Dalai Lama celebrates 90th birthday amid China tensions
The website for the Dalai Lama said in a statement that the celebration was organized by the Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan government-in-exile, formed after the Dalai Lama fled the 1959 failed uprising against Chinese rule.
The Dalai Lama did not lead the uprising, but rumors of Chinese plans to kidnap him fueled the resistance, and he was forced to flee to India for his safety -- where he established the CTA. Tibet remains tightly controlled by Beijing despite its classification as an "autonomous region," as does the majority of the population following Tibetan Buddhism.
Since his exile in 1959, the Dalai Lama's relationship with China has been marked by decades of tension as Beijing condemned him as a separatist while he advocates for Tibetan autonomy through nonviolence and dialogue.
Last week, the aging Dalai Lama signaled that China should refrain from interfering in the process for his succession, while China has increasingly begun to warn off what it views as interference by India and reinforce its position that the succession of the spiritual leader should be held in accordance with Chinese law.
Bethany Nelson, Deputy Secretary of State for India and Bhutan, read a statement on behalf of Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the birthday festivities.
"The United States remains firmly committed to promoting respect for the human rights and the fundamental freedoms of the Tibetan people," Nelson said. "We respect efforts to preserve their distinct linguistic, cultural and religious heritage, including their ability to freely choose and venerate their religious leaders without interference."
Former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama also delivered video messages that were shown during the celebrations, praising the Nobel Laureate as a voice for peace. The CTA particularly noted that Lai Ching-te, the president of Taiwan, which China views as a wayward province, had extended birthday wishes to the Dalai Lama.
The birthday celebration also comes days after the administration of President Donald Trump decided to walk back cuts to aid for Tibetans in exile. Penpa Tsering, the Sikyong or, political leader, of the CTA, addressed the cancellation of those cuts in a statement from the celebrations.
He mentioned that a "substantial delegation" from the U.S. State Department and staff from the U.S. Embassy in Delhi worked diligently with the CTA to restore some of the funds.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
20 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Special prosecutor begins probe into Unification Church executives
SEOUL, July 9 (UPI) -- South Korea's special prosecutor has formally designated Hak‑ja Han, head of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, popularly known as the Unification Church, as a criminal suspect. The office is extending its investigation to include allegations of bribery via a religious intermediary, embezzlement of church funds for casino gambling and interference in law enforcement. Prosecutors allege that luxury goods -- including designer handbags and diamond jewelry -- were acquired to be given to the former First Lady Keon‑hee Kim, wife of the recently impeached former President Suk-yeol Yoon. The items had been transferred through Seong‑bae Jeon, known as "Geonjin Beopsa," a spiritual adviser to the church. Investigators are working to establish whether directives came from senior church officials and if funds were misused for political influence. The special prosecutor's office has announced that summonses will be issued soon to several senior Unification Church executives. Among those investigators are set to question Young‑ho Yoon, former director-general of the church's world headquarters; Young-ho Yoon's wife, previously a leading figure in church finances; Won‑joo Jung, deputy director at the church's central Cheonmu Institute. To date, no such individuals have been taken into custody or formally interviewed, but prosecutors have confirmed plans to bring them in for questioning as part of the unfolding inquiry. A travel ban had been placed on all three. Won-joo Jung had been granted permission last month to visit her critically ill husband. However, to date, she has not yet returned to Korea. Financial audit teams uncovered records indicating that church donations -- totaling tens of billions of Korean won -- were allegedly used for gambling at Las Vegas casinos, dating from 2008 through earlier this year. Investigators traced rewards‑club reports reflecting substantial bets and gaming sessions attributed to church figures. Prosecutors are also probing whether the church attempted to obstruct a separate police investigation into this gambling activity. Authorities executed search and seizure operations July 8, seeking internal communications that could demonstrate exertion of political pressure or bribery to obstruct the earlier inquiry. This probe spans multiple suspected criminal offenses: illicit transfer of luxury goods as political bribes, embezzlement of church funds for gambling, obstruction of justice through interference with police investigations, and potential collusion involving religious leaders, former police officials and political intermediaries. The formal opening of a criminal case into Hak‑ja Han marks a pivotal escalation in this investigation. As summonses to key church figures draw closer and forensic evidence continues to accumulate, questions are mounting about the church's financial and political entanglements. This case has generated intense interest in the Korea media over past several months. It represents one of the most high-stakes probes into religious-political influence in South Korea, raising significant questions about institutional transparency and accountability. Earlier this year, the Tokyo District Court issued an order for the dissolution of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification in Japan -- formerly called Unification Church Japan. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Miami Herald
20 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Vietnam Intercepts China Research Ship Near Coast
Vietnam recently deployed a ship to intercept a Chinese survey vessel operating off its east coast, according to ship tracking data. The Chinese vessel spent much of the second half of June within Vietnam's maritime zone, in what Hanoi says is a violation of its sovereignty. Vietnam is one of several countries in the region with overlapping claims in the South China Sea, through which as much as one-third of global shipping passes each year. Beijing's sovereignty claims, which extend across most of the strategic waterway, have been a persistent source of tension with Vietnam and other countries in the region, as have Chinese coast guard, paramilitary, and research activities in the maritime zones of China's neighbors. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese embassy in Vietnam by email with a request for comment. Open-source data from Global Fishing Watch's ship-tracking platform shows that the Bei Diao 996, a twin-hulled research vessel, departed China's southernmost province of Hainan on June 10. From that point until July 4, the ship remained within or just outside Vietnam's exclusive economic zone (EEZ)-an area extending 230 miles from the country's coastline, where foreign fishing and survey activities are prohibited under maritime law without Vietnam's permission. For much of this period, the vessel conducted what appeared to be a hydrographic survey, repeatedly crossing into the EEZ in a "lawnmower pattern" commonly seen in seafloor mapping. On June 19, the Vietnamese fisheries vessel Kiem Ngu 471 can be seen departing from the coast and making a beeline for Bei Diao 996. The vessel spent the rest of June shadowing the Chinese ship, only leaving the area last week after Bei Diao 996 set a course back toward Hainan last week. "Vietnam's sustained response demonstrates its concern over China's intrusive survey tactics," said Ray Powell, director of the Stanford University-affiliated maritime analysis group SeaLight, who flagged the ship tracks on X (formerly Twitter). Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang pointed out during a press conference Thursday that foreign research and survey operations conducted within the country's EEZ are "violations of its sovereignty and jurisdiction" under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. At nearly 330 feet long and displacing 7,384 tons, Bei Diao 996 is outfitted to test deep-sea equipment, according to the state-owned China Classification Society. Analysts have previously flagged Chinese research vessels engaging in suspicious activities and warned they may be gathering intelligence-such as information on undersea cables or nearby military assets-that could strengthen China's strategic position in the region. Bei Diao 996's movements come against a backdrop of maritime friction between China and Vietnam. Hanoi bristled earlier this year after Beijing again announced an annual fishing ban covering waters within the EEZs of Vietnam, the Philippines, and several other neighbors. Vietnam has also protested China's move in 2024 and again this year to unilaterally introduce new territorial baselines in the Gulf of Tonkin in a bid to redefine its jurisdictional boundaries. Jun Kajee, lecturer at Southern Utah University and a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy, wrote in a report published by SeaLight last month: "Routine Chinese survey operations in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Taiwan Strait are no longer isolated events-they have become a defining feature of the region's maritime landscape. "These missions, often met with diplomatic protests from countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, and Japan, consistently raise tensions and test the resolve of neighboring states to defend their own maritime claims." China has yet to publicly respond to Vietnam's protest. Chinese maritime activities, including surveys and coast guard patrols in disputed areas, are likely to remain a point of friction in the South China Sea. Related Articles Map Shows 'Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone' Backed by Russia and ChinaUS Flexes Air Power With Ally in Contested South China SeaThe Limits of the New Anti-Western Axis | OpinionChina Military Uses Laser on US Ally's Aircraft: What to Know 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
UPI
32 minutes ago
- UPI
Judge orders mental evaluation in appeal for Laken Riley's convicted killer
The 2024 murder of 22-year-old Georgia university student Laken Riley received a lot of attention from President Donald Trump, who in January signed into law the Laken Riley Act (pictured). File Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- A Georgia judge ordered a mental evaluation for Jose Ibarra, the man convicted in the 2024 murder of 22-year-old university student Laken Riley. It will determine if Ibarra, a native of Venezuela, was mentally competent at the time of the crime and later at trial, including whether he understood the legal consequences of waiving a trial by jury and if he is mentally equipped to assist in his own appeal. In November, Ibarra was convicted of malice murder and other related charges in the February 2024 attack that left Riley, a nursing student, dead near a wooded trail on the campus of the University of Georgia. It was the impetus behind the Laken Riley Act, decried as a political move by opponents and which passed the Senate and was signed by U.S. President Donald Trump on January 29. The decision to call for the mental evaluation was issued last week by Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard, who sentenced Ibarra to life in prison with no chance of parole. Haggard's order filed on Thursday instructs officials to figure out if the undocumented migrant was "capable of understanding the nature and object of pretrial proceedings, including waiver of jury trial rights." Ibarra, 27, is hoping to vacate his guilty sentence or secure a new court trial after his attorneys filed a new-trial motion only weeks after his conviction late last year. His legal team argued that the guilty verdict was "contrary to law" and evidence. Ibarra, who speaks Spanish as a first language and possibly faced a language barrier, was characterized as "a slow learner" last month during a virtual hearing by defense attorney David Dodds. The state, for its part, did not oppose the evaluation request but filed a separate motion to seek public money to retain expert witnesses for a possible court appeal.
