$150m expected from Haiti Now Telethon

A telethon to raise money for disaster-struck Haiti is expected to raise more than $150 million (£93 million), according to reports.

The Hope For Haiti Now event, which was opened last night by Alicia Keys, was hosted by George Clooney and included a plethora of celebrities.

Madonna, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Coldplay and Keith Urban were among those who performed from stages in New York, Los Angeles and London. Boxing great Muhammad Ali joined comedian Chris Rock to urge people to donate, as did former US president Bill Clinton.

Clooney said the earthquake was ''a tragedy that reaches across all borders, all boundaries'' and ''at the core of every religion is the belief that we take care of one another''.

Haitian-born rapper Wyclef Jean, of the Fugees, said: ''I am a Haitian. From the ashes we shall rise.''

Jack Nicholson, Jennifer Aniston, Penelope Cruz, Billy Crystal, John Cusack and many more celebrities supported the event.