News

A round-faced, shaven-headed self-described "simple Buddhist monk" will be visiting South Florida the next few days to talk about world peace, patience and forbearance in the face of enemies, things he knows about from long and bitter experience.

U.N. human rights investigators will travel to China, including Tibet, next week to interview inmates in prisons, psychiatric hospitals and labour camps, the United Nations said on Thursday.

Scores of Tibetan students of Sherab Gatsel Lobling School (Tibetan Transit School) were taken ill with suspected food poisoning today after they had their dinner in the school last night.

China confirmed on Thursday that supporters of the Dalai Lama were visiting China and said it hoped they would take a positive message back to the Tibetan spiritual leader.

With the television channels reporting an alleged food poisoning in Sherab Gatsel school known widely as Sogar Lopta, Mr. Yonten Norbu, the principal of the school said that food poisoning was not the reason for the hospitalisation of some students of the school.

The Italian Parliamentary Group for Tibet reaffirmed its support to the peaceful resolution of Tibet issue. Mr. Gianni Vernetti, the president of the forum told reporters at a press conference held here that the forum has raised the issue of Tibet in the Italian parliament.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama left on a six-nation visit to the United States and Latin America this morning. His Holiness is scheduled to visit Florida, USA, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.

Three human rights groups based in the Czech Republic called on the international community to force mainland China to improve its human rights record before 2006 or strip it of the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games, according to local human rights activists.

The United States recognizes the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and Tibetan autonomous counties and prefectures in other provinces to be a part of the People's Republic of China.

Xiao Bai, 56, vice mayor of Lhasa, recently had to suffer through embarrassing minutes. During one of the rare press conferences for foreign journalists he was asked by which law Tibetans are forbidden to display publicly pictures of the popular Dalai Lama.