Madonna Kicks Off Tour With Call For Peace

Madonna has kicked off her new world tour in Israel with a call for peace in the Middle East and a performance featuring her son Rocco.
The 53-year-old is known for her extravagant, and often controversial, performances and this was no exception.
The show in Tel Aviv began with the singer dressed a skin-tight black outfit breaking through a glass window with a rifle which she then aimed at the audience.
For her first song, Girl Gone Wild, she was joined by dancers dressed as monks and her son, Rocco, whose father is director Guy Ritchie.
The 11-year-old wore an all-black outfit with bright red braces as he danced with his mum.
He then changed into a blue shiny vest and large headphones to show off more of his dance moves.
Madonna performed her recent release Give Me All Your Luvin dressed as a cheerleader and sang a mash-up of her classic hit Express Yourself and the similar sounding Born This Way by Lady Gaga.
In a small dig at the younger pop star, Madonna shouted to the crowd: "She's not me."
During the show the global superstar, who practices a form of Jewish mysticism known as Kabbalah, pledged her support for peace in the region.
"I chose to start my world tour in Israel for a very specific and important reason," she told the audience to applause and cheers.
"As you know, the Middle East and all the conflict that occurs here and have been occurring for thousands of years, they have to stop.
"You can't be a fan of mine and not want peace in the world.
"So start today - every single one of you. If there is peace here in the Middle East, there can be peace in the whole world."
She added: "If we can all rise above our egos and our titles and the names of our countries and our religions, and treat everyone around us with dignity and respect, then we are on the road to peace."
The singer has made personal pilgrimages to Israel in 2004 and 2007 and wrapped up her Sticky and Sweet tour with two concerts in the country after not performing in the country for 16 years.
During the shows, she wrapped herself in an Israeli flag and called the country the "energy centre of the world."
Madonna arrived in Israel last week with her children, boyfriend, 24-year-old Brahim Zaibat, and a 70-person entourage.
After Israel, Madonna continues on to more than 30 countries in a sell-out 86 date tour.
This is the ninth world tour of her career. Her last one, two years ago, grossed more than £260m.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.