Lobsay Sangay becomes PM in first election since Dalai Lama announced he would renounce political role Tibetans around the world have voted a Harvard law scholar as their political leader, officials said today, in the first election since the Dalai Lama announced that he would give up the political leadership of the Tibetan community in exile . The new prime minister, the 42-year old Lobsang Sangay, polled 27,051 votes, 55% of the total electorate, to beat two other secular candidates. Though the Dalai Lama has made clear he wants to devolve political power, he remains the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, revered him as an incarnation of the deity of compassion. Some experts believe the changes could lead to a more radical position towards Chinese authorities on the part of the radical government-in-exile. Chief election commissioner Jampal Thosang told a news conference, that “the Election Commission of the Central Tibetan Administration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama has declared Dr Lobsang Sangay as the third Kalon Tripa [prime minister]“. The handover of power will boost the prime minister’s role as the region seeks autonomy from China. It may help stave off a possible crisis of leadership in the event of the Dalai Lama’s death. The Dalai Lama has repeatedly said he hopes to see new, younger political leaders who are more representative of younger Tibetans. There are concerns among senior aides of the world-famous spiritual leader that the community in exile may be losing touch with the vast majority of Tibetans who remain within China. Last year, Lobsang Sangay’s predecessor, Professor Samdhong Rinpoche, told the Guardian that it was time Tibetans had political leaders who were not “old monks”. The new Kalon Tripa has previously hinted he could move beyond the Dalai Lama’s “middle way” policy of negotiating for autonomy for Tibet from China. As a student in New Delhi, he was a leader of the Tibetan Youth Congress, which demands complete independence. Born in a refugee settlement in India in 1968, Sangay won a Fulbright scholarship to Harvard where he earned a doctorate in law. As a senior research fellow at the university, he has engaged with Chinese scholars and has twice organised meetings between them and the Dalai Lama. Sangay was in the US when the results were announced. As prime minister he will have to move to the north Indian town of Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile that was formed in 1959 after the Dalai Lama fled Lhasa following a failed uprising against Chinese rule. The Dalai Lama announcement in mid-March that he would relinquish the four-century old tradition of power in favour of a leader popularly elected by the Tibetan diaspora came as a shock to many. Many followers asked him to reconsider. By giving up his political powers, the 75-year old Dalai Lama has made it more difficult for China to influence the course of the independence movement after his death, analysts say. “The Dalai Lama was very happy … as he thought people took very active part in the election process,” an official in the central Tibetan administration based in Dharamsala told Reuters news agency. The Chinese government says it has to approve all reincarnations of living Buddhas, or senior religious figures in Tibetan Buddhism, including the choice of the next Dalai Lama. Tibetans fear that China will use the vexed issue of the Dalai Lama’s succession to split the movement, with one new Lama named by the exiles and one by China after his death. China regards the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist. Dalai Lama Tibet China Jason Burke guardian.co.uk
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Funeral broadcast live on TV, while PM, Sonia Gandhi and Sachin Tendulkar among those to pay their respects since his death Thousands of tearful devotees have gathered for the funeral of Sathya Sai Baba, who was revered by his followers as a divine incarnation with miraculous healing powers. The 84-year-old guru’s death on Sunday triggered an outpouring of grief from followers including top Indian politicians, movie stars, athletes and industrialists. Hindus usually cremate their dead, but infants and people considered pure and saintly are often buried. The guru was buried inside the same auditorium at his ashram in the southern Indian town of Puttaparti, where his body had been on display and where he gave his sermons. As Sai Baba’s nephew performed the last rituals, Hindu priests chanting verses from sacred texts instructed him to anoint the guru’s body with oil, herbs and flowers. The body was then covered with a piece of orange cloth, the colour of holiness in Hinduism. A heavy maroon curtain then concealed the body, and the actual burial was a private moment, with only immediate family and close associates present. A slew of Indian television channels aired live broadcasts of the funeral. Most remembered Sai Baba as a pious, selfless person who worked to help others with the billions of dollars donated to his charitable trust. However, he had also been dismissed by some as a charlatan who passed off magic tricks as miracles. Since Sai Baba’s death, the Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, the leader of the ruling Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar have been among the visitors to the auditorium. Religious leaders from different faiths, including a Christian priest and a Muslim imam, addressed the crowd before the funeral. Enormous portraits of the guru with his halo of dark, frizzy hair and in his trademark orange robes decorated the hall. Outside the auditorium, several thousand devotees watched the ceremony on a large screen. Within India, Sai Baba was a well-known face, with his photograph adorning millions of homes, car dashboards and lockets worn by Indian and foreign believers. Sai Baba ashrams exist in more than 126 countries. The guru was said to perform miracles, conjuring jewellery, Rolex watches and “vibhuti”, a sacred ash that his followers applied to their foreheads from his hair. But rationalist critics called him a con artist and his miracles fake. Several news reports alleged he sexually abused devotees accusations he denied as smear campaigns. The allegations and criticism did not reduce the intense devotion from his followers. Health problems forced Sai Baba to cut back on public appearances in recent years. He had been hospitalised for nearly a month. The trust that manages the guru’s religious empire is estimated to be worth at least £5.4bn. So far no one has been named as his successor. He was not married and had no children. India Religion guardian.co.uk
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Customs officers will be able to query more smokers’ duty-free purchases under minister’s plan The number of cigarettes holidaymakers may bring back from Europe without attracting questions from Customs officials is to be cut by more than two-thirds as part of a Treasury attempt to claw back some of the £2.2bn in tax lost to tobacco smuggling every year. The proposed change, which sets a guideline limit of 800 cigarettes and 1kg of rolling tobacco, will reignite a battle with campaigners such as smokers’ rights group Forest. Simon Clark, director of Forest, described the move as “shocking”, noting that current limits of up to 3,200 cigarettes and 3kg of rolling tobacco were set in 2002 after an attempt to clamp down further met with outrage and legal challenges. Treasury minister Justine Greening is to set out plans to slash existing guideline limits, bringing them in line with Ireland and many other parts of Europe. “It doesn’t actually change the rules,” she said. “People who are holidaymakers or travellers from the UK, who maybe want to bring back some cigarettes when they come home for personal use, they are not affected at all. But we do believe this will do is start to deter those people who are actually just using minimum indicative levels as a way of bringing in wholesale amounts of cigarettes.” “The levels people [will still be able to] bring in are more than enough for their own personal use — that is not something we would, or should, challenge.” This claim was immediately challenged by Clark said: “The Labour government was forced to increase the limit from 800 to 3,200 because there was chaos at airports and ports around the country, with goods and vehicles being seized all over the place. We have absolutely been there with the 800 guideline. It didn’t work.” Under European law, smokers bringing in tobacco merely have to convince Customs officials it is for personal use. Official guidance, however, sets the level at which suspicion is cast on personal imports. In 2002, when then chancellor Gordon Brown sought to impose a maximum guideline of 800 cigarettes, an opposition campaign won enthusiastic support from sections of the media. The Sun newspaper claimed it had been victorious when the level was increased to 3,200 after a series of stunts including sending its own bus, full of page three girls, to head a protest convoy of cross border shoppers to Calais. The Treasury also faced a legal challenge from cross-Channel operator Hoverspeed. This time, Greening is confident she has the support of the tobacco industry and believes a guideline limit of 800 cigarettes — commonplace across the continent — is well established in European law. Campaign group Action on Smoking and Health is also supportive. The Tobacco Manufacturers Association said it would not oppose the reduced guideline limits but noted the move would not be welcomed by low-income smokers, coming a month after heavy price rises imposed in the budget . Paul Stockall of the TMA said the budget imposed the steepest price rises on cheap cigarettes and rolling tobacco, the price of a packet of 20 cigarettes and a 25g pouch rising around 10% to £5.64 and £7.34 respectively. “We would expect non-duty-paid [smuggled cigarettes] sales to increase,” he added. More than one in 10 cigarettes smoked in the UK is smuggled or bought legitimately by overseas travellers. The figure for rolling tobacco is almost half. Tobacco sales nevertheless generate £8.8bn in tax each year for Treasury coffers. The controversial move to lower guideline limits for returning holiday-makers is part of a broader package of measures which will see a 20% budget increase for Revenue & Customs’ 685-strong anti-smuggling team. Additional resources will primarily be focused on intelligence operations overseas, where seizures exceeded 1bn cigarettes for the first time last year. The biggest loss to the Treasury comes from counterfeit tobacco products and so-called “illicit white” – brands manufactured for overseas markets and smuggled into the UK, the most prevalent of which is Jin Ling, which is made in Kaliningrad, Russia. Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health said: “ASH welcomes the much of HMRC’s new strategy particularly increased investment in tackling smuggling. However, there is too much weight placed on collaboration with the tobacco industry which has historically been a major driver of smuggling, and no reference to the UK’s obligations to protect tobacco control from the vested interests of the tobacco industry. And there is no clear ambition for the size of reduction in the illicit market which they expect to achieve from this increased investment.” Tobacco industry Tax and spending Budget 2011 Budget Simon Bowers guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …A new Gallup/ USA Today poll turns the tables on Donald Trump: A survey finds that only 43% of Americans believe with certainty he was born in the US, and another 7% say he was probably or definitely born elsewhere. The results are good for more than just yuks, writes…
Continue reading …A hacker who got into the PlayStation Network may have gotten players’ credit card information—including expiration dates and security codes, reports USA Today . “We cannot rule out the possibility,” says a Sony executive on a company blog . The hacker, or hackers, did get personal information such as names, addresses,…
Continue reading …Many already know not to plan anything for May 22; but for those who aren’t aware of the upcoming apocalypse, believers are spreading the news. Subscribers to Harold Camping’s school of thought have already erected some 1,000 billboards around the nation. “Seven billion people are facing their death! What…
Continue reading …New Jersey won’t let a favorite son run for state office. The lieutenant governor ruled today that Carl Lewis, who has nine Olympic gold medals on his mantle, doesn’t meet the four-year residency requirement to run for a state Senate seat, reports the Star-Ledger . The 49-year-old Lewis plans to appeal….
Continue reading …The Midwest is keeping a nervous eye on its levees—and now on the courts as well. Missouri’s attorney general today filed suit in federal court to prevent the Army Corps of Engineers from blowing up a levee on the Mississippi River, reports Reuters . The corps is preparing to detonate…
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London 2012 surprise hits include archery and rhythmic gymnastics, as well as predicted high demand events Archery and rhythmic gymnastics were among the surprise hits as applications for Olympic tickets surged before the deadline. Such was the last-minute demand that the deadline was extended by an hour after the website on which the public could register for tickets experienced problems from about 10.30pm as the clock ticked down to the 11.59pm cut-off point. A spokesman said: “Some people experienced temporary delay in accessing the Olympic ticketing site following a surge of applications around 10.30pm this evening. This surge has now evened out and the system is working normally. Applications were still being processed during this period.” Members of the public were met by a holding message but after a lengthy waiting period it timed out, leaving some users with a new page that read simply: “Sorry, we cannot process your request. Please try again later.” Despite a 42-day sales period, London 2012 organisers reported a surge of interest over the bank holiday weekend. Applications for oversubscribed tickets will now go into a ballot. Olympic organisers were buoyed by strong demand for some less high-profile sports alongside the predicted strong appeal of the opening and closing ceremonies, the velodrome, the pool and athletics track. Group applications from ballet classes and gymnastics clubs have helped fuel demand for the rhythmic gymnastics sessions at Wembley Arena. The popularity of water polo among expat communities combined with relatively cheap tickets, and the appeal of seeing archery across the hallowed turf at Lord’s, the home of cricket, have attracted applications for those sports. Other events now expected to require a ballot for tickets include the canoe slalom at the impressive new Broxbourne whitewater course – which became the first new Olympic venue to open to the public last week – and the badminton finals. The popularity of the latter is being put down to recent British successes and its familiarity to casual players in leisure centres and village halls. “We have seen really strong demand for the ceremonies, athletics, swimming, rowing and track cycling, which is what we expected,” said Paul Deighton, chief executive of the London 2012 organising committee. “But there has also been heavy demand for finals for events with particular fan bases. Things like canoe slalom, archery and badminton have been high. Rhythmic gymnastics is very popular and I think a lot of gymnastics and ballet clubs have said: ‘Let’s take the class and go and see world-class performers as we might not get another chance.’” Deighton also defended the ticket application process, which has come in for criticism because prospective purchasers don’t know exactly where they will be sitting or what their chances of success are. Organisers are increasingly confident they will hit their goal of bringing in 80% of their total ticket revenue target of £500m by the end of the public ballot process. But they have also conceded that the target may not be met until they have conducted further rounds of sales, which are likely to continue until the end of the year and involve going back to those who have failed to secure tickets for certain events and offering them alternatives. Organisers have boldly pledged that the 8.8m Olympic tickets, 6.6m of which are on sale to the general public, will eventually sell out. But they also concede that some are likely to be on sale right up until the day of the event. Sports such as volleyball, basketball, hockey and handball – which have lots of sessions at venues with relatively high capacities – are understood to be unlikely to sell out in this first ticketing phase. Weightlifting, meanwhile, appears to have proved less popular than some of the other sports taking place at the cavernous ExCel centre in London’s docklands. Football will present the biggest challenge, with more than 1m tickets to be sold to the men’s and women’s competitions just weeks after Euro 2012, and in the midst of an ongoing row over whether Britain will be able to field a team comprising players from all the home nations. Payment will be taken between 10 May and 10 June for successful ticket applications, but applicants will not know which tickets they have until as late as 24 June. There has also been some criticism of the prices, which range from £20 to £2,012. Organisers argue that 90% of tickets are below £100 and point to special “pay your age” prices for children and reduced prices for senior citizens in some sessions. “We looked at several alternatives and determined that this was the fairest and most open way,” said Deighton. “I don’t think people have gone in for massive over-subscription, I think people are too sensible to box themselves into a corner where they will end up with masses of tickets they don’t want and can’t afford.” Those who end up with unwanted tickets that they can’t use or can’t afford will be able to resell them through a Locog ticket exchange site, but that is not expected to be operational until next year. The £500m revenue target, a quarter of Locog’s overall budget, also includes Paralympic tickets that will go on sale later this year, sales to sponsors and overseas sales. Olympic Games 2012 Olympics 2012: Archery Olympics 2012: Athletics Olympics 2012: Cycling Olympics 2012: Gymnastics Olympics 2012: Fencing Olympics 2012: Water polo Olympics 2012: Weightlifting Olympics 2012: Canoeing Olympics 2012: Badminton Olympic Stadium London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Locog) Owen Gibson guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …She’s been in college since Bill Clinton was elected, taking approximately one class each semester—and now, she’s finally graduating. “I’ve been doing this so long, I don’t think I’ll know how not to do it,” says Kathy Vitzthum, 48, a senior accounting major at Iowa State. She’s already seen…
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