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."



Thunderbolts' Kicks Off US, Canada Summer Box Office with $76 Million

A man holds a ticket as he walks past an installation promoting the Marvel Studios' ''Thunderbolts'', at a movie theatre in Beijing, China April 30, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
A man holds a ticket as he walks past an installation promoting the Marvel Studios' ''Thunderbolts'', at a movie theatre in Beijing, China April 30, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
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Thunderbolts' Kicks Off US, Canada Summer Box Office with $76 Million

A man holds a ticket as he walks past an installation promoting the Marvel Studios' ''Thunderbolts'', at a movie theatre in Beijing, China April 30, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang
A man holds a ticket as he walks past an installation promoting the Marvel Studios' ''Thunderbolts'', at a movie theatre in Beijing, China April 30, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

Marvel movie "Thunderbolts" opened Hollywood's summer movie season with an estimated $76 million in US and Canadian ticket sales over its first three days, distributor Walt Disney said on Sunday.
The returns were in line with pre-weekend forecasts, though below the $88.8 million opening of Marvel's "Captain America: Brave New World" in February, Reuters reported.
"Thunderbolts" added $86.1 million in international markets for a global total of $162.1 million, Disney said in a statement.
"Thunderbolts" stars Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan and David Harbour as anti-heroes who are forced to work together to fight a supervillain. It is the 36th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The movie business is still hovering below pre-pandemic levels, and a healthy summer is key to that effort. Hollywood brings in about 40% of the year's box office receipts during the summer season, which the industry measures from the first weekend in May through Labor Day, the first Monday in September.