Campaigners drive for Africa poverty action

Activists unfurled white banners on landmarks around the world yesterday to step up pressure on rich nations to attack African poverty at a summit in Scotland next week.

Sydney's Harbour Bridge and London's St Paul's Cathedral were among the places used by activists to unveil the banners, symbol of a global movement to press for debt cancellation, aid increases and trade reform.

In London, the base of St Paul's famous dome was encircled with a banner proclaiming: "Make Poverty History". Schoolchildren joined the demonstration with paper figures to represent children in poor countries deprived of education.

Like the Live 8 concerts taking place around the world today, the unveiling of the banners was designed to raise awareness of Africa's problems and pressure the leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) rich nations to take concrete action.

Campaigners want the G8 leaders, who meet at Gleneagles in central Scotland from July 6-8, to double aid to Africa, cancel African nations' debts and open up western markets.

Protests and rallies were planned around the world. But not all of them went smoothly.

Police banned a debt relief picket of G8 country embassies in the southern African country of Zambia.

About 200 placard-wielding demonstrators gathered in the capital Lusaka instead to demand the G8 immediately cancel debts owed by poor nations.

A giant cotton tree in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown, planted by freed slaves in the 18th century, was draped in a white band bearing the words "Gii SaLone Chance 4 Betteh", Creole for "Give Sierra Leone a chance to improve".

Some people in the dilapidated city, where many live in crowded shanty towns perched on hillsides, wore white bands with the same words round their wrists.

Sydney kicked off "white band day" with a huge "Make Poverty History" banner on the side of the Harbour Bridge.

Meanwhile, organisers of the Live 8 concerts promise it will be the greatest music show on Earth, as final preparations for the Live 8 gigs are made and pop stars prepare to leave their egos backstage to raise awareness of poverty in Africa.

Irish rocker and organiser Bob Geldof believes Live 8 will eclipse Live Aid 20 years ago, when 1.5 billion people tuned in to see the likes of U2, David Bowie and Mick Jagger perform to raise money for Ethiopia's famine.

"I tell you something... You will never see it again. It will be the greatest concert ever," Bob Geldof told an audience of young people on the MTV channel.