U2 - BONO PRAISES GERMAN CHANCELLOR

U2 frontman BONO has found a new ally while he's fighting poverty in Africa - German chancellor ANGELA MERKEL.

The campaigning rocker is thrilled by Merkel's pledge to donate 0.7 per cent of Germany's gross domestic product to help the world's poor, until 2015 - and has high hopes for his relationship with the politician.

The star says, "Her words are music in my ears. As a woman, she doesn't act macho or has to show off her skills. She is no day dreamer, she's a go-getter. Merkel is incredibly pragmatic. She has the power to change something. Me and many other people pin our hopes on her."