Dharamshala — Nancy Pelosi, long time Tibet supporter and current Democratic Leader in the United States House of Representatives, visited Jwalakhel Tibetan settlement in Kathmandu with a delegation of high level US Congressmen on May 8th. Tibetan coordinator of Nepal and members of Tibetan Parliament residing in the country welcomed the delegation.

Representative Nancy Pelosi described the main purpose of visiting Nepal as assessment of the problems and challenges facing Tibetan refugees in Nepal particularly over the issuance of refugee and resident certificates to Tibetans.

The delegation visited the Tibetan monastery and the Tibetan handicraft center of the settlement.

Leader Pelosi and the delegation are scheduled to arrive in Dharamshala, where they will meet with the Dalai Lama at a public event on May 10th held at the main temple.

Bodh Gaya — Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the democratically elected leader of the Tibetan leader, inaugurated a photo exhibition on January 2nd, after his arrival in Bodhgaya for His Holiness the Dalai Lama's 34th Kalachakra Initiation. The rare photo exhibition on Tibet and His Holiness the Dalai Lama  is being showcased by DIIR’s Tibet Museum in Bodh Gaya, Bihar from 2 – 14 of January 2017.

The first day of exhibition saw a total of more than one thousand viewers who expressed their support and admiration for the Tibetan people and its non-violent struggle for freedom.

The 13-day exhibition features panel on three different themes namely ‘Biography of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’, ‘Long Look Homeward – An Exhibition on the Contemporary History of Tibet, and ‘The Burning Question: Why are Tibetans Turning to Self-immolation?’

The Tibet Museum has been organising its exhibitions on Tibet and His Holiness the Dalai Lama all over India and the world. It has organised successful photo exhibitions at all the Kalachakra venues since 2000.

Dharamshala — An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter Scale hit Tibet on Monday morning, according to China Earthquake Networks Centre.

No casualties have been reported following the earthquake, the Chinese state-run media, Xinhua news agency reported.

The quake was recorded in Nyainrong County, a small county within the Nagchu Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region with epicentre at a depth of about 5km.

The local authories said no humans or livestock casualties were reported. No homes have been damaged.

"The tremor only lasted for seconds," the report said, citing the County authorities.

Located about 4,700 m above the sea level, Nyainrong has a population of around 20,000.

Dharamshala – His Holiness the Dalai Lama returned to Dharamshala on November 28th after traveling for three weeks to both Japan and Mongolia.

Dharamshala —The state government of Delhi sanctioned INR 1 Crore 38 Lacs on November 23rd as relief for the Tibetan sweater sellers who have been affected by a major fire accident at Lal Qila Tibetan refugee market in Delhi on November 8th. The fire gutted all the 138 Tibetan shops in the market, causing extensive financial loss as well as emotional distress to the shopkeepers.

According to CTA report, the relief amount was sanctioned by the state government following an appeal by the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama based in New Delhi and the Tibetan settlement officer based in Majnukatilla.

The Department of Home, Central Tibetan Administration expressed its profound gratitude to the state government on behalf of the affected families for the state government's timely gesture of solidarity.

The relief fund is being released by Disaster Management under the state government of Delhi. It will be distributed among the 138 owners of the shops in Lal Quila market with each family getting 100,000 Indian rupees.

New Delhi — A fire blazed through Meena Bazar near Red fort in Delhi, the capital of India, late Monday night, destroying more than 100 Tibetan stalls in the process.

The fire which was reported at 1:00 a.m, on November 9, 2016, to the fire brigade. 14 fire engines arrived on scene and the situation was eventually controlled.

The market is known for its winter wear and is set up for a period of 3-4 months, and this trade has been going on for quite a few years. The fire has destroyed goods worth lakhs of rupees and left the shopkeepers with huge losses.

The head of the Tibetan Colony in a video clip spoke about the damage as saying, "140 families from all over India come here to set up their shops and earn for a period of 3-4 months. The fire has driven us to huge losses and the money we used to set up these shops were taken on loan."

"We appeal to the Delhi Government and CM Arvind Kejriwal to assist us during these times and help us set up the shops again before winter approaches," he added.

The causes of the fire and casualties are still unknown.