As India grapples with a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic with infection numbers now topping 18.9 billion, social media has been flooded with appeals for assistance as medical systems are overwhelmed.
Help on Saturday came from one unlikely source – the fans of the record-breaking South Korean K-pop group BTS. Called BTS Army, the Indian arm of the band's fanbase announced it had raised more than 2 million rupees ($29,000) in just one day for its #CovidReliefForIndia campaign.
“Thank you everyone who donated and everyone who amplified this initiative. Right now we have crossed our initial goal and will extend it again soon,” @BangtanIndia tweeted on Saturday.
"As we have collected funds more than our initial plan we all are searching for more such initiatives/orgs which are working on ground level providing help in every way possible and are looking for financial help. We also need help from all of you to do research on your own for your region," it said.
Bangtan is a reference to the seven-member group BTS, which stands for Bangtan Sonyeondan or Bangtan Boys, the global K-pop phenomenon named by Time magazine last year as Entertainer of the Year.
On Friday, Bangtan India posted an appeal to BTS's global fanbase, saying it was requesting help to support community kitchens that serve Covid-19 patients and free oxygen and medical aid suppliers.
“As we know India is facing one of the worst second waves of Covid-19. Each passing day it's getting tougher on the health workers and front line workers. We ask ARMYs around the world to help us as it’s a helpless situation,” the group posted along with a donation link. It also announced that it had created a separate Twitter account @CovidReliefIn for the purpose, and shortlisted a number of organisations it was supporting.
In less than 24 hours, @CovidReliefIn announced it had already crossed its initial fundraising target.
“This has all been possible thanks to your generous donations and concentrated efforts, ARMY! this is all YOU! thank you so much for coming together and supporting us,” the account posted.
This is not the first time BTS Army in India has stepped in to raise funds for a cause. In 2020, as floods ravaged the North-East Indian state of Assam, another fan account @btshelpsindia helped raise more than $8,000 for relief.
Internationally too, the passionate fan base has stepped in with charitable activities, from helping Syrian refugees in Europe to donating cameras to students in Kenya and to safe drinking water projects in the US.
While the fan activities are not officially endorsed by the band, the members of BTS themselves have been actively involved in a number of causes.
In 2020, the group donated $1 million to the Black Lives Matter cause, which, a day later was matched in value by BTS Army.
"We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence," BTS posted on Twitter in English and Korean. "You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together. #BlackLivesMatter."
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
SANCTIONED
- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
- Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
- Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
- Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
- Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
