Washington - US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Monday said he would use a combination of private and public funds to remove up to 1 trillion dollars in toxic mortgage assets off the balance sheets of US banks, in the government's latest bid to end the financial crisis.

The new effort will include up to 100 billion dollars in government funds, Geithner said as he unveiled the much-anticipated details of a new programme that has been developed over the last month.

The Hague - Between 800 and 1,000 journalists from around the world were expected to attend the international conference on Afghanistan in The Hague at the end of the month, Dutch officials said Monday.

Some 500 journalists had already registered to cover the gathering of representatives from at least 75 countries that is to focus on the future of Afghanistan, a spokesman for The Hague municipality told reporters.

New York, Mar 23 : American rapper Kanye West is said to have delighted 1,500 of his fans after he made a surprise performance at Perez Hilton''s Texas SXSW party.

West, 31, performed six-songs at Dell's "Perez Hilton's One Night in Austin" on March 21, which was a last-minute decision for him.

The singer even had his DJ run back to the car for his laptop so that he could provide backing tracks to songs like "Heartless" and "Love Lock Down".

Washington, Mar. 23 : The Obama Administration, in a stop gap arrangement has appointed Peter Burleigh as its envoy to India after David Mulford's term is over.

Burleigh's name may not have been heard in recent times in diplomatic circles, between, but he himself is not new to India, as he was posted in New Delhi in 1973-1975, during which he was considered a representative of the CIA.

Washington, Mar 23 : Hollywood actress Jenny McCarthy revealed that she is addicted to botox treatment.

Jenny, who is dating Jim Carrey, has always been open about the cosmetic treatments she undergoes to maintain her looks.

"People were surprised I was so open about (it) but when people see everyone in Hollywood, they look up to them and I think everyone should be honest about what they''re doing," Contactmusic quoted her as saying.

However, Jenny agreed that the botox treatment should be taken in moderation.

New York, Mar 23 : Actress Lindsay Lohan has hi