Foreign News

Thousands turn out to mark Dalai Lama’s 90 birthday

Published

7 months ago

2025/07/6

Priyan

The Dalai Lama appeared in traditional robes and a flowing yellow wrap, smiling and walking with the aid of two monks [BBC]

Thousands of Tibetan Buddhists streamed into India’s Himalayan town of Dharamshala on Sunday to celebrate the 90th birthday of the Dalai Lama.

Ferocious monsoon rains did not dampen the spirits as the Tibetan spiritual leader appeared in traditional robes and a flowing yellow wrap, smiling and walking with the aid of two monks.

The hilltop temples echoed with chants, while dance troupes performed with clanging cymbals and bagpipes.

Indian ministers, long-time followers including Hollywood actor Richard Gere and thousands of devotees gathered to honour the exiled leader, revered as an advocate for peace.

Gere took to the podium at the celebrations with a smile on his face to declare what a “joyous, joyous day” it was “to celebrate this extraordinary life.” He then embraced the Dalai Lama, who he said “totally embodies selflessness”, and kissed his hand.

Sunday’s festivities mark the culmination of a week of long-life prayers that began on Monday, aligned with his birthday on the Tibetan lunar calendar.

At a ceremony on Saturday, the Dalai Lama assured followers of his “great physical condition” and said he would live for another 40 years – to 130 – two decades beyond his previous prediction.

Though he said he typically avoided birthday celebrations, the Dalai Lama thanked followers for using the occasion to reflect on peace of mind and compassion. He referred to himself as a “simple Buddhist monk” and said he had no regrets as he looked back on his life at 90.

Reuters Tibetans in yellow masks and with white fluffy headdresses on, in colourful long-sleeve outfits perform a traditional mask dance in front of a cut-out of the Dalai Lama wearing all orange and yellow atop a throne — *Tibetans perform a traditional mask dance in front of a cut-out of the Dalai Lama [BBC]*

“While it is important to work for material development, it is vital to focus on achieving peace of mind through cultivating a good heart and by being compassionate, not just toward near and dear ones, but toward everyone,” he said in his birthday message.

This week, the Dalai Lama confirmed plans for a successor, putting to rest long-standing speculation over whether the 600-year-old institution would end with him.

According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the Dalai Lama is reincarnated after death – a process deeply rooted in spiritual customs, not political authority.

*Tibetan girls in traditional attire perform during the celebrations [BBC]*

Living in exile since fleeing Chinese rule in 1959, the Dalai Lama has previously said his reincarnation will take place in the “free world”, meaning outside of China.

But Beijing, which considers him a separatist, swiftly rejected his authority to determine a successor.

Chinese officials insist that any succession must follow Chinese laws, religious rituals and historical conventions – and ultimately be approved by the government in Beijing.

*The Dalai Lama cuts his cake [BBC]*

The announcement has reignited fears among Tibetans in exile that China will attempt to name a successor to tighten control over Tibet, the region it occupied in 1950 and has ruled ever since.

The Dalai Lama has long guided the Tibetan diaspora in their struggle for autonomy and resistance to Chinese domination.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended birthday wishes on Sunday, calling him an “enduring symbol of love, compassion, patience and moral discipline”.

Former US President Barack Obama also sent greetings, calling him “the youngest 90-year-old I know” and thanking him for his friendship.

*[BBC]*

Reuters Tibetan girls in traditional attire including large pointed navy hats with sky blue adornments perform during birthday celebrations — *Tibetans perform a traditional mask dance in front of a cut-out of the Dalai Lama [BBC]*

“While it is important to work for material development, it is vital to focus on achieving peace of mind through cultivating a good heart and by being compassionate, not just toward near and dear ones, but toward everyone,” he said in his birthday message.

This week, the Dalai Lama confirmed plans for a successor, putting to rest long-standing speculation over whether the 600-year-old institution would end with him.

According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the Dalai Lama is reincarnated after death – a process deeply rooted in spiritual customs, not political authority.

*Tibetan girls in traditional attire perform during the celebrations [BBC]*

Living in exile since fleeing Chinese rule in 1959, the Dalai Lama has previously said his reincarnation will take place in the “free world”, meaning outside of China.

But Beijing, which considers him a separatist, swiftly rejected his authority to determine a successor.

Chinese officials insist that any succession must follow Chinese laws, religious rituals and historical conventions – and ultimately be approved by the government in Beijing.

*The Dalai Lama cuts his cake [BBC]*

The announcement has reignited fears among Tibetans in exile that China will attempt to name a successor to tighten control over Tibet, the region it occupied in 1950 and has ruled ever since.

The Dalai Lama has long guided the Tibetan diaspora in their struggle for autonomy and resistance to Chinese domination.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended birthday wishes on Sunday, calling him an “enduring symbol of love, compassion, patience and moral discipline”.

Former US President Barack Obama also sent greetings, calling him “the youngest 90-year-old I know” and thanking him for his friendship.

*[BBC]*

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Foreign News

Washington Post chief executive steps down after mass lay-offs

Published

16 hours ago

2026/02/8

Priyan

Will Lewis speaks to the staff and employees of the Washington Post in Washington, DC on November 06, 2023. [Cricinfo]

The chief executive of the Washington Post is stepping down, the newspaper has announced, days after overseeing mass lay-offs.

William Lewis said it was the right time to leave, saying in a message to staff that was shared online that “difficult decisions” had been made to ensure the paper’s future.

On Wednesday the newspaper announced it was cutting a third of its workforce, dramatically scaling back its coverage of sport and international news.

The decision was condemned by many journalists and prompted criticism of the Post’s billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos. Executive editor Matt Murray said the cuts would bring “stability”.

Jeff D’Onofrio, who joined as chief financial officer of the newspaper last year, will serve as acting publisher and CEO, the Post said as it announced Lewis’s departure.

A former Dow Jones chief executive and publisher of the Wall Street Journal, Lewis was appointed to the role at the Washington Post in 2023.

He has faced criticism from subscribers and employees as he tried to reverse financial losses at the daily.

Hundreds protested in front of the paper’s headquarters in Washington DC on Thursday after the mass lay offs, which included the paper’s entire Middle East staff and its Kyiv-based Ukraine correspondent.

Marty Baron, the Post’s executive editor until 2021, said the cuts ranked “among the darkest days in the history of one of the world’s greatest news organisations”.

The departure of Lewis marks the latest upheaval for the leading US newspaper, which has seen a series of staff cuts and controversial editorial decisions in recent years.

Reuters Jeff Bezos speaks in front of a microphone — *Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, acquired the Washington Post in 2013. [BBC]*

Shortly before the 2024 US presidential election, Bezos, the founder of Amazon, broke with decades of tradition by deciding the newspaper would not endorse a presidential candidate.

The newspaper had endorsed a candidate in most presidential elections since the 1970s – all of whom had been Democrats.

The move caused widespread criticism and led to the loss of tens of thousands of subscribers.

Meanwhile, the opinion editor resigned in February last year when Bezos decided to focus the paper’s comment section on “personal liberties and free markets”.

Bezos, who acquired the newspaper in 2013, said pieces opposing those views would not be published.

***[BBC]***

Foreign News

King Charles to host Nigeria’s first UK state visit in 37 years

Published

20 hours ago

2026/02/8

Priyan

King Charles (left) will host Nigerian President Bola Tinubu (right) in March [BBC]

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will host Nigeria’s president in the country’s first state visit to the UK in 37 years, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Bola Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu have accepted an invitation to be guests of the King at Windsor Castle from 18 to 19 March.

State visits are considered a form of soft-power diplomacy, using the pomp of royal hospitality to strengthen relations with important international partners.

The last Nigerian state visit to the UK took place in 1989, when military ruler Gen Ibrahim Babangida travelled to meet the late Queen Elizabeth II for a four-day trip.

Although this will be Tinubu’s first formal state visit to the UK, he has already met the King since taking office following Nigeria’s disputed election in 2023.

Tinubu and his wife were received at Buckingham Palace in September 2024 and also held a bilateral meeting with the King on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai.

But a state visit allows for ceremonial pageantry aimed at elevating the occasion and demonstrating the importance with which the UK views those visiting.

The visit comes at a time of improving diplomatic and economic links between the UK and Nigeria – with trade between the two worth more than £8bn in the year to October, government figures show. This makes the African nation one of the UK’s most important partners in the continent.

In 2024, the two countries signed a new trade and investment partnership designed to expand opportunities for business.

The agenda for the March visit has not been disclosed, nor details of the events planned for it – but state visits typically include carriage processions and a state banquet, and usually coincide with visiting leaders having political meetings.

Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images The late Queen Elizabeth II wears a navy suit jacket, white and blue scarf, with a matching hat as she rides in a red velvet lined carriage alongside former Nigerian ruler General Ibrahim Babangida who wears a blue outfit. The background behind them is lined with on-lookers, whilst two men dressed in red and gold livery coats sit behind the carriage. — *The last Nigerian state visits to the UK took place in 1989 [BBC]*

In 2025 alone, the King presided over three state visits – those of French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Donald Trump and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier – the first time the UK had held such a number in a single year since 1988.

The King has longstanding ties to Nigeria, a Commonwealth country, having expressed a love for Pidgin English and Nigerian Afrobeats music.

Before becoming monarch, he visited the country four times as the Prince of Wales – in 1990, 1999, 2006 and 2018. Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall, joined him on the latter trip.

In 2023, the King’s Trust International – formerly the Prince’s Trust – officially launched in Nigeria, announcing a project aimed at tackling youth unemployment.

***[BBC]***

Foreign News

Colorado funeral home director sentenced to 40 years for corpse abuse

Published

1 day ago

2026/02/7

Priyan

The co-owner of a Colorado funeral home where nearly 200 decaying bodies were found has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for corpse abuse.

Before Jon Hallford was sentenced, he apologised in court and listened to family members describe having nightmares about their loved ones decomposing in his care. They called him a “monster” who should rot in jail.

His ex-wife and co-owner Carie Hallford has pleaded guilty to similar charges and is awaiting sentencing.

The Return to Nature home, in the town of Penrose, Colorado, had given fake ashes to grieving relatives instead of their loved-ones’ remains. Prosecutors said 189 bodies were improperly stored in the building over four years.

The courthouse was packed with family members on Friday, who asked the judge to impose the maximum 50-year sentence.

“I’m a daughter whose mother was treated like yesterday’s trash and dumped in a site left to rot with hundreds of others,” Kelly Mackeen told the court.

“I’m heartbroken, and I ask God every day for grace.”

The bodies were found in piles inside non-refrigerated areas of the funeral home. Victims included children and foetuses.

“It is my personal belief that every one of us, every human being, is basically good at the core,” Judge Eric Bentley said.

“But we live in a world that tests that belief every day, and Mr Hallford, your crimes are testing that belief.”

Hallford, who had pleaded guilty in the hopes of a reduced sentence, apologised for his actions ahead of sentencing.

“I had so many chances to put a stop to everything and walk away, but I did not,” he said. “My mistakes will echo for a generation. Everything I did was wrong.”

Prosecutors say the couple was driven by “greed”, and were earning enough money from the business to properly care for the bodies.

Located about 30 miles (48km) south of Colorado Springs, the funeral home specialised in burials where no chemicals, including embalming fluid, were used and where remains were buried in a biodegradable casket.

The business came under investigation after reports of a foul odour coming from the property. Officials discovered 115 bodies there early last October.

Jon Hallford was accused by officials of attempting to conceal the “improper storage of human remains”.

Green funerals are allowed in the state but remains must be buried within 24 hours or be properly refrigerated.

Funeral home operators in Colorado are currently not required to be licensed, have a degree in mortuary science or even graduate high school.

Tougher legislation has been passed since the scandal erupted.

[BBC]