International Headlines
Nov 28: Grammy Award Nomination
Tibetan artist Tenzin Choegyal has had his album ‘Songs from the Bardo’ nominated for a prestigious Grammy award in the Best New Age Album category. Choegyal said that he had heard about the Grammy awards when he was a young kid in the TCV school system in India and that being nominated was “beyond his wildest dreams.” Choegyal took the inspiration for his album from a Buddhist text by Guru Padmasambhava which he set to music.
Nov 28: Tawang Peace Procession
Bharat Tibbat Sahyog Manch organised a peace procession in Tawang that was attended by 113 people including senior monks, nuns and laypersons. The procession was aimed as a protest against the illegal Chinese occupation of Tibet, the recent face-off at the Indo-Tibet border, and China’s claiming of Arunachal Pradesh as a part of their territory. Various speakers at the event reminded attendees of India and Tibet’s long historical relationship.
Nov 26: Chinese Establish Village in Bhutan
China has built a village 2km inside Bhutanese territory, just 9km from the location of the Doklam stand-off between the Chinese and Indian armies in 2017. A tweet by Shen Shiwei, a senior journalist in the Chinese state media, revealed the location of the village and said that there were now “permanent residents” living there. India has been responsible for the territorial integrity of Bhutan since 1949.
Nov 25: Night Curfew
The Himachal Pradesh government has imposed a night curfew in Kangra, Shimla, Kullu and Mandi districts to combat the rampant spread of Covid-19 in the area. The curfew will be enforced from 8pm to 6am until December 15, when it will be subject to further review. The state has also increased the fine for failure to wear a mask from Rs500 to Rs1000 and declared that all educational institutions must remain closed until December 31.
Nov 19: Religious Practice Banned
Chinese authorities have banned the ceremonial burning of juniper twigs outside of the Jokhang temple in Lhasa, citing air pollution concerns. The burning of the twigs amid chanting of prayers, known as sangsol, has been an important part of Tibetan religious practice for thousands of years. Two large structures set up at the Jokhang for the practice have recently been closed. The ban could be extended to other religious sites.
Nov 12: Lawmakers Resign
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy law makers announced their resignations en masse on November 11 after four legislators; Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung; were previously expelled from their positions on orders from Beijing. Wu Chi Wei, one of those to resign, said “we will resign from our positions, because our partners, our colleagues have been disqualified by the central government’s ruthless move.”
Nov 10: Journalists Day
China celebrated its journalists on November 8 with President Xi Jinping emphasising that the primary role of journalists in the country was to communicate the Party’s ideas and policies to the public. Journalists should also tell China’s story to the world, Xi said. Xi’s vision for journalists runs contrary to the way journalism is viewed in the West, where the industry supposedly exists to hold those in power to account.
Nov 9: Biden Elected
Joe Biden has won the US election and will become the 46th President of the United States. Biden was declared the winner on Saturday after a drawn-out count following the vote on Tuesday. Donald Trump had initially appeared to be performing well but Biden surpassed him in key states once mail-in-ballots began to be counted. Biden’s Vice President pick Kamala Harris will become the first female Vice President when the pair are inaugurated on January 20.
Nov 7: Bus Services Resume
The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) has resumed limited bus services to Delhi after the Delhi government reopened Inter-State Bus Terminals on November 3. Services from 18 places including Dharamshala, Shimla and Manali will recommence. Volvo and AC buses will not resume their services yet. The managing director of HRTC said that a decision on these services will be made once the demand for them has been assessed.
Oct 29: Mongolians Detained
Since late August, eight to ten thousand ethnic Mongolians have been “placed under some kind of police custody” for resisting the phasing out of the Mongolian language in schools in Inner Mongolia, according to the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Centre. Many dissident writers and opponents of the Chinese regime in Inner Mongolia are reportedly under house arrest or incommunicado. Anyone engaging in protests is likely to be arrested.
Oct 26: Pompeo in India
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives this week in a bid to pushback against China’s growing economic and military power in the region. Pompeo is expected to strengthen ties between the so-called “Quad” countries: Australia, India, Japan and the US. He is also due to advise countries to scale back their dependence on Chinese economic assistance for infrastructure projects.
Oct 24: Chinese Media Restrictions
The US government has labelled six more Chinese media outlets as “foreign missions,” bringing the total number to 15. The outlets were accused by a State Department spokesperson of “toeing the Chinese Communist party line.” The restrictions do not prevent the outlets from reporting but they will be required to notify the State Department about their company’s personnel, including basic information about the employees, and property profiles.
Oct 24: Vatican Renews Deal with China
The Vatican has renewed an agreement with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) which ensures Catholic bishops serving in China are approved by both the Holy See and the CCP. The historic agreement was first signed in 2018 and effectively ended the underground Catholic church which previously operated in China. Hong Kong’s Cardinal Zen, an outspoken critic of the deal, condemned the extension as a “sell out” and a “big mistake.”
Oct 22: Chinese Panchen Lama
Beijing appointed Panchen Lama Gyaltsen Norbu has returned to the Chinese capital city after a three-month tour of Tibet. Norbu spent the tour proclaiming that Tibetan Buddhism was part of Chinese cultural heritage and urged his followers to adapt to Sinicization and socialist society. Norbu also performed various rituals in different parts of Tibet and took part in a high-level debate on sutras at Tashi Lhunpo monastery.
Oct 20: Internet Freedom
Freedom House, a Washington based think tank, has rated China as the worst abuser of internet freedoms for the sixth consecutive year. A report published by the think tank gave China a score of 10/100, the lowest among the group of 65 countries monitored. It was noted that internet restrictions in China had tightened further during the pandemic. Iceland, Canada, Estonia, Germany and the UK were the top ranked countries.