Madonna to host African fundraiser

Madonna is to host a fundraising gathering in America for African children, she has confirmed.

The pop superstar tops a star-studded bill of celebrities set to appear at the New York City event in February.

The event is the latest charity initiative from Gucci, with money raised set to go to Raising Malawi and UNICEF.

Sting and wife Trudi Styler, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Lucy Lui, Tea Leoni and Gwyneth Paltrow will also appear.

In a statement, Madonna said: "I am grateful that Gucci is joining forces with me to bring attention to a country with millions of children in desperate need of our help.

"Raising Malawi has already done tremendous work in helping these children. But we have much more to do and this event will surely bring us closer to our goal."

The fundraiser takes place on February 6 and extends Madonna and Gucci's efforts to assist children in Africa affected by HIV and Aids.