Paris, July 11 - In response to the threat by the Chinese Ambassador to France, Lionnel Luca, a French deputy has called for protest in front of the Chinese Embassy next Tuesday. The Chinese Ambassador had warned of "dire consequences" if the French President meets with the Dalai Lama during his visit here in August.

Calling it "unheard of and offensive", Mr. Luca who is the President of the Tibet Study Group in the French parliament said that the French President will not take "orders from a representative of another state with regard to anything."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking at the European parliament, rejected Chinese pressure not to meet the Dalai Lama, saying it was not up to Beijing to set his agenda.

After the widespread protest erupted in Tibet in March, a group of French deputies led by Mr. Luca asked for a visa to visit Tibet that was not approved.

"An immediate end to the Chinese repression in Tibet, allowing independent observers and journalist into Tibet, and talks between the Dalai Lama and Hu Jintao on the future of Tibet, are three concrete things that will ease the situation in Tibet," wrote Mr. Thupten Gyatso from the Tibetan Community of France. more..>

London, July 10 - In a letter circulated to the media, the London Metropolitan University has confirmed that their vice-chancellor did not say sorry to the Chinese authorities for awarding an honorary doctorate to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The controversy came to the surface on Tuesday after the China Daily, a mouthpiece of the Chinese communist government in a report headlined “London school regrets honoring Dalai Lama” said that Mr. Brian Roper, vice-chancellor of the university, had “recently apologized for bestowing an honorary doctorate to the Dalai Lama after the move drew intense criticism from a number of Chinese.”

"The Vice Chancellor of London Metropolitan University, Brian Roper, recently met with representatives of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the UK.

London Metropolitan University has not and will not be apologising for the award of an honorary doctorate to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Nor will we be retracting the award."

"This is an academic lecture NOT a political rally and the University has no intention of embarrassing the Chinese government." more..>

Texto e foto 1 www.phayul.com
Foto 2 Kagyur Rinpoche and Khentse Jigme Rinpoche at www.mingyur.org