Rocker turned philanthropist Bob Geldof became editor-for-a-day Saturday of La Stampa, an Italian newspaper, helping prepare a special edition on Africa.

The Sunday paper is part of the run-up to the Group of Eight meeting scheduled for next week in L'Aquila, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

Mario Calabresi, editor in chief of the Turin daily, said Thursday Geldof's responsibilities as his co-editor would include assisting with page design, choosing photographs and writing headlines.

Geldof, a native of Ireland and former member of the Boomtown Rats, organized Band Aid and Live Aid. He is currently involved in ONE, a global campaign in which he collaborates with Bono of U2.