R Kelly writes US massacre song

Singer R Kelly is to release a song he has written in memory of the Virginia Tech university massacre victims.

Kelly said he was on tour when he heard about the shootings. A gunman killed 32 people and himself on the campus in Blacksburg, Virginia last month.

He has promised to donate proceeds from the single's sales to The Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, which was set up by the university in the wake of the tragedy.

The song, Rise Up, will be released as a download on 15 May. The lyrics include the lines: "Rise up, when you feel you can't go on, rise up, and all of your hope is gone, rise up, when you're weak and you can't be strong."

Kelly's hits include I Believe I Can Fly and She's Got That Vibe.

The double-Grammy winner is currently awaiting trial over accusations he engaged in videotaped sex acts with an underage girl.

He was arrested over the claims in 2002, and denied 14 counts of child pornography. In 2004, he won seven out of the eight categories in which he was nominated at the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards.

BBC NEWS