Bono now a knight

Dublin, Dec. 23 (Reuters): Irish rock star and rights campaigner Bono has been awarded an honorary British knighthood, the British Embassy in Dublin said today.

“Her Majesty the Queen has appointed Bono to be an honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in recognition of his services to the music industry and for his humanitarian work,” the embassy said.

Fellow Irish rocker Bob Geldof, also a high-profile rights campaigner, received the same award in 1986. Honorary knighthoods are awarded to non-British nationals.

A statement on the U2 website (www.u2.com) said Bono was “very flattered to be honoured, particularly if the honour ... opens doors for his long standing campaigning work against extreme poverty in Africa.”

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said he was delighted Bono had chosen to accept the award. “I’ll leave it to others far more knowledgeable than me to talk about U2’s music. All I’ll say is that, I am a huge fan,” he said in the letter, reprinted on the No. 10 website (www.pm.gov.uk).

The Prime Minister said he felt more qualified to talk about Bono’s personal commitment to tackling global poverty and, in particular, to Africa.