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Prime Minister John Howard's failure to tackle human rights issues in China undermines Australia's bid to lead the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, Human Rights Watch said today.

The United States accused China on Thursday of backsliding on human rights promises that led U.S. officials to drop a resolution criticizing Beijing's record at a U.N. gathering.

Tibetans are hoping Chinese President Hu Jintao may relax Beijing's hardline policy on Tibet as the government launched a media campaign Thursday to promote its position on the region.

The theme of the eighth annual Tibetan Festival this weekend at Seattle Center is "Spiritual Music and Dance." "We hope to bring an aura of peace and harmony to the Puget Sound area," said festival producer Tenzin Choegyal.

In an attempt to extend its influence over the Himalayan region, the Chinese government has been throwing vast sums of money into infrastructure in impoverished Tibetan areas, officials said Friday.

Aftermath of floods in Yushu. Photo : The Jinpa Trust

Tibetans who lost their livestock and livelihoods in snowstorms in Qinghai province in 1995-7 have now lost their homes due to the most severe storms that have been reported in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello Photo: unhchr.org

The Central Tibetan Administration expressed its deep regret over the demise of Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello while serving in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital.

Your Excellency, I am shocked and deeply distressed that the UN Office in Baghdad has been attacked and that many people, including Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, UN Envoy in Iraq have been killed and many others injured by a bomb blast.