Rocker BONO has dismissed reports he silenced an audience in Glasgow, Scotland, recently to demonstrate the plight of poverty in Africa by clapping his hands.

The U2 singer was alleged to have told the crowd to be quiet, saying, "Every time I clap my hands, a child in Africa dies." A member of the crowd is then said to have heckled, "Well, stop doing it then!"

But a spokesperson for Bono insists the star is baffled by the claims, which have been circulating the Internet via email.

The representative tells the New York Daily News, "He's never even done the clapping thing."