I News India - Empowering Ideas!

The annual Mansarovar yatra that was to begin from June one has been canceled today. Following China’s inability to receive the pilgrims due to ‘domestic reasons’, India has announced the cancellation of the visit of first two batches of pilgrims for the visit.

It is told by an official spokesman that the pilgrimage will be delayed to June 13 with batch number three scheduled to leave from New Delhi and efforts were being made with the Chinese authorities to accommodate the pilgrims of the first two batches in the following ones.

China was recently hit by a massive earthquake causing widespread death and destruction.

The government of the Peoples Republic of China conveyed to the Ministry of External Affairs, India, that on account of domestic reasons they would not be in a position to receive pilgrims before June 21.

Tags: China, India, Mansarovar Yatra, Tibet

Dalai Lama said that he do not want the separation in Tibet but seeks autonomy there to preserve the unique culture and traditions.

Replying to the claim of China that Dalai Lama supports separation in Tibet, the spiritual leader said, “”The whole world knows we are not seeking separation.

He stressed that Chinese constitution is on papers only while he wants to implement the same genuinely through introduction of autonomy in Tibet.

The exiled Tibetan leader is presently in New York.

“We really need an arrangement of full protection of Tibetan language and culture,” he told a gathering at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York.

Meanwhile the protesters shouted slogans against the leader’s stand on the issue of autonomy in Tibet and his ban on the worship of Dorje Shugden, a protective deity in the Tibetan Buddhist faith.

“Chinese students from nearby institutes, including Cornell University, Hamilton College and Syracuse University, asked the Dalai Lama to stop what they called “his attempts to divide China by separating Tibet,” The Observer-Dispatch wrote.

Tags: Autonomous, China, India, Tibet

Much feared of any mishappening due to protest all over the world, the Indian leg of Olympic Torch Relay ended peacefully in New Delhi on Thursday. After the relay, IOA President Suresh Kalmadi congratulated all the torch bearers and others present.

The Olympic cauldron was lit at India Gate by Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, culminating the Olympic torch relay run in the capital.

Despite threats from Tibetan protesters Olympic torch relay started from Rashtrapati Bhawan amid tight security along the 2.3 Km stretch of the relay in Delhi guarded by as many as 17,000 security personnel. The relay lasted for around 40 minutes. Around 70 celebrities took part in the relay including sports stars, film stars and politicians.

Indian leg is considered much sensitive place in global voyage of the relay as about one lakh exiled Tibetans are living here. They are protesting against Chinese crackdown in Lhasa.

The relay began with IOA President Suresh Kalmadi handing over the torch to prominent sports persons such as Anju Bobby George, Zafar Iqbal and Abhinav Bindra, from where it passed into the hands of Kunjurani Devi, Saif Ali Khan, Aslam Sher Khan and others.

Sprint Queen P T Usha, former Olympic bronze medalist weightlifter Karnam Malleshwari and world shooting champion Manavjit Singh Sandhu were among other sportspersons took part in the relay.

Among the participants in the rally were a large number of monks attired in traditional red robes, women and children.

They were supported by prominent personalities like George Fernandes, Ramdas Athavale, Jaya Jaitley, Kirti Azad, Swami Agnivesh, Sudheendra Kulkarni and Nafisa Ali.

Around 60 Tibetans were detained as they attempted to block roads and entered into minor clashes with police in various parts of Delhi.

With the area in and around Rajpath out of bounds, hundreds of Tibetans took out a parallel torch relay run from Rajghat, the samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi [Images], to Jantar Mantar, which has been the epicentre of Tibetan protests over the past several days.

Protesters who participated in the relay shouted slogans and Banners like “Free Tibet” and “Azad Tibet, Surakshit Bharat” and waving Tibetan flags.

The public was kept out and all the access roads to the historic stretch was cut off for several hours to ensure a smooth passage of the torch relay, which was earlier plagued by disruptions in London, San Francisco and Paris.

The torch reached New Delhi from Islamabad Yesterday amid tight security which is now going to reach Bangkok after the smooth run on Delhi roads. Suresh Kalmadi said that the IOA is determined to keep up the spirit of the Olympics.

Tags: China, Delhi, India, Lhasa, Olympic, Tibet, Torch

About 100 Tibetan activists attempted to storm the Chinese embassy on Wednesday in New Delhi just before a few hours the Olympic Torch reaches here.

The protesters clashed with police and security personnel when they tried to break the security cordon at around 10:30 am.

Protesters including women demonstrated near the embassy located in high security Chanakyapuri area waving Tibetan flags and wearing hand bands with messages like “Free Tibet”, ‘No Olympics in China”. The Tibetans shouted slogans against China and its leaders including Premier Hu Jintao.

But soon the police and security have resisted them and the protesters were taken to the nearby police station.

The Olympic Torch which is going to reach in New Delhi tonight will be run tomorrow along the 2 Kilometer track in the capital city. Fearing a repeat of disturbances that marred the torch relay in London and Paris, security is tightened along the way from the presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate.

Chinese Ambassador Zhan Yan had yesterday met Delhi Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal to review the security arrangements for the embassy.

Taking security establishment by surprise, 27 Tibetans had yesterday took out their own ‘torch relay’ on Rajpath, the designated route for tomorrow’s Olympic flame run.

Tags: China, Delhi, India, Tibet

Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan on Tuesday denied taking part in Olympic torch relay in New Delhi this week reasoning some strong personal factors behind.

However she didn’t disclose her personal reasons to media but she said that she supports the relay.

Soha who initially said yes to run with the relay along with her actor brother Saif Ali Khan said on Tuesday, “I fully support the Olympic relay and am saddened at the disruptions in its path in various parts of the world as well as the violence in Tibet. But I can’t run due to strong personal reasons.”

Sahin Tendulkar, who initially said ‘Yes’ to hold the torch, also denied today to run because of his groin injury.

Earlier, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Magsaysay Awardee Dr Kiran Bedi and National football captain Bhaichung Bhutia, a Buddhist refused to carry the Olympic torch.

Those who supported the relay includes Leander Paes, actor Saif Ali Khan, Tata Consultancy Services CEO Subramanian Ramadorai, Ingram Micro India CEO Jaishankar Krishnan and orthopaedic surgeon Dr Vaibhav Bagaria from Nagpur including Ex Olympian Milkha Singh and India’s number one golfer Jyoti Randhawa.

The torch-relay is taking place in the wake of worldwide protests by Tibetans against the crackdown in Lhasa.

Olympic torch will reach to Delhi tonight and will go through the Capital tomorrow on April 17.

Tags: China, India, Khan, Olympic, Pakistan, Soha Ali Khan, Tibet, Torch

India’s Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar has pulled out from the Indian leg of the Olympic torch relay going to be held in the Capital city on Thursday, the 17th April. Sachin’s groin injury that ruled him out of the Test series against South Africa is told as the reason behind his refusal.

Sachin said that he was invited by IOA and it is a matter of proud for him. But he will not be able to run because of his fitness.

Olympic torch has arrived in Pakistan’s capital city Islamabad early on Wednesday on the first leg of its relay in Asia. The torch, touring the world ahead of the Olympic Games in Beijing in August, arrived in a chartered plane from Muscat at an airbase in the nearby city of Rawalpindi.

Earlier, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, Magsaysay Awardee Dr Kiran Bedi and National football captain Bhaichung Bhutia, a Buddhist refused to carry the Olympic torch.

The Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan, who initially gave her consent to take part in the relay also refused to run because of some personal reasons.

The torch will reach in Delhi tonight. Fearing Tibetan protest, India also squeezed the route for the relay on Tuesday. The new route is less than a third part of its original 9 Km path. The torch will now travel the two-and-a-half-kilometer route between Vijay Path and India Gate. More than 3000 security personnel have been deployed for the event.

The torch-relay is taking place in the wake of worldwide protests by Tibetans against the crackdown in Lhasa.

Tags: China, India, Olympic, Pakistan, Sachin, Sachin Tendulkar, Tendulkar, Tibet, Torch

Dalai Lama, who is in US for a five-day conference on compassion, while delivered his speech to students on solving problems through dialogs got a huge protest from hundreds of demonstrators outside the college arena. However, inside the arena, the Dalai Lama received an honorary degree and spoke of the importance of employing dialogs and mutual respect to solve problems. The exiled Tibetan leader arrived on Thursday in US when thousands of people have flocked to Seattle to hear his speech but the city`s Chinese community had remained largely silent until yesterday.

Demonstrators held signs alleging media bias and protesting the violence from rioting by Tibetan monks.

Some echoed Beijing`s stand that the Dalai Lama is behind the recent uprising against five decades of Chinese rule. Signs called the Dalai Lama a liar and a “CIA-funded militant.” Many people waved large Chinese flags.

“I think that people are misinformed. They have media discrimination,” demonstrator Jiange Li said. “Tibet was freed - 50 years ago.”

Demonstrators shouted “We love Tibet,” “Stop lying” and “Dalai, your smiles charm, your actions harm.”

The China-born community is the largest Asian immigrant group in Seattle, according to US Census Bureau figures.

However, Seattle has historically been friendly to the Tibetan cause. The Dalai Lama has visited the city several times and has always been warmly welcomed.

Tags: China, Dalai Lama, India, Lama, Tibet

After a worldwide protest in Tibet, the spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Friday arrived first time on a 13-day trip to America. The 72-year old exiled spiritual leader reached in Seattle, the western coastal city of America. He will attend the five days long series of lectures there.

Close sources of him said that there are chances of attending meetings with American political leaders to discuss the issue of Tibet crisis.

The US House of Representatives and Senate passed resolutions on Wednesday condemning the Chinese crackdown in the Himalayan region, urging Beijing to begin talks with the Dalai Lama. The resolution has evoked a harsh and critical response from China.

The Dalai Lama is also scheduled to participate in the ‘Seeds of Compassion’ conference in Seattle. During his 13-day tour he will also visit Mishigun and New York.

Tags: China, Dalai Lama, Tibet, US

The Indian cricket hero, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar is looking forward to participate in the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay to be held in the Capital city on Monday April 17.

Indian Olympics Association president Suresh Kalmandi confirmed his ongoing presence in the relay.

The Olympic relay is in trouble for being protested by Tibetans following China’s crackdown in Tibet. Today demonstrators interrupted the relay in Paris and forced the officials to extinguish the torch twice which is re-lit after a lot of efforts.

There are also strong chances of protest and demonstrations by Tibetans and other human right groups in Delhi also on the day of the torch relay next week against China’s Tibetan policy.

For security concerns and to avoid any mis happening due to protest the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) shortened the route of the relay in Capital city. Earlier the route was set from Red Fort to India Gate covering around 8-9 Km area which is now squeezed to only 2-3 Km.

The batting maestro, who has been ruled out of the ongoing Test series against South Africa, will have the privilege of sharing the honor with greats from diverse fields like Leander Paes, actors Saif Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan, Tata Consultancy Services CEO Subramanian Ramadorai, Ingram Micro India CEO Jaishankar Krishnan and orthopedic surgeon Dr Vaibhav Bagaria from Nagpur.

“It is a great honor for me. I grew up watching the Olympics and I am looking forward to carry the torch,” Tendulkar told.

India’s football captain Baichung Bhutia is the only one who boycotted the relay and denied to take part in it.

Australian cricket player Shane Warne has now retired to be the new face of 888.com. Visit here to see if his cricket skills match his poker skills!

Tags: Baichung Bhutia, China, India, Olympic, Sachin, Saif Ali Khan, Soha Ali Khan, Tendulkar, Tibet, Torch

Due to violent protest over China’s crackdown on Tibet, French officials were forced on Monday to put off Olympic Torch temporarily during the relay through Paris.

Sources said that officials placed the torch in a bus to protect from demonstrators after setting off from the Eiffel Tower. But soon the torch was re-litand relay is resumed after the incident.

However police has already put tight security to protect the torch from the demonstrators. France has deployed more than 3,000 police officers, some on roller blades, along the 28-km Paris leg of relay, to the Charlety stadium, on the southern edge of town; where the torch was due to arrive at 1500 GMT.

The Olympics torch is scheduled to reach the host country Beijing for the 2008 Olympics in August. Although is not meant to be extinguished before reaching the target but all in vain. A traditional lantern that follows the torch, and must not be extinguished at any cost, was spared similar fate.

Several hundred demonstrators waving banners gathered on the Trocadero esplanade, just the other side of the river Seine from the Eiffel Tower. Banners reading “Boycott Chinese goods” and “Save Tibet” were held by the demonstrators.

The Olympic flame arrived at the Charles de Gaulle Airport on Monday, ahead of a high-security tour through the French capital.

The flame was welcomed by China`s Ambassador to France, Mr Kong Quan, and former athlete Guy Drut. But French President Nicholas Sarkozy stayed away from the welcoming ceremony of the torch to register his protest.

Tags: China, France, Olympic, Paris, Tibet, Torch