"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts."
—
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT

* * * * * NEWS * * * * *

The TPSA, the Dalai Lama and ICT
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ICT President Matteo Mecacci—and his four-legged friend Suki!—share exciting
news on the Tibetan Policy and Support Act, the Dalai Lama and ICT. The TPSA
is now on the agenda for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. If the committee
approves the bill, it can get a vote on the Senate floor. Although a meeting to
approve the bill this week was postponed, we’re hopeful that it will be rescheduled
soon, and that the TPSA can move ahead toward passage.

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ICT launches Tibet Talks online speaker series
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The International Campaign for Tibet is proud to announce a new online speaker
series featuring live conversations about Tibet with engaging thinkers, leaders,
activists and artists. Tibet Talks began on May 7 with Tenzin Dorjee, the first
Tibetan American appointed to the US Commission on International Religious
Freedom, and continued on May 14 with ICT President Matteo Mecacci and Vice
President Bhuchung Tsering. To see upcoming editions and watch past episodes,
see our Tibet Talks page [[link removed]] !

Read more online [[link removed]]

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Dalai Lama announces Buddhist teaching livestream
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Amid the ongoing shutdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic, His Holiness
the Dalai Lama has announced that his teachings on Master Nagarjuna's “Precious
Garland” will be streamed over the internet on May 16 and 17.

Click here for details
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ICT’s latest report: Ngaba highlights erosion of Tibetan language instruction
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A cursory glance at China’s laws and policies gives the impression that people
are free to speak and learn in languages other than the national language of
Mandarin. ICT’s new report takes a closer
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look and reveals how China’s education policies in Tibet are forcing Tibetan
children to assimilate and risking the survival of their mother tongue.

Read more online
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Dalai Lama message: “World Should Unite for a Coordinated Global Response to COVID-19”
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“It is during times like this that we must focus on what unites us as members of
one human family. Accordingly, we need to reach out to each other with
compassion. As human beings, we are all the same. We experience the same fears,
the same hopes, the same uncertainties, yet we are also united by a desire for
happiness,” the Dalai Lama wrote in a new statement on the coronavirus pandemic.

Read the rest of his message here
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CARES Act includes new charitable giving tax incentives
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Though we know it is the dedication, compassion and heart-connection to Tibet
that motivates our community to donate to ICT’s work, we wanted to share this
provision from the CARES Act that incentivizes charitable giving during this
challenging time.

Section 2204 of the CARES Act provides for a special incentive for charitable
contributions: a universal tax deduction of up to $300 is provided for
charitable contributions on 2020 tax returns when the standard deduction is
taken. This provision reinstates the opportunity for gifts of all sizes to
qualify as tax deductible. While this above-the-line deduction doesn’t apply to
donors who itemize their deductions, an additional tax incentive that increases
the cap on charitable contributions from 60% of your AGI to 100% will benefit
itemizers, too.

Please consult your tax advisor regarding these new 2020 tax deduction
opportunities.

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During These Tough Times, Support ICT While You Shop with AmazonSmile
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In these trying times when many of us are doing more of our shopping online, you
can provide a little extra support for ICT through the AmazonSmile Program.
Through this FREE program, Amazon will make a donation for the value of .5% of
your qualifying Amazon purchases to ICT! All you have to do is designate ICT as your charity
of choice and be sure to use smile.amazon.com every time you shop with Amazon.

These small donations add up to significant funds for ICT¬¬- funds that are
especially needed and appreciated during this challenging time!

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ICT says THANK YOU to our wonderful volunteers!
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We are abundantly grateful for all of our amazing ICT volunteers and made this
special video message to share our gratitude during Volunteer Appreciation Week.
Thank you to all of our incredible, dedicated volunteers who are an essential
part of our team!

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Two former political prisoners die in Tibet
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A Tibetan monk named Tsering Bagdro who served eight years in prison for staging
a protest against Chinese policies towards the Dalai Lama and Tibet died recently
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in his home village near the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. A few days later another
monk and former political prisoner [[link removed]]
named Choekyi died after enduring years of torture and ill treatment in prison
for wearing a t-shirt celebrating the Dalai Lama’s birthday. The 43-year-old
monk was known to be suffering from serious health complications at the time of
his early release from prison last year.

Read more online
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Concerns about construction at UNESCO-protected Jokhang Temple in Tibet
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Chinese authorities have begun constructing two pavilions in Tibet’s most sacred
temple. The pavilions appear to adhere to a Chinese architectural style incompatible
with traditional Tibetan architecture [[link removed]].
ICT has requested the UNESCO World Heritage Center in Paris to make available
details about the construction site, and ICT further urged the center to protect
significant Tibetan cultural heritage sites from unacceptable interference from
Chinese authorities.

Read more online
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Troubling ‘ethnic unity’ regulations go into effect in Tibet
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New Chinese regulations explicitly depart from the principle of “preferential
treatment” for Tibetans, which was supposed to guarantee that Tibetans could
maintain their culture and traditional way of life in their own homeland.

In contrast, the new regulations
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give the Chinese government powers to enforce a Chinese-centric way of life in
the TAR and to cultivate informants for the Chinese Communist Party. These
regulations give additional reason for concern, as they may contribute to the
discriminatory treatment Tibetans already face under Chinese rule.

Read more online
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* * * * * BLOG * * * * *

Overdue: Telegraph discontinues CCP propaganda supplement
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By: Kai Mueller
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The end came as a surprise to many observers: Without further comment, the
British newspaper Daily Telegraph recently stopped publishing Chinese propaganda
content and also deleted it from its homepage.

As the British newspaper The Guardian reported, the Telegraph had maintained the
lucrative connection with the Chinese propaganda sheet China Daily for more than
10 years and, together with its print edition, had delivered its supplement
China Watch.

Read more online
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* * * * * SUPPORT * * * * *

ICT's 2020 Wall Calendar: Fewer than 130 Left!
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The latest edition of ICT’s annual wall calendar, The Dalai Lama: Glimpses into a Life
of Wisdom, features 12 photographs of His Holiness the Dalai Lama by the renowned Indian
photographer Raghu Rai, who has closely followed His Holiness' life. Today His
Holiness, who has retired from his Tibetan political leadership, devotes himself
to promoting human values and religious harmony everywhere while continuing to
draw attention to the rich Tibetan Buddhist cultural heritage, which he feels
has much to contribute to the development of world civilization. This calendar
is a tribute to the Dalai Lama by the International Campaign for Tibet.

Add a little inspiration and positivity to your home office during this
challenging time. We have fewer than 130 copies left, so order yours today!

Visit the ICT store
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Want to make a difference?
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The Tibet Update Newsletter is a summary of news and governmental actions
related to Tibet.

Update Address [[email protected]] | Unsubscribe [[link removed]]

International Campaign for Tibet
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1825 Jefferson Place NW | Washington, DC 20036 | United States of America
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Phone: (202) 785-1515 | Fax: (202) 785-4343 | [email protected] [[email protected]]