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.