South Africa Bars Dalai Lama From a Peace Conference

By discouraging visits from the Dalai Lama, China and the nations that comply have attracted attention to the schedule of the Nobel Peace Prize recipient. South Africa has barred the Dalai Lama from attending a peace conference intended to promote the 2010 World Cup, reports Celia Dugger for the New York Times. “China has accused him of pursuing independence for Tibet, while he maintains that he is seeking only autonomy, not separation,” she reports. Rather than keep the Dalai Lama from the world stage, the exclusion has fired protests and debate over trade, money and foreign policy trumping peace, sport and unity. – YaleGlobal