Elton John has given £25,000 to The Blue Diamond Society, Nepal's leading gay rights group, who are to use the money to raise HIV awareness in the country's gay community. Sunil Babu Panta, the head of the organisation, told the BBC that two clinics would be set up in Nepal, where it's estimated more than 60,000 people are HIV positive, and that the financial assistance would also enable the group to promote a message of healthy living. He added that although homosexuality is legal in Nepal, gay people often face discrimination.
A spokesman for Elton John would not comment on this particular donation, saying all the singer's donations were private, but confirming that he gives millions of pounds to various charities each year. So why this particular and relatively small donation has made it into the news is a mystery. Of course, it might just be because it concerns a gay issue. Hmm.