BTS, Billie Eilish and Ed Sheeran Join Global Climate, Vaccine Concerts

(Clockwise from left) Ed Sheeran, BTS and Billie Eilish will be performing for Global Citizen Live.PHOTOS: ALOYSIUS LIM, MTV, REUTERS
(Clockwise from left) Ed Sheeran, BTS and Billie Eilish will be performing for Global Citizen Live.PHOTOS: ALOYSIUS LIM, MTV, REUTERS
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BTS, Billie Eilish and Ed Sheeran Join Global Climate, Vaccine Concerts

(Clockwise from left) Ed Sheeran, BTS and Billie Eilish will be performing for Global Citizen Live.PHOTOS: ALOYSIUS LIM, MTV, REUTERS
(Clockwise from left) Ed Sheeran, BTS and Billie Eilish will be performing for Global Citizen Live.PHOTOS: ALOYSIUS LIM, MTV, REUTERS

British rock band Coldplay, teenage singer Billie Eilish and English singer Ed Sheeran are among the stars announced on Tuesday (Aug 10) for a day of concerts across multiple cities on Sept 25 to raise awareness about climate change, poverty and vaccine distribution.

New York, Paris and Lagos are the first cities to be announced for Global Citizen Live, which will run for 24 hours and be screened around the world via TV stations and social media.

Joining Eilish and Coldplay in New York's Central Park are Jennifer Lopez, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes and Burna Boy, among others, reported AFP.

Sheeran headlines the French gig, with Doja Cat, HER and Black Eyed Peas supporting, while Fema Kuti will top the bill in Nigeria.

More locations and artistes are due to be announced in the coming weeks.

"Across six continents, artistes will help rally citizens in demanding that governments, major corporations, and philanthropists work together to defend the planet and defeat poverty," advocacy group Global Citizen said in a statement.

It said it was focusing "on the most urgent, interrelated threats hitting those in poverty the hardest - climate change, vaccine equity, and famine".

A slew of other artistes - including BTS, Lorde, Metallica and The Weekend - are also lending their star power, either through live or filmed performances.

The event is designed to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly in September, and push for action at the G20 the following month and COP26 climate meeting in November.

Global Citizen said it urgently wants one billion trees planted, one billion vaccines delivered to the poorest countries and meals for the 41 million on the brink of famine.

World Health Organization director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus lent his support to the campaign, saying in a statement: "We now face a two-track pandemic of haves and have-nots. Over 75 per cent of the more than 4 billion doses administered to date have occurred in just 10 countries.

"We cannot disregard this gross inequity or become complacent."



World’s Most Popular TikTok Star Khaby Lame Leaves the US after Being Detained by ICE

Khaby Lame poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film "Oppenheimer" in London, July 13, 2023. (AP)
Khaby Lame poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film "Oppenheimer" in London, July 13, 2023. (AP)
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World’s Most Popular TikTok Star Khaby Lame Leaves the US after Being Detained by ICE

Khaby Lame poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film "Oppenheimer" in London, July 13, 2023. (AP)
Khaby Lame poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film "Oppenheimer" in London, July 13, 2023. (AP)

Khaby Lame, the world’s most popular TikTok personality with millions of followers, has left the US after being detained by immigration agents in Las Vegas for allegedly overstaying his visa.

The Senegalese-Italian influencer, whose legal name is Seringe Khabane Lame, was detained Friday at Harry Reid International Airport but was allowed to leave the country without a deportation order, a spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed in a statement.

Lame arrived in the US on April 30 and “overstayed the terms of his visa,” the ICE spokesperson said. The Associated Press sent a message seeking comment Tuesday to the email address listed on Lame’s Instagram account. He has not publicly commented on his detainment.

His detainment and voluntary departure from the US comes amid President Donald Trump’s escalating crackdown on immigration, including raids in Los Angeles that sparked days of protests against ICE, as the president tests the bounds of his executive authority.

A voluntary departure, which was granted to Lame, allows those facing removal from the US to avoid a deportation order on their immigration record, which could prevent them from being allowed back into the US for up to a decade.

The 25-year-old rose to international fame during the pandemic without ever saying a word in his videos, which would show him reacting to absurdly complicated “life hacks.” He has over 162 million followers on TikTok alone.

The Senegal-born influencer moved to Italy when he was an infant with his working class parents and has Italian citizenship.

His internet fame quickly evolved. He signed a multi-year partnership with designer brand Hugo Boss in 2022. In January, he was appointed as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.

Last month, he attended the Met Gala in New York City, days after arriving in the US.