Bodhgaya, Bihar — The first International Sangha Forum concluded its three-day meeting with a resolution and a prayer for world peace at the Mahabodhi Temple on Saturday. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Sakya Gongma Rinpoche, Jangtse Chöje Rinpoche, Ganden Tri Rinpoche and other high-ranking Buddhist lamas gathered to pray for world peace.

Bodhgaya, Bihar — His Holiness the Dalai Lama inaugurated the First International Sangha Forum in Bodhgaya, in the state of Bihar, on Wednesday. More than 2,000 sangha members and participants from 33 countries, including Sangharajas, Abbots and heads of Buddhist institutions, will take part in the three-day forum and which will focus on the Buddha’s Teaching in Today’s World.

London — At a meeting in Westminster, London, MP Jim Shannon asked Anne-Marie Trevelyan, a Minister for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the UK would continue to call Tibet by its rightful name. Minister Trevelyan confirmed that the government would “absolutely” continue to use the term Tibet. She added that the UK must pay “close attention” to China’s attempts to rename the region and “counter it”.

Strasbourg, France — European Parliament has adopted a resolution on issues relating to Tibet. It calls on the Chinese government to abolish the coercive boarding school system, which has separated over a million Tibetan children from their families and aims to eliminate Tibetan identity. It also calls on EU Member States to adopt visa restrictions for Chinese officials linked to the boarding school system, as the United States has done.

Brussels — The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 24th EU-China Summit on December 7, 2023, and expressed their deep concern about systemic human rights violations, forced labour and the treatment of human rights defenders in Tibet.

Washington — The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously approved the Tibet bill, H.R. 533 "Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act", at a markup hearing on November 29, 2023. If it becomes law, it will strengthen US efforts to push China to negotiate with envoys of the His Holiness the Dalai Lama to resolve the longstanding Tibet-China dispute.

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