Geldof and BBC to create A to Z of mankind - April 18 2007
The BBC and Bob Geldof announced plans to record the 900 groups of people anthropologists believe exist at the beginning of the 21st century.

The Live 8 campaigner is sending out his TV crews to record the different groups of people on the planet for an "A to Z of mankind" website.

The Human Planet, a landmark TV series on the same theme, will be produced by the BBC’s Natural History Unit and other BBC departments.

The website will launch and the series will be broadcast in 2010.

Bob was "determined" to record the "sounds, voices and jokes so they never disappear again" after sitting on a tree stump in northern Niger 20 years ago.

He’d discovered that 300 languages had disappeared in just two years during the famine.

He wrote: "Even though I never heard those languages, I already miss them. In these ways the lights of human genius wink out."

Announcing the plans today, he said: "This will be an A to Z of mankind which will catalogue the world we live in now, the people who share this planet, the way we live and the way we adapt to face common and different challenges."

The digital catalogue will allow individuals across the globe to track and trace their clan, tribe or family.

Director of BBC Vision Jana Bennett said it promises to be "spectacular television".

The BBC hopes the eight-part high-definition series will have the same success as Blue Planet and Planet Earth.

Geldof honoured for tackling poverty - Jan 5 2007
Bob Geldof is to be honoured for his work in tackling world poverty, it was announced today.

The star is among five people receiving honorary degrees from Newcastle University to mark the work of the Make Poverty History campaign.

Chancellor Gordon Brown will also be honoured. He and Live8 organiser Bob will each receive an honorary doctor of civil law degree from the university’s chancellor, Lord Patten, on January 8.

They will be honoured alongside political economist Susan George, former president of Tanzania Benjamin William Mkapa and David Golding, of Make Poverty History North East, in a ceremony at the Sage Gateshead music centre.

The Chancellor was instrumental in getting the G8 countries to agree a debt relief package at Gleneagles in 2005 for some of the world’s poorest countries.

As the politicians met in Scotland, Bob and U2 frontman Bono organised the Live8 concerts, which formed part of the Make Poverty History campaign.

Professor Christopher Edwards, vice-chancellor of Newcastle University, said: "The university is delighted that Gordon Brown has accepted our invitation to receive an honorary degree."

F**king Bob - Mar 05
Bob Geldof has told Tony Blair to swear at George Bush. Bob shocked visitors to the launch of the Prime Minister’s Commission for Africa by launching in to an expletive ridden tirade about third world debt. "Tony and Gordon have to prepare to ring up George and say, ’Do this, George, do this one thing for me, it’s going to cost you f**k all, do it for me," he ranted. Tony Blair got on to the podium later to say that he agreed with the sentiments of Geldof’s statements even if the wording did make him wince.