U2 £1 million charity auction

A host of U2 memorabilia, including The Edge's favourite guitar has been auctioned, helping to raise over £1 million for charity.

The sale of a collection of instruments and collectibles went ahead at the Hard Rock Café in New York for Music Rising.

The money raised will go to a fund set up to aid people who lost music equipment in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

In total, the auction brought in £1.2 million, with the U2's guitarist's Gibson Les Paul, which he has used for over 20 years, going for £120,000.

A guitar owned by Jimi Hendrix raised £200,000, while a pair of Bono's sunglasses also went under the hammer with other memorabilia from the Irish rock band.

Speaking about the sale, The Edge commented: "One of the good things about globalization is it has created a single international music community, and I feel very much part of it."

"So this doesn't seem like it's someone else's problem. It's really our problem too."