Dalai Lama urges caution with China

With the future of his movement at a crossroads, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, warned Sunday of dangers if Tibetan political leaders are not cautious in their strategy toward China.

“In the next 20 years, we must be careful in our actions and planning,” he said in a lengthy speech. “Otherwise there is great danger to the Tibetan community.”

The Dalai Lama said it might be premature to cut off ties with China, which was among the proposals made at a week-long meeting of 600 of his countrymen at the headquarters of the Tibetan Government in Exile in this North Indian town.

“Wait a month” and “then we’ll see” whether the Tibetan side will seek future contacts, the Dalai Lama told journalists Sunday morning at a news conference at his hilltop Namgyal Monastery after the meeting ended.

Tbilisi, Georgia

Shots fired near motorcade

Shots were fired near the motorcade carrying the presidents of Georgia and Poland on Sunday – the fifth anniversary of Georgia’s Rose Revolution – Georgian officials said. No one was hurt in the shooting.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, who led the pro-Western 2003 uprising but whose popularity has waned in recent months, blamed Russian troops in Georgia’s breakaway province of South Ossetia.

“Frankly, I didn’t expect the Russians to open fire,” he said at a news conference with Polish President Lech Kaczynski. “The reality is you are dealing with unpredictable people. They weren’t happy to see our guest and they weren’t happy to see me either.”

Hobart, Australia

Rescued whales join larger pod

A group of whales rescued from an Australian beach have joined a larger pod in deep waters – a sign they are doing fine after their ordeal, an official said today.

Rescuers tagged five of 11 pilot whales they plucked from the beach in southern Tasmania state Sunday with satellite tracking devices so they could follow the animals’ progress.

By this morning, the tagged whales had found a larger pod of whales and were swimming east toward migration routes know to be used by humpback whales, said wildlife officer David Pemberton.

When the 64 stranded mothers and their young were found on Saturday, 52 had already died and one died overnight despite volunteers spending the night pouring water over the animal to keep it from overheating.

Dozens of volunteers and government wildlife officers used giant slings to hoist the 11 survivors into trucks and drive them to a deep-water beach in Tasmania. They were released Sunday afternoon, some 7 1/2 miles away on Tasmania’s northwest coast.