POP STAR FROM IRAQ TO PERFORM IN BERKELEY

One of Iraq's biggest pop stars is touring the country and plans to perform a benefit concert March 7 at the Berkeley Community Theatre.

Kazem al-Sahir is 41 and is one of the most popular singers in the Arab world, with more than 31 million album sales to his name. He began his tour last week in Las Vegas and performed in Manhattan on Friday before heading to the Bay Area.

Money raised from the concert will be used to send school and medical supplies to Iraqi children, whom al-Sahir is particularly dedicated to helping.

According to an account in the New York Times, when al-Sahir was seated next to Kofi Annan on a flight recently, he used the opportunity to present the United Nations secretary-general with a CD upon which he had written: "Don't forget about Iraqi children."

The benefit is sponsored by the Berkeley-based Middle East Children's Alliance and a variety of music companies and individuals.

The theater is located at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Berkeley. For tickets, which range in price from $30 to $125, go online to http://www.tickets.com/ or http://www.cityboxoffice.com/ or call (415) 392-4400.