Anti-poverty campaigner Sir Bob Geldof listens to a question put to him in Athens yesterday. The former singer of the Irish punk group Boomtown Rats called on Greece to increase its contributions in the fight against poverty in Africa. ‘I am aware of Greece’s economic difficulties. However, I consider it has a political and a humanitarian obligation to increase this amount,’ he said. Geldof was in Athens to pick up a humanitarian award from the local branch of Doctors of the World. He added that the continuing economic decline of Africa, a mere 8 miles (12.8 kilometers) from Europe, is today’s greatest political problem.