Live 8 event countdown continues

Final preparations are continuing for the Live 8 concerts which will be held across the world on Saturday.

In London, 2,000 workers are helping to get Hyde Park ready to host 27 artists and a crowd of up to 200,000 people.

The concerts will be broadcast in 140 countries and watched by an estimated 5.5 billion people on TV.

The aim is to put pressure on the leaders of the world's richest countries to help put a stop to poverty across the globe.

Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin said: "We are very proud to be part of it and we are also very proud to be part of anything Bob Geldof does."

Click here to see pix of the Live 8 preparations

Up to 250,000 people are expected to join a march in Edinburgh on Saturday to highlight the problem.

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The same city is hosting the G8 summit - where world leaders get together - on Wednesday.

The Live 8 gigs and protest march have been timed to tie up with this event.

'Greatest concert'

Protesters have also decked out some of the world's biggest landmarks - including London's St Paul's Cathedral - with Make Poverty History bands to raise awareness of the issue.

Live 8 organiser Bob Geldof told the BBC: "You will never see this happen again. It'll be the greatest concert ever."

Live 8 in Hyde Park 5,000 roadies and caterers will help the show run smoothly At least 175 catering vans have been brought into feed artists and crew They'll eat 30,000 sausages, 40,000 bacon rashers and 60,000 eggs Over 1,400 toilets have been set up

London, Philadelphia, Berlin, Paris and Rome were originally set to host the concerts, but they will now be joined by remaining G8 countries Japan, Russia and Canada.

Concerts will also happen in South Africa and at the Eden project in Cornwall, and there is one in Edinburgh on 6 July too.