Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - May 21, 2006

The singer's spokesman has told journalists that he was "tickled to be let loose on such a great paper. He's enjoying using the talents of its journalists to explore issues that are vital to him."

The Independent's editor-in-chief, Simon Kelner, was quoted as saying that Bono's edition was both "challenging and innovative".

It was left, however, to the Guardian's regular Friday columnist, the curmudgeonly Charlie Brooker, to spoil the party.

"Faced with a photo of a fly-encrusted child," Brooker wrote, "the natural reaction should be to reach out and help.

"Instead, I start hearing Bono and Coldplay in my head. It's the most mind-mangling act of branding in history.

"I agree with what they are saying - I just wish THEY weren't saying it. How can I open my wallet while my fists are curled with rage?"

Of Bono's edition of the Independent, he said: "You're trapped in a windowless room with the usual tedious sods who apparently represent British culture, except suddenly they're wearing halos and pulling earnest expressions at you.

"The front cover is by Damien Hirst. He's lobbed some clip art together in the shape of a cross.

"Across this runs a stark headline: 'NO NEWS TODAY'. You jerk with astonishment. No news? How can this be? Help us Bono! We don't understand!

"Then you spot the footnote: 'Just 6500 Africans died today as a result of a preventable, treatable disease.' You nod sadly. But before you can truly contemplate this harrowing injustice, you note that Damien Hirst's name appears on the cover not once, but twice - and suddenly the footnote takes on an even more tragic dimension. Because all those people died, yet Hirst still walks the Earth. You turn the page, weeping.

"Inside lurk about 2000 adverts for the new Motorola RED phone.

"If you buy one, an Aids charity receives an initial payment of ú10, followed by 5% of all further call revenues. This is clearly a good idea. But somehow, it's also annoying. For starters, the phone costs ú149, of which ú139 goes towards helping Motorola.

"Second, it's bright red and seems doomed to appeal to arseholes who want to add conspicuous compassion to their list of needless fashion accessories. I'm not just jabbering mindlessly on the phone in your train carriage - I'm saving f***in' lives, okay?"

But Brooker cops out towards the end of his tirade, concluding: "It's a worthy cause, rendered annoying - and that's annoying in itself.

"Bono genuinely cares, cares enough to risk ridicule, which is more than most people would do, myself included. It's just that, well it's bloody Bono, isn't it?"

In his guest editorial, Bono puts forward an eloquent and moving argument. Of Africa's Aids activists, he writes: "I have watched these brave and beautiful souls who are fighting a forest fire of a pandemic with watering cans, knowing they will not see the light of a day when their work will be honoured.

"I have been a witness to their conversations around canteen tables, deciding who will live or die, because they do not have enough pills to go around.

"These firefighters deserve fire engines with sirens, and low-flying aircraft with bellies full of rain.

"At the very least, they deserve their situation to merit the classification of an emergency.

"Code Red, like hurricane Katrina or the tsunami in south Asia, which swept away 150000 lives: These were natural catastrophes.

"Africa loses 150000 men, women and children every month to Aids, a wholly avoidable disaster, a preventable, treatable disease.

"Those of us who campaign on these issues feel we have made a dent on the pop consciousness with Live Aid and 8, Red Nose Day, Comic Relief and Make Poverty History.

"But we are still losing the battle: 9000 new infections every day across the developing world.

"We have to keep our marching boots on and hold our leaders to account for the promises they have made to Africa - and get them to promise more."

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