Entertainers to perform for Haiti
Entertainers from around the world are preparing to stage a global telethon to raise money for the people of Haiti.
The Hope for Haiti event, to be broadcast in the US and online, will feature performances by Madonna in New York and Beyonce in London.
The performances will be available to buy and download on the internet.
Meanwhile, an eBay auction of pop items and offers from acts such as Coldplay, Damon Albarn and Arctic Monkeys is being held for Oxfam’s Haiti appeal.
Other acts taking part in the telethon include U2’s Bono and The Edge, Jay-Z and Rihanna, who will all be performing together in London.
Wyclef Jean, who is a Haitian-American, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J Blige, Shakira and Sting will perform in New York.
Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder and others will take to the stage in Los Angeles.
Actor George Clooney has organised much of the telethon, which will be broadcast on every major TV network in the US and streamed on websites around the world.
Former US President Bill Clinton will also take part in the show, which will see celebrities answering telephone calls from viewers pledging money for the relief effort in the earthquake-hit country.
The UK rock memorabilia auction is being staged by Glastonbury Festival organiser Emily Eavis in conjunction with Oxfam.
DEC APPEAL- The UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee is co-ordinating an appeal to help the people of Haiti
- There are 13 charities involved including the British Red Cross, Islamic Relief and World Vision
- Donate via theDEC websiteor by telephoning 0370 60 60 900
It goes live from 0900 GMT and will run for 10 days.
Items for sale include an offer from Blur’s Albarn to record a specially written piece of music, the Fender Stratocaster guitar played by Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner in the band’s first video and Coldplay singer Chris Martin’s signed Viva La Vida tour jacket.
The Chemical Brothers have donated a rare Roland drum machine and The Magic Numbers will play an acoustic set in the house of the winner.
The Kooks, The Pet Shop Boys, Klaxons, Pearl Jam, Basement Jaxx, Annie Lennox and Mika have also donated memorabilia to the cause.
Ms Eavis said: "Just like the millions of people who have already given so generously to the DEC appeal for Haiti, we felt it was important to do whatever we could to help as quickly as possible.
"We hope people will dig deep for some of these amazing auction prizes and help Oxfam to save lives in Haiti at the same time."
Coldplay’s Chris Martin added: "I visited Haiti with Oxfam a few years ago. It’s a country of extreme poverty and brutal living conditions. Most people in Port-au-Prince live in tin shacks.
"The earthquake that has struck Haiti will have turned the city into an unimaginable hell."
An estimated 1.5 million people were left homeless by the 7.0-magnitude quake, which is believed to killed as many as 200,000.
At least 75,000 bodies have so far been buried in mass graves, the government has said. Many more remain uncollected in the streets.</p
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