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First steps made in Congress to honor pop superstar Prince
Minnesota’s Congressional delegation on Monday is introducing a resolution to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to pop superstar Prince, citing his “indelible mark on Minnesota and American culture,” The Associated Press has learned.
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The Latest: Ireland reaches half million vaccinations
(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)LONDON — Ireland has given out half a million coronavirus vaccinations about two months after the first inoculation. Evidence suggests this variant can spread more easily than most currently circulating strains of the coronavirus, health officials say. State health officials urge people to maintain precautions, particularly during spring break and Easter gatherings, as the state tries to ramp up vaccinations. Sri Lanka has so far received 1 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines manufactured in neighboring India, which donated half of the doses. The Missoulian reported Friday that in Missoula County, Granite Pharmacy has enough vaccine doses to vaccinate all 2,000 county teachers.
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10 years after Christchurch quake, survivors share stories
Ann Brower, the lone survivor from a bus which was hit by falling debris from a building during the Christchurch earthquake 10 years ago, sits at her workplace in Christchurch, New Zealand, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. Ten years after the earthquake in Christchurch killed 185 people and devastated the city, some of those profoundly affected are sharing their journeys. Ten years after an earthquake killed 185 people and devastated Christchurch, New Zealand, some of those profoundly affected are sharing their journeys. A visit from the Dalai Lama to her and a half-dozen other survivors four months after the quake helped her put things in perspective. “And you've got to celebrate that.”___A KINDER CITYAfter the earthquake, Prue Taylor wasn't unduly worried at first when she didn't hear from her husband Brian.
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Larry King, broadcasting giant for half-century, dies at 87
King died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his production company, Ora Media, tweeted. In its early years, “Larry King Live” was based in Washington, which gave the show an air of gravitas. “Do you know who I am?”“Always loved Larry King and will miss him,” Seinfeld tweeted Saturday. Originating from Washington on the Mutual network, “The Larry King Show” was eventually heard on more than 300 stations and made King a national phenomenon. “Larry King Live” debuted on June 1, 1985, and became CNN’s highest-rated program.
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Tibetans in exile vote in India for their political leader
An exile Tibetan Buddhist monk wearing a mask as a precaution against the coronavirus casts his ballot in Dharmsala, India, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021. Exile Tibetans Sunday voted in the first round to elect a new political leader and members of the Tibetan parliament in exile. “By this we are sending a clear message to Beijing that Tibet is under occupation but Tibetans in exile are free. And given a chance, an opportunity, we prefer democracy,” said Lobsang Sangay, who will soon be finishing his second and final term as the Tibetan political leader. Sither said that the previous governments have largely focused on the Tibetan diaspora and not enough on Tibetans inside Tibet.
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Too big to read: Giant bill a leap of faith for Congress
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON – The $900 billion pandemic relief package that was rushed through Congress Monday created a familiar year-end conundrum for lawmakers: It was a bill too big to fail, and also too big to read. The Senate Historical Office says it's the longest bill they could find record of passing Congress. The bill was released at 2 p.m., just hours before the House and Senate began voting on it. Also in the bill: hundreds of unrelated legislative items negotiated by leadership to win support from various constituencies. “Members of Congress need to see & read the bills we are expected to vote on.
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China sends more warplanes as Taiwan honors late leader
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during a memorial service for the late former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui in Taipei, Taiwan on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. On Saturday, Beijing dispatched 19 more warplanes, two of which were bombers, according to Taiwan's Defense Ministry. Lee had built a separate Taiwanese political identity, distinct from mainland China, which claims Taiwan as part of its own territory to be reunited by force if necessary. The Trump administration has taken multiple steps in recent months to strengthen its engagement with Taiwan, angering China. Krach is the second high-level official to visit Taiwan in two months, following U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar in August.
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AP Explains: What's driving India-China military standoff
FILE- In this July 20, 2011 file photo, tourists ride double hump camels at Nubra valley, in Ladakh, India. (AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)SRINAGAR Tensions along the disputed India-China border seem to be getting worse, three months after their deadliest confrontation in decades. It is broken in parts where the Himalayan nations of Nepal and Bhutan border China. India is jockeying for strategic parity with China, massively ramping up its military infrastructure along the LAC. China has shown restraint in bilateral relations with India, and India may restrain itself from overdoing it in the future, Wang said.
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Human rights groups ask IOC to move Olympics from China
Visitors to Chongli, one of the venues for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, past by the Olympics logo in Chongli in northern China's Hebei Province on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020. China is host to the 2022 Winter Olympics with rumblings of a boycott and calls to remove the games from Beijing because of widespread human rights violations. China is host to the 2022 Winter Olympics with rumblings of a boycott and calls to move the games from Beijing because of alleged human rights violations. The world must ask whether China, slowly strangling an entire people, has the moral standing to host the 2022 Winter Olympics," it said. Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., the IOC member who oversees Beijing 2022, declined to answer questions from AP about reported human rights violations in Xinjiang and referred to comments from the IOC.
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Mourners honor Nobel laureate and peace advocate John Hume
First Minster of Northern Ireland Arlene Foster attends former Northern Ireland lawmaker and Nobel Peace Prize winner John Hume's funeral Mass at St Eugene's Cathedral in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. Hume was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize with fellow Northern Ireland lawmaker David Trimble, for his work in the Peace Process in Northern Ireland. Hume shared the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize with the Protestant leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, David Trimble. Although he advocated for a united Ireland, Hume believed change could not come to Northern Ireland without the consent of its Protestant majority. His son, John Hume Jr., pointed out that his father had a few weaknesses.
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US hits Chinese officials with visa bans over Tibet access
WASHINGTON The Trump administration fired a new shot in its diplomatic war with China on Tuesday by imposing travel bans on Chinese officials it says are restricting foreigners access to Tibet. While waging concurrent battles over Beijings policies in Hong Kong, human rights in western Xinjiang province, global trade practices and aggressiveness in the South China Sea, the administration hit an unspecified number of Chinese officials with visa restrictions, limiting or entirely eliminating their ability to travel to the United States. Successive U.S. administrations have sought to press China to ease restrictions on foreigners' travel to Tibet, where human rights activists say Beijing has engaged in a decades-long campaign to suppress local culture, the Buddhist religion and minorities. Permission to travel to the region is rarely granted, and visitors are subject to strict regulations when it is. China crushed a Tibetan uprising in 1959, forcing the spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and over 80,000 Tibetans into exile in India and other countries.
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New this week: 'Stateless,' 'Palm Springs,' The Dalai Lama
(Netflix via AP)Heres a collection curated by The Associated Press entertainment journalists of whats arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. Its directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, who also helmed Love & Basketball and the criminally underseen Beyond the Lights (currently available on Kanopy). Palm Springs: If a rom-com is more your speed, theres also Palm Springs, on Hulu Friday, starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti as wedding guests who find themselves caught in a time-loop. AP Film Writer Lindsey BahrMUSICThe Dalai Lama: To commemorate his 85th birthday on Monday, the Dalai Lama is releasing his first-ever album. Viewers seeking to stir their hearts and minds should consider Netflixs Stateless, set in an immigration detention center in the Australian desert.
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AP Exclusive: The Dalai Lama to release 1st album in July
This cover image released by Hitco Entertainment and Khandro Music shows "Inner World," the first album by The Dalai Lama. Thats when the musician and practicing Buddhist proposed an idea to The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama: Lets make an album fusing music with mantras and chants from the Tibetan spiritual leader. But on a trip to India where Kunin says she typically gets a chance to meet the Dalai Lama she asked again, this time writing a letter and handing it to one of his assistants. The album featuring teachings and mantras by the Dalai Lama set to music will be released on July 6, his 85th birthday. Shankar said being invited to perform on the album was a huge honor.She first met The Dalai Lama as a child with her father, the legendary musician Ravi Shankar.
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AP Explains: What's behind latest India-China border tension
The officials said the standoff began in early May when large contingents of Chinese soldiers entered deep inside Indian-controlled territory at three places in Ladakh, erecting tents and posts. (AP Photo/Channi Anand, File)NEW DELHI Tensions along the China-India border high in the Himalayas have flared again in recent weeks. Indian officials say the latest row began in early May, when Chinese soldiers entered the Indian-controlled territory of Ladakh at three different points, erecting tents and guard posts. They said the Chinese soldiers ignored repeated verbal warnings to depart, triggering shouting matches, stone-throwing and fistfights. More than 100 Chinese companies, many of them state-owned, have established offices or operations in India, according to Indias External Affairs Ministry.
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Ai Weiwei says new security law is the end of Hong Kong
In this image made from a Skype video interview with Chinese artist dissident Ai Weiwei comments on the recent security law planned for Hong kong from a location in Cambridge, England, Wednesday, May 27, 2020. Ai Weiwei believes the newly passed national security law for Hong Kong augurs the end for the semi-autonomous city. (AP Photo/Park Juwon)SEOUL Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei believes the newly passed national security law for Hong Kong augurs the end for the semi-autonomous city. Critics of the new law say it may allow mainland security organs to interfere in local law enforcement, among other things. Young people in Hong Kong, they are smart, they are rational, and they are very brave, Ai said.
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China says boy picked by Dalai Lama now a college graduate
BEIJING China said Tuesday that a boy who disappeared 25 years ago after being picked by the Dalai Lama as Tibetan Buddhisms second-highest figure is now a college graduate with a stable job. He is generally viewed as a political figure under Beijing's control and shares none of the Dalai Lama's global fame. The Dalai Lama named the original Panchen Lama with the help of Tibetan lamas trained in reading portents and signs. Traditionally, the Panchen Lama has served as teacher and aide to the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhisms highest leader who is now 84 and is accused by Beijing of seeking independence for Tibet. The Dalai Lama denies that and says he advocates greater autonomy for the region.
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Tibetans demand China disclose fate of boy taken away in '95
Tibets self-declared government-in-exile marked the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of the boy named as Tibetan Buddhisms second highest figure by calling on China on Sunday, May 17, 2020 to account for his whereabouts. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia, File)BEIJING Tibets self-declared government-in-exile marked the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of a boy named as Tibetan Buddhisms second highest figure by calling on China on Sunday to account for his whereabouts. The dispute mainly focuses on political power and the arcane rituals for naming a new Panchen Lama, believed to be the reincarnation of his predecessor. Traditionally, the Panchen Lama has served as teacher and aide to the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhisms highest leader who is now 84 and accused by Beijing of seeking independence for Tibet. The 10th Panchen Lama was imprisoned by China and died under what some consider suspicious circumstances in 1989 after making speeches calling for greater religious and social freedoms for Tibetans.

Dalai Lama apologizes for 'attractive' female successor remark
Win McNamee/Getty Images(CNN) - The Dalai Lama wants to clarify his recent joke that a female Dalai Lama would have to be "more attractive." He had previously told the British broadcaster in 2015 that a future Dalai Lama could be a woman but would have to be good-looking or "not much use." Message of tolerance and peaceIt's unclear who, if anyone, will replace the current Dalai Lama when he dies. Tibetan Buddhists regard the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of his 13 predecessors. The current Dalai Lama has lived in India since his self-imposed exile from Tibet in 1959 after Chinese troops arrived in the region.