If you thought the Dalai Lama's newly-announced succession plans were ridiculous, then you really need to read China's response:

China says the Dalai Lama does not have the right to decide who will take over from him when he dies. It says Beijing will decide who will be the next Dalai Lama. more ›

Tough times call for tough measures. What's a Dalai Lama to do when he knows unfriendly forces may usurp his office after he's gone? Well, apparently, he could start "emanating" instead of reincarnating (more on what this means later), or he could completely abolish the office of the Dalai Lama. These options were announced in a lengthy statement released yesterday by the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, 76, on the subject of his reincarnation. more ›

• China's communists celebrate with 'red tourism' [AFP] "Sixty years after founding the People's Republic of China, the communist regime is keeping the revolutionary fires burning while promoting its version of history through "red tourism" destinations such as that in the eastern city of Wuhu."
• Google to "Develop" 10,000 Hangzhou SMEs [JLM Pacific Epoch] "Google plans to "develop" 10,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province over the next three years, reports Today Morning Express quoting Google Greater China Director and General Manager of Sales Song Zhongjie. Song said Google plans to double its Zhejiang distributors and employees in 2009. The Hangzhou government aims to help 10,000 SMEs enter the e-commerce industry each year, said Song."

The Dalai Lama's older brother Thubten J. Norbu died Friday in Indiana, USA. In exile in the US since 1959, Norbu had always voiced strong opposition to Chinese rule in Tibet and supported independence, not autonomy, for his homeland. When he was three, Norbu was recognized by a previous Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the high lama Takster Rinpoche. Despite their stark differences in character, personality and political opinion, Norbu had always referred to his brother as "His Holiness" and leader of the Tibetans in interviews with the media. more ›