Tributes have been paid to popular TikTok star Megha Thakur who died “suddenly and unexpectedly” at the age of 21.
Thakur, who was born in India but moved to Canada as an infant, died on November 24, however, her parents only announced the news of her death on social media at the weekend.
"It is with heavy hearts we announce the light of our life, our kind, caring, and beautiful daughter, Megha Thakur, suddenly and unexpectedly passed away on November 24, 2022 in the early morning hours," they wrote in an Instagram post.
"Megha was a confident and independent young woman. She will be dearly missed. She loved her fans and would have wanted you to know of her passing. At this time, we request your blessings for Megha. Your thoughts and prayers will be with her in her onward journey," they said.
Thakur had more than 930k followers on TikTok, and had become popular for sharing videos promoting body positivity alongside snippets from her life as well as dance videos.
Several of her followers shared tribute comments under the post.
“This is too devastating, I can’t believe this ... rest in peace beautiful angel. You brought joy and helped a lot of people love themselves,” one follower said.
“She really chose to use her platform and influence to make other people feel good about themselves,” another wrote. “What a loss for the world.”
“I know she is dancing and setting trends in heaven,” another said. “RIP.”
While her cause of death has not been shared, in a video she made in July, the social media star shared that she had been suffering from severe stress and anxiety, which caused her to have a heart attack.
Besides her TikTok account, Thakur launched a podcast series called MeghaMind where she spoke openly about mental health and spirituality.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit
As he spoke, Mr Aboul Gheit repeatedly referred to the need to tackle issues affecting the welfare of people across the region both in terms of preventing conflict and in pushing development.
Lebanon is scheduled to host the fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in January that will see regional leaders gather to tackle the challenges facing the Middle East. The last such summit was held in 2013. Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki told The National that the Beirut Summit “will be an opportunity for Arab leaders to discuss solely economic and social issues, the conference will not focus on political concerns such as Palestine, Syria or Libya". He added that its slogan will be “the individual is at the heart of development”, adding that it will focus on all elements of human capital.
