Tibet news stories on Newser

Dalai Lama Donates $1.5M to Charity

Matt Cantor — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:59:05 CDT

It's a big news day for the Dalai Lama, from the dangerous to the charitable. He will today be awarded $1.5 million for his services to human spirituality, and he's giving away all of the winnings. He'll donate some $1.45 million to India's Save the Children and more...

Dalai Lama: China Training Women to Poison Me

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:25:22 CDT

The Dalai Lama fears assassination by the Chinese—and being eaten by a shark after a plane crash. The revelations emerged in wide-ranging interview published yesterday in the Telegraph . Disciples have uncovered information that Chinese agents in Tibet are training Tibetan women to pose as devotees in a plot to...

China's Tibet Leader Makes Rare Speech

Matt Cantor — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:28:05 CDT

Tibetan Buddhism's second-highest leader—selected by China but not recognized by the Dalai Lama's supporters—spoke today in Hong Kong, appearing for the first time outside the Chinese mainland. The 22-year-old Gyaltsen Norbu, picked by China at age 6, offered thoughts on Buddhist philosophy as China works to gain Tibetan...

Tibet's New Hero: Man Who Set Self on Fire in India

Kate Schwartz — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:00:20 CDT

At least 29 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in various Tibetan regions of China in the last year—but a man who self-immolated in India on Monday and died today is being seen as the new face of the cause. That's because images of Jamphel Yeshi's flaming body have...

Tibet Nun, 18, Sets Self Ablaze

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 09:11:23 CST

An 18-year-old Tibetan nun has set herself on fire in western China in the latest such protest against Beijing's handling of the vast ethnic Tibetan regions it rules, an overseas activist group said today. Free Tibet said in a statement that the nun had died after setting herself ablaze yesterday....

Restive Tibet on Lockdown

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:36:32 CST

Following a series of violent clashes in Ganzi, China appears to have put Tibet on lockdown. Phone and Internet have been cut, and military and police are pouring into the region to restrict movement. The west of Sichuan province, which borders Tibet and has a large population of ethnic Tibetans,...

Tibetan Shot Dead in China Protest

Matt Cantor — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:40:24 CST

At least one Tibetan protester was killed and at least 31 others were wounded after security forces fired on a demonstration in China yesterday. The most violent incident in ethnic Tibetan China since 2008 came just a week and a half after another shooting in Sichuan province left two protesters...

Monk's Body Paraded After Self-Immolation

Mark Russell — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:24:01 CST

The body of a monk who killed himself yesterday morning by drinking kerosene, dousing himself, and lighting himself on fire was taken from the police in western China by hundreds of angry Tibetans and paraded through the streets, reports the AP . Police initially refused to hand over the body, but...

Coming Soon: World's Highest Airport

Kate Schwartz — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:05:04 CST

It will soon take a little less effort to soar into the clouds: China will next year break ground on the world's highest airport. The $280 million airport is scheduled to open in 2015 in Tibet's Nagqu county. Its planned height: 14,553 feet above sea level, inching out the...