Elton John
contributes to Nepalese AIDS fight

BBC News reports that Sir Elton John has made a donation of more than $40,000 to a gay rights group in Nepal to help that country's fight against HIV/AIDS. The contribution to the Blue Diamond Society will allow the organization to raise HIV awareness among Nepal's gay population while also funding new clinics for HIV-positive gay men and lesbians in Kathmandu and Butwal. Sunil Babu Panta, the head of Blue Diamond, told the BBC that while homosexuality is legal in Nepal, gays and lesbians often face discrimination. A 2002 World Health Organization estimate placed the number of people in Nepal infected with HIV at 60,000.