The news that matter in Europe
The news that matter in Europe
El Día Mundial de la Abeja es el 20 de mayo y coincide con el cumpleaños de Anton Janša, quien en el siglo XVIII fue pionero en las técnicas modernas de apicultura en su Eslovenia natal y elogió a las abejas por su capacidad para trabajar tan duro, mientras necesitan tan poca atención Las abejas y otros polinizadores, como como…
Source link
The anticipated third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to hit India in August which may reach its peak in October when the country is expected to report less than 1,00,000 infections daily in the best-case scenario or nearly 1,50,000 in the pessimistic scenario, according to a study.
A research team led by professors Mathukumalli Vidyasagar and Manindra Agrawal at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Hyderabad and Kanpur respectively said that the rise in coronavirus cases will push the third wave.
States with high caseload, such as Kerala and Maharashtra, could “skew the picture”, Vidyasagar told Bloomberg in an email.
Last month, Agrawal, who is also a scientist of a government panel tasked with modelling of COVID-19 cases, had said that the possible third wave of coronavirus may see half the daily cases recorded during the second surge and it can hit its peak between October-November if COVID-appropriate behaviour is not followed.
The predicted single-day count is less than half of what was recorded when the deadly second wave had hit its peak in the first half of May, claiming thousands of lives daily and leading to shortage of oxygen supply and beds in several hospitals.
On May 7, India had recorded 4,14,188 COVID-19 cases, the highest daily figure during the second wave.
The Centre recently said that ten states are either reporting a rise in new daily COVID cases or an upsurge in the Test Positivity Rate (TPR). It suggested strict restrictions in districts with a positivity rate of more than 10 per cent, to prevent crowds and intermingling of people.
The ten states are – Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh and Manipur.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama to engage in dialogue with London School of Economics’ Professor on “Creating a Happier World”.
By – BT Newsdesk
Dharamshala: His Holiness the Dalai Lama will engage in a dialogue on the theme “Creating a Happier World” with Prof. Lord Richard Layard, Chair, Action for Happiness and Co-Director, Community Well-Being Program at the London School of Economics online from his residence in Dharamsala, HP, India on July 28, 2021. This will be followed by a question and answer session. Viewers are requested to please follow their local social distancing rules while viewing the live webcast. Webcasts are also available in Tibetan, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Hindi, Korean and Mongolian.
All times Indian Standard Time (IST=GMT+5:30)
July 28th: Dialogue
Time: 9:00am – 10:00am IST
For times in your area, 9:00 am IST on July 28th in Dharamsala, India is the same as 4:30 am BST on July 28th in London, UK; and 8:30 pm PDT on July 27th in Los Angeles, California, USA. Other times can be found using Time Zone Converter (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html).
–Sourced from dalailama.com
Brooke Schedneck, writing in Asia Times said that Tibet’s Buddhists said that they will find the next reincarnation of Tenzin Gyatso but Beijing is bent on deciding the succession.
Dalai Lama is an important figure bringing Buddhist teachings to the international community. The successor to the Dalai Lama is traditionally identified by senior monastic disciples, based on spiritual signs and visions.
In 2011, however, the Chinese Foreign Ministry declared that only the government in Beijing can appoint the next Dalai Lama, and no recognition should be given to any other candidate, reported Asia Times.
The Dalai Lama is a highly influential figure, and choosing a successor is not just a religious issue, but a political one as well, opines Schedneck.
The 14 generations of Dalai Lamas, spanning six centuries, are linked through their acts of compassion and their wish to benefit all living beings.
The current Dalai Lama was enthroned when he was about four years old and was renamed Tenzin Gyatso.
Today the selection process for the next Dalai Lama remains uncertain. In 1950 China’s communist government invaded Tibet, which it insists has always belonged to China.
The Dalai Lama fled in 1959 and set up a government in exile. The Dalai Lama is revered by Tibetan people, who have maintained their devotion over the past 70 years of Chinese rule.
In 1995 the Chinese government detained the Dalai Lama’s choice for the successor of the 10th Panchen Lama, named Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, when he was six years old.
Since then China has refused to give details of his whereabouts. Panchen Lama is the second most important tulku lineage in Tibetan Buddhism, reported Asia Times.
Mahayana Buddhists believe bodhisattvas choose to be reborn, to experience the pain and suffering of the world, to help other beings attain enlightenment.
Tibetan Buddhism has developed this idea of the bodhisattva further into identified lineages of rebirths called “tulkus.”
The Tibetan people revolted when the newly selected 11th Panchen Lama was detained. The Chinese government responded by appointing its own Panchen Lama, the son of a Chinese security officer.
The Panchen Lamas and Dalai Lamas have historically played major roles in recognizing each other’s next incarnations.
China also wants to appoint its own Dalai Lama. But it is important to Tibetan Buddhists that they are in charge of the selection process.
There are usually predictions about where and when a Dalai Lama will be reborn, but further tests and signs are required to ensure the proper child is found.
In the case of the 13th Dalai Lama, after his death, his body lay facing south. However, after a few days his head had tilted to the east and a fungus, viewed as unusual, appeared on the north-eastern side of the shrine, where his body was kept.
This was interpreted to mean that the next Dalai Lama could have been born somewhere in the north-eastern part of Tibet, reported Asia Times.
Disciples also checked Lhamo La-tso, a lake that is traditionally used to see visions of the location of the Dalai Lama’s rebirth.
The district of Dokham, which is in the northeast of Tibet, matched all of these signs. A 2-year-old boy named Lhamo Dhondup was just the right age for a reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, based on the time of his death.
When the search party consisting of the 13th Dalai Lama’s closest monastic attendants arrived at his house, they believed they recognized signs that confirmed that they had reached the right place.
The 14th Dalai Lama recounts in his memoirs about his early life that he remembered recognizing one of the monks in the search party, even though he was dressed as a servant. To prevent any manipulation of the process, members of the search party had not shown villagers who they were, reported Asia Times.
The Dalai Lama remembered as a little boy asking for the rosary beads that monk had worn around his neck. These beads were previously owned by the 13th Dalai Lama. After this meeting, the search party came back again to test the young boy with further objects of the previous Dalai Lama.
He was able to correctly choose all items, including a drum used for rituals and a walking stick.
Because of the threat from China, the 14th Dalai Lama has made a number of statements that would make it difficult for a Chinese-appointed 15th Dalai Lama to be seen as legitimate, said Schedneck.
For example, he has stated that the institution of the Dalai Lama might not be needed anymore. However, he has also said it is up to the people if they want to preserve this aspect of Tibetan Buddhism and continue the Dalai Lama lineage. The Dalai Lama has indicated that he will decide, on turning 90 in four years’ time, whether he will be reborn.
Another option the Dalai Lama has proposed is announcing his next reincarnation before he dies. In this scenario, the Dalai Lama would transfer his spiritual realization to the successor.
A third alternative Tenzin Gyatso has articulated is that if he dies outside of Tibet, and the Panchen Lama remains missing, his reincarnation would be located abroad, most likely in India. Experts believe the Chinese government’s search, however, would take place in Tibet, led by the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama, said Schedneck.
The Dalai Lama is confident that no one would trust the Chinese government’s choice. The Tibetan people, as he has said, would never accept a Chinese-appointed Dalai Lama, reported Asia Times.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
Representative at the Wreath-Laying Ceremony at Victims of Communism Memorial.
Washington DC: On a rainy Friday morning, Representative Ngodup Tsering attended a memorial organized by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in Washington DC. It was the 14th Annual Roll Call of Nations Wreath Laying Ceremony. Tsultrim Gyatso, the Chinese Liaison Officer, accompanied him.
Every June, on the anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s Brandenburg Gate speech, the Foundation hosts this Ceremony to honour the more than 100 million victims of communist regimes around the world, to celebrate liberty where it has triumphed, and to further the pursuit of a world free from communism. Due to the Wuhan originated COVID-19 Pandemic, this year’s gathering was limited to only 25 embassy representatives, which included the Office of Tibet-DC and Economic and Cultural Representative of Taiwan. “It was an honor to be invited among the Ambassadors and Representatives of 25 countries to this event,” said Representative Tsering.
Jimmy Lai of Hong Kong, a well-known entrepreneur and pro-democracy activist, was awarded the Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom. Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 14 months imprisonment for his pro-democracy activism. The Freedom Medal was received by his American friend from New York, who thanked the Organizers of the wreath-laying and award ceremony.
– Filed by Office of Tibet, Washington DC
Wreath-Laying Ceremony at Victims of Communism Memorial.
DHARAMSHALA, May 31: The newly elected parliamentarians of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE) are set to take oath of office from the Chief Justice Commissioner Sonam Norbu Dagpo on June 8. The initial date for the swearing-in ceremony on May 30 was postponed due to the ongoing Covid-19 curfew restrictions in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh.
Due to the resignation of former Speaker Pema Jungney over TSJC-TPiE row, MP Dawa Tsering has been appointed as the Pro-tem Speaker, in accordance with the Article 47 of the Charter. Dawa Tsering will take oath of office before the Chief Justice Commissioner and will then consequently administer the oath of office to the new members of the parliament.
Last week, some members of the Standing Committee of the TPiE resigned as protest against the resumption of duty by the three judges of the TSJC. The Deputy Speaker Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok took did not attend the new Sikyong’s swearing-in ceremony, citing the committee’s non-acceptance to the reinstatement of the justices. Eight out of the eleven members of the 16th TPiE’s Standing Committee have tendered their resignation in protest.
MP Serta Tsultrim, one of the committee members who resigned, cautioned against the legitimacy of the Sikyong ceremony from the current Chief Commissioner, and further added that it is an ‘unlawful’ oath-taking ceremony. The judges who resumed their posts on May 24 said that the resolution passed in the parliamentary budget session which saw them impeached is ‘illegitimate’ as the house majority that supported the resolution no longer stands, citing a letter by 21 MPs who supported the withdrawal of the resolution.
Dharamshala, 19th May 2021: This morning, after His Holiness the Dalai Lama had smiled, waved and taken his seat in front of the cameras, Celesta Billeci, Executive Director of Arts & Lectures, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), introduced the occasion. “We’re living in a moment that calls for optimism, resilience, courage and vision,” she said. “Who better to spark these qualities in us than the Dalai Lama?” Henry Yang,
Chancellor of the University welcomed everyone and addressing His Holiness declared, “It’s an extraordinary honour to welcome you today.”
“I am delighted to share this message of hope from His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” he continued. “This is the fifth time we’ve had the privilege of welcoming him here. And it is now twenty years since we established the 14th Dalai Lama Chair of Tibetan Studies. The Dalai Lama is an incomparable Buddhist teacher and a champion of reconciliation. He radiates compassion and peace.”
With that, he called on Pico Iyer to open a conversation with His Holiness.
Pico Iyer: Welcome Your Holiness, it’s nice to see you again. We are turning our focus to hope. What does hope mean for Buddhists?
HH Dalai Lama: “To put it simply, our life is based on hope, a desire for things to turn out well. Even in the womb, their mother’s peace of mind affects the unborn child. Hope is concerned with the future. Although nothing about the future can be guaranteed, we remain hopeful, which is much better than being pessimistic. On a global level too, we have grounds for hope.
“We all come from our mother. We grow under her care. Appreciating her kindness, without which we would not have survived, is a basis on which to cultivate compassion. Experiencing our mother’s kindness gives us hope.
“If we investigate cases of children whose mothers pass away when they are young, I think we’ll find some emotional scars.
“Our lives depend on hope. If you have hope, you’ll be able to overcome problems you face. But if you’re without hope, your difficulties will increase. Hope is linked to compassion and loving kindness. In my own experience. I’ve faced all sorts of difficulties in my life, but I never gave up hope. Also, being truthful and honest is a basis for hope and self-confidence. Being truthful and honest is a counter to false hope. Hope founded on truth and honesty is strong and powerful.”
Pico Iyer: Can we train ourselves to be more realistic in our hopes?
HH Dalai Lama: “Our human brain, our intelligence, enables us to take a long view, not thinking only of our immediate needs. We can adopt a broader perspective and consider what is in our long-term interest. In terms of Buddhist practice, for example, we talk about aeons and aeons and serving all sentient beings, which strengthens our self-confidence.
Pico Iyer: Is hope not connected with religion?
HH Dalai Lama: “Generally, religion is a question of faith, but when we bask in our mother’s affection, there’s no faith involved. Faith is something human beings have created. All the major religious traditions teach the importance of kindness and love. Some say there’s a God, others deny it. Some say we go on for life after life, others assert that we live only one life. These traditions propound different philosophical points of view, but they share the message of loving kindness.
“Theistic traditions like Christianity teach that we are all created by God, who, like a father, embodies infinite love. It’s a powerful idea that can help us recognise the importance of being kind.
“We are social creatures, dependent on our community. And as members of a community, even people with no faith or belief can keep their peace of mind by being considerate, truthful and honest. Being honest and compassionate are not necessarily religious qualities, but they contribute to our being able to lead a happy life. Being concerned about our own community lends to our own survival. The key factor is compassion. Anger is its opposite. Anger destroys happiness and harmony.
“We need a sense of the oneness of humanity. It’s because I cultivate this that wherever I go and whoever I meet I regard as just another human being; a brother or sister. We seven billion human beings are essentially the same. We do have differences of nationality, colour, faith and social status, but to focus only on them is to create problems for ourselves.
“Imagine you’ve escaped from some catastrophe and find yourself all alone. If you see someone in the distance coming towards, you won’t care about their nationality, race or faith, you’ll just be glad to meet another human being. Desperate situations encourage us to recognise the oneness of humanity.
“There’s been enough war and violence in the past. Nowadays, when we face serious problems as a result of the climate crisis, we have to help each other. We have to make an effort to live together happily while we can.”
Pico Iyer: You mention global warming. How can we remain hopeful in the face of such a challenge?
HH Dalai Lama: “Global warming is a good reason not to squabble with each other. We must learn to live together. We are all human beings and we are all living on this one planet. We can’t adopt an out-of-date stance thinking only of ‘my nation’, ‘my community’, we have to take account of the whole of humanity.”
Pico Iyer: Have you ever worried about losing hope?
HH Dalai Lama: “Only on 17th March 1959 as I was leaving Lhasa. I really wondered if I would live to see the following day. Then, the next morning, the sun rose and I thought, ‘I’ve survived’. One of the Chinese generals had asked to be informed where the Dalai Lama stayed in the Norbulingka so he could avoid shelling it. Whether he really wanted to protect me or target me, I don’t know. On that occasion I felt some anxiety.
“Next day, when we reached the Che-la pass, the man who was leading my horse told me that it was the last place from which we could see the Potala Palace and the city of Lhasa. He turned my horse so I was able to take a last look.
“Eventually we reached India, the source of all our knowledge and the Nalanda approach to learning. Since childhood I’d been steeped in this tradition of investigation with its application of reason and logic. Faith rooted in logic is sound. Otherwise, it’s fragile.
“Today, scientists are intrigued by our analytical approach, which provides a basis for our discussions. In addition, we cultivate ‘shamatha’ to achieve a calm and focussed mind as well as ‘vipashyana’ insight as a result of analysis. And besides these qualities we cultivate ‘ahimsa’ and ‘karuna’ — non-violence and compassion — on the basis of reason.”
Pico Iyer: So many have been affected by the Covid pandemic. How can we deal with death and loss?
HH Dalai Lama: “I really appreciate the efforts of all the doctors and nurses who have given and are giving help those who are sick.
“As a Buddhist, I see this body as something that predisposes us to falling ill. But maintaining peace of mind makes a difference. Anxiety just makes things worse. If you have a calm mind and you can accept that we fall ill as a result of our karma, it can help.”
Pico Iyer: Your Holiness you have great faith in young people. Are they the basis of your hope?
HH Dalai Lama: “Older people tend to look to the past, to the way things have been done before. Young people tend to be more open, to have more interest in the mind. Modern education has its origins in the West, but ancient India cultivated an extensive understanding of the workings of the mind and emotions. Ancient India outlined more than fifty types of emotion. I believe that India today can combine the materialistic thinking of modern education with an understanding of how to tackle destructive emotions.”
Pico Iyer: How can an ordinary person find peace of mind?
HH Dalai Lama: “Modern education in India was introduced by the British, but as I’ve already mentioned, I believe it can be usefully combined with the ancient Indian understanding of the workings of the mind and secular ways to achieve mental comfort. In addition, it can be combined with methods for tackling destructive emotions. When the pandemic is over, I’m looking forward to holding discussions with Indian educators about how this could be done.”
Pico Iyer: Is the world a better place than it was when you were born almost 86 years ago?
HH Dalai Lama: “People no longer take things for granted as they once did. Events like this pandemic and global warming present challenges that compel us to examine how we can deal with them. Difficulties can make us open our minds and employ our intelligence. The Indian Buddhist master Shantideva advised us to examine the problems before us to see if they can be solved. If they can, then that’s what we have to do. Worrying won’t help. Challenges can wake us up.
“The younger generation tend to be more open-minded, while older people stick to established patterns. It’s the younger people who will adopt a fresh approach to overcoming problems.”
Pico Iyer: Some people worry that there is increasing anger and violence in the world today. Do you agree or do you remain hopeful?
HH Dalai Lama: “Last century there was so much bloodshed. But after the second world war, former foes, Adenauer and de Gaulle founded the EU. Since then, there’s been no fighting amongst its member states. The entire world should adopt such an attitude of concern for the greater good of the whole of humanity. Conflicts and difficult situations tend to prompt us to turn to out of date ways of thinking — a resort to the use of force, for example — when we should adopt a fresh and more humane approach.
“I think that if I had remained in Lhasa, I’d think more narrowly than I do. Coming to India as a refugee has opened and broadened my mind and induced me to use my intelligence.”
Pico Iyer: How can we help Tibet and ensure the survival of Tibetan culture?
HH Dalai Lama: “Since 2001, I’ve retired from political involvement, but I still feel a responsibility to preserve Tibetan culture. In the eighth century, the Tibetan Emperor invited Shantarakshita, a great philosopher and correspondingly great logician to Tibet. He introduced the Nalanda Tradition, which has much in common with scientific thinking. It’s founded on taking a logical, investigative approach.
“At that time, there were Chinese Buddhist teachers in Tibet who asserted that the practice of meditation was more important than study. Shantarakshita’s disciple Kamalashila debated the merits of the Chinese and the Indian approaches before the Emperor. The Indian tradition prevailed and the Chinese meditators were invited to return to China. Since then, we have embraced logic. The key Indian treatises on reason, logic and epistemology were translated into Tibetan. This, the foundation of the Nalanda Tradition, is what we have kept alive.
“Nowadays, in remote parts of Tibet, despite the efforts of Chinese communist hardliners to oppose it, study of these traditions goes on. In India we have re-established our major centres of learning and more than 10,000 monastics are engaged in rigorous study.”
Pico Iyer: Can you explain emotional hygiene?
HH Dalai Lama: “It involves recognizing, for example, that the most effective destroyer of peace of mind is anger, but that anger can be countered by developing altruism and compassion for others. Ignorance, another mental affliction, also brings us problems, and it can be undermined by study. A great Tibetan scholar once remarked that even if I’m to die tomorrow, it’s still worth studying today.”
Pico Iyer: Is interest in Tibetan Buddhism growing in China?
HH Dalai Lama: “Yes, even among university teachers. We have published several volumes in a series entitled ‘Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics’ and Chinese translations have reached them. As a result, they have developed a greater appreciation of our tradition. Perhaps they see that Buddhist education is so much deeper than Marxist totalitarianism.”
Pico Iyer: Do you have any words of advice for the students of the University of California, Santa Barbara?
HH Dalai Lama: “This university is important. Our future must be founded on education. We need new knowledge. It’s important that professors can conduct research and pass on what they learn to their students. This university can make a significant contribution to our ability to create a better world. Thank you.”
Michael Drake, who is President of the University of California thanked His Holiness for sharing his time. He observed that His Holiness has been associated with UCSB for forty years and that twenty years ago saw the founding of the 14th Dalai Lama Chair of Tibetan Studies. He thanked Pico Iyer for leading the conversation. He noted that compassion is important in the lives of all seven billion human beings alive today and ended with thanks to Chancellor Yang and Celesta Billeci for organizing the event.
His Holiness responded with his own thanks and the suggestion that from time to time it will be possible to hold further conversations like todays over the internet. “Any contribution I can make to the betterment of the world, it’s my duty to do. I may be getting older, but my brain is still ok. The purpose of our lives is to serve humanity.”
Celesta Billeci ended the session, thanking His Holiness, Pico Iyer and President Drake once more and expressing her optimism that the University’s initiative ‘Creating Hope’ will have benefited others. She concluded by quoting His Holiness:
“Be kind whenever possible; it is always possible.”
–Sourced from dalailama.com
With much enthusiasm and excitement, more than 60 thousand Tibetans in over 30 countries took part in the preliminary round of elections to choose their new leader known as Sikyong and the members of the exile Tibetan Parliament.
The results will be announced by the Election Commission through a press conference tomorrow (Monday 8 February) at 11am IST.
For the Sikyong results, the Election Commission will announce Penpa Tsering as leading in the first round with close to 24 thousand votes, followed by Kaydor Aukatsang securing close to 14,000 votes. Gyari Dolma trailed Kaydor with a difference of around 700 votes, leaving her out of the race for Sikyong.
A total of about 60 thousand exile Tibetans cast their votes in the elections, which also chose candidates for the 45 members of the exile Tibetan Parliament.
Of the members of Parliament, five incumbent and five new from the younger generation are expected for each of the three provinces. The two incumbent representatives from North/South America have been voted out, to be replaced with two new representatives. In Europe, a veteran member who was ousted in April of last year has been elected to be representative again, along with a fresh representative. Australasia will also see a new representative.
Those who could be candidates will be declared on 21 March, with two contestants for the post of Sikyong, and more than 90 candidates (along with some volunteer candidates) for members of Parliament. There will be time for about a month for those in the list to withdraw their names, so that the final list could be drawn.
The final round of voting will be held on 11 April, and the official results will announced on 20 May. The new members of the Parliament will take their oath of office on 28 May, and the new Sikyong will likely be sworn-in in the following days.
Everyone commended the smooth and peaceful conclusion of the preliminary round of voting. However there were a few incidents of malfunctions.
The counting in Bodh Gaya took place the next day on the 5th January, but the election rule 34 (6)(a) has it that there wouldn’t be any counting in the 24 hours following an election.
There was re-voting for about 30 people at a polling station in Ladakh following a complaint that someone helping another voter had written the name of his choice rather than what the person wanted.
Tibet Sun has learned that the complainant was an election staff, who asked the voter for whom he was voting. Upon learning whom this voter was favouring, the staff checked his ballot paper and found out that the helper had written a different person’s name.
Following the row, all 30-something people there were asked to re-cast their votes, which is not according to the rules.
Explaining this issue, the Speaker Pema Jungney said that the re-poll has infringed the election rules. He said that the matter should have been investigated and the wrongdoer should have been punished.
Jungney also added that the election staff have no right to ask who someone was voting for, nor to check the ballot paper of any voter. He said that the staff member had also violated election rules by this behaviour.
In Sataun settlement, the results have not been made public at all. According to election rule 34(6)(a), the results need to be made public within 24 hours of the counting. Tibet Sun’s attempts on clarification didn’t convince the Regional Election Commissioner of the settlement.
The Chief Election Commissioner remained unapproachable throughout the election process. Tibet Sun then approached the secretary of the Election Commission, Tenzin Norbu, about the Sataun REC not making the results public, Norbu supported the action of the REC Sataun, and insisted that it was not required to make the results public. “To make it public is not mentioned in the rules,” said Norbu.
Pema Jungney said that to say it is not required to announce results publicly is distortion of the rules. “It is clearly mentioned in the rules that election results should be made public, within 24 hours of the counting” he said.
Perhaps the most serious gaffe in this election was the Election Commission;s appointment of Assistant Regional Election Commissions, rather than Regional Election Commissions (REC), in countries outside India, Nepal, and Bhutan.
Australia, Europe, and North/South America have only one REC each. All the Representatives are RECs in these countries.
Election rule 12 mandates that the EC appoint RECs at all the regional election committees. The Regional Election Commissioner could be a CTA employee, or, in the absence of a CTA employee, any reliable local resident could be appointed Regional Election Commissioner.
Without the Regional Election Commissioner, counting cannot take place, but in all the polling locations in Australia, Europe, and North/South America, counting took place with the Assistant Regional Election Commission.
Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson speaking at a press briefing on MondayBeijing [China], January 25 (ANI): Days after a physical brawl between the Chinese and the Indian Army took place on January 20 along the Line of Actual Control in Sikkim, the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday “urged” India to “refrain from actions that might complicate the situation along the border”.
Speaking at a press briefing, Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, also claimed that the Chinese border troops are “committed to upholding peace and tranquillity along the border with India”.
“I would like to stress though that China’s border troops are committed to upholding peace and tranquillity along the border with India,” he was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.
“We urge the Indian side to work in the same direction as us and refrain from actions that might escalate or complicate the situation along the border,” he said while adding that both countries will take “proper actions to manage their differences and take concrete actions to safeguard peace and stability along the border”.
This comes after the Indian Army had confirmed that a physical brawl between the Indian and Chinese soldiers took place on January 20.
“It is clarified that there was a minor face-off between Indian Army and Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops at Naku La, Sikkim on January 20. It was resolved by local commanders as per established protocols,” the Indian Army said.
According to earlier sources, soldiers from both sides were injured during the brawl.
This comes amid the ongoing standoff between India and China.
In June last year, 20 Indian soldiers, including a Colonel, lost their lives in the face-off in clashes with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley.
The ninth round of Corps Commander Level talks between India and China to address the ongoing military standoff in Ladakh ended at 2:30 am on Monday.
The meeting lasted for more than 15 hours after starting at 11 am on Sunday at Moldo opposite Chushul in the Eastern Ladakh sector.
The two countries have been engaged in a stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since April-May last year. While China began amassing massive military strength along the LAC, India responded with a befitting build-up.
Multiple rounds of talks have failed to yield any significant result in defusing border tensions. (ANI)
<p class="post-meta">
<span class="date"><i class="icon-calendar"/> Dec 23, 2020</span>
<span class="meta-user"><i class="icon-user"/> <a href="https://www.buddhisttimes.news/author/shyamal/" title="Posts by Shyamal Sinha" rel="author" rel="nofollow">Shyamal Sinha</a></span>
<span class="meta-cat"><i class="icon-book"/> <a href="https://www.buddhisttimes.news/category/also-in-the-news/" rel="category tag" rel="nofollow">ALSO IN THE NEWS</a>, <a href="https://www.buddhisttimes.news/category/breakingnews/" rel="category tag" rel="nofollow">BREAKING NEWS</a></span>
<span class="meta-comment last-meta"><span>Comments Off<span class="screen-reader-text"> on His Holiness the Dalai Lama with Greta Thunberg and leading scientists: A Conversation on the Crisis of Climate Feedback Loops Inbox</span></span></span>
</p>
<hr class="none"/>
From the destruction of forests to the thawing of permafrost, the effects of human-induced climate change have set into motion self-perpetuating feedback loops that are accelerating global warming. The participants will explore steps for addressing this urgent set of challenges. The conversation will be moderated by Diana Chapman Walsh, President emerita of Wellesley College. Read more.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is one of the earliest advocates for environmental protection and sustainability. In recognition of his contribution, His Holiness was awarded the United Nation Earth Prize in 1991. He is one of the first Nobel Laureate to be recognized, among others, for their environmental conservation effort.
In his new book, Our Only Home: A Climate Appeal to the World, His Holiness speaks to the urgent need for climate action and praises Greta Thunberg and other young climate activists for their determination to bring about positive change.
Those interested may watch the live webcast in Tibetan, English, Chinese and other languages on the official websites and Facebook pages of the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The livestream will begin from 9 a.m. IST, 10 January 2021 (10:30 p.m. EST, 9 January 2021).
Viewers are requested to please follow their local social distancing rules.
Know more about His Holiness’ upcoming events here.
<hr class="none"/>
In his August speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping had called party leaders to build an “impregnable fortress” to maintain peace and stability in Tibet (REUTERS)
China has been massively ramping up its military infrastructure, not just around the stand-off locations but along other stretches of the Line of Actual Control under the People’s Liberation Army’s Western Theatre Command. The deployment and the renewed focus on infrastructure upgrade has prompted Indian officials to suspect that the rapid militarisation of the border may be also linked to continuing efforts by President Xi Jinping to drive sinicization of Tibet with Han domination over Buddhist Lhasa.
“We would ordinarily have expected the mobilisation and the focus of the infra upgrade to be limited to the stand-off points, mostly aimed at warding off any armed threat from India to occupied Aksai Chin. But this is not the case,” a top national security planner said. “There has been a clear effort to militarise the autonomous region through infrastructure upgrade”.
The official cited recent satellite imagery of the Tibet region that shows shelters to house fighter jets in an excavated hill at Gonggar airbase in Lhasa, massive storage facility at Golmud in Qinghai province, a new road between Xinjiang region’s Kanxiwar, used as forward deployment base during 1962 war, to the Hotan airbase and border upgrade at Nyangulu and Nyingchi across Arunachal Pradesh. Nyangulu, 60 kilometres from the Arunachal border, was again used as a forward PLA camp in the 1962 war.
Also Read: Dalai Lama and Tibet card hold key in future India-China border escalation | Analysis
The development of Shiquanhe a mere 82 kilometres from the Demchok Line of Actual Control and construction of shelters near Mabdo La camp in occupied Aksai Chin means that while the focus of the global community will be on India-China stand-off, the Chinese communist leadership will continue to put its indelible stamp on Tibet.
A second official pointed to paramount leader Xi Jinping’s call on 20 August 2020 to build an “impregnable fortress” to maintain peace and stability in Tibet and spoke of an ironclad shield to ensure stability in the region. Speaking at Communist Party Symposium on Tibet Work, Xi directed the party leaders to solidify border defences, ensure frontier security in Tibet and plant “the seeds of loving China in the depths of the heart of every (Tibetan) youth.”
The Chinese concern over Tibet has heightened with the US appointing Robert A Destro, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor as the new special coordinator for Tibet issue on October 14 after a hiatus of four years. Tasked with a mandate of promoting dialogue between the People’s Republic of China and the 14th Dalai Lama to protect the unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity of Tibetans, Destro met Lobsang Sangay, head of Tibetan government-in-exile, a day later in Washington. This was the first time that a US State Department official met the leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile in six decades.
Also Read: Xi’s call for bolstering defences in Tibet ‘misguided’ and ‘unrealistic’: Lobsang Sangay
While China has fiercely opposed the appointment of a US coordinator on Tibetan affairs, intelligence reports confirm that for Tibetan Buddhist the 14th Dalai Lama is still considered a living god with his pictures being displayed prominently in houses in the outskirts of Lhasa. Beijing calls the Dalai Lama, who is treated by India as an “honoured guest” and a spiritual leader, a splittist and a terrorist.
China is already preparing for the succession of the temporal leader of Tibetans so that the communist party can control Buddhist culture while the PLA builds a military wall on the border with India.