day of the G8 summit and the day Tony Blair welcomes US President George Bush and another six of the world's most powerful men. It is expected to be the culmination of several events planned for different European countries. To reinforce the campaign, all artists performing at the Live 8 earlier events are being encouraged to travel to Scotland for a huge finale and call to the world leaders.

The organisers held talks with the Scottish Rugby Union at Murrayfield stadium last week in an effort to confirm the venue for the event which is also supported by the Tom Hunter's charitable foundation.

"We very much support the delivery of a major event in Scotland on the Wednesday," expressed Executive chief of foundation, Tom Hunter, to the Scottish Press Association.

"Plans are still very much fluid but we hope we can send the leaders of the G8 a message so strong and powerful that they can't refuse the decent request for justice for the poor 50,000 who die each day needlessly through the west's lack of intervention," he added.