Chinese President's visit to Delhi provokes Tibetan protests

New Delhi:  China's president, Hu Jintao, has arrived in Delhi for the fourth BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit. Worried about protests, the police has been detaining Tibetan activists in the capital, provoking strong criticism.

Here are five new facts on the story:
1) A man who set himself on fire in Delhi on Monday at a rally died in hospital this morning. Jamphel Yeshi was 27.
2) Around 1200 cops have been posted around the hotels where The Chinese premier and the delegation will be staying. Earlier, the protesters had attempted to storm Hotel Oberoi in Delhi where Chinese premiere Hu Jintao is staying. Police have arrested the protesters. This morning, the police detained 100 activists who were protesting against Hu's visit at the United Nations office. Over 150 Tibetans have been taken in to preventive custody during the protests today. The Tibetan Youth Congress members were submitting a memorandum to embassies of all nations participating in the BRICS summit. Protests were also held at Khan Market and Jantar Mantar. There is heavy police presence in these areas.
3) The police removed activist-poet Tenzin Tsundue from a seminar yesterday at the India habitat Centre. The police is keeping a tight vigil in areas in Delhi with high Tibetan population to ensure that young Tibetans don't come out of their homes to protest.
4) China has accused the Dalai Lama of "masterminding" self-immolation bids earlier this week. At least 29 Tibetans, many of them Buddhist monks and nuns, have set themselves on fire in Tibet demanding freedom for their homeland.
5) The Chinese President will attend the BRICS summit which looks at encouraging trade among member-nations. He will also hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Manmohan. The Chinese president is accompanied by a high-profile delegation comprising Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, State Councillor Dai Bingguo, senior ministers and business leaders.

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7.4-magnitude earthquake provokes panic in Mexico

Mexico City:  A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck southwest Mexico Tuesday, damaging hundreds of homes and sending panicked people onto the streets of the capital, with no immediate reports of serious casualties.

The quake struck south of the Pacific resort of Acapulco, between the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca, and was followed by several aftershocks, the US Geological Survey said. Initially it had estimated the magnitude at 7.9.

Guerrero governor Angel Aguirre told state radio that some 1,600 houses in four municipalities of the coastal region known as the Costa Chica had been damaged.

He said that authorities were checking schools and public buildings around Ometepec, a town of 20,000 nearest the epicenter.

Many houses showed signs of damage in Ometepec while patients of the main hospital were evacuated into a garden, including women in labor.

The White House said President Barack Obama's 13-year-old daughter Malia, who is on vacation in Mexico, was safe.

"In light of today's earthquake, we can confirm that Malia Obama is safe and was never in danger," said Kristina Schake, spokeswoman for First Lady Michelle Obama.

In Mexico City, buildings swayed, telephone and power lines were cut off and traffic lights stopped working as office workers rushed onto the streets.

Local media reported one person was injured when a pedestrian bridge collapsed on an empty bus in the north of the city.

It was one of the strongest quakes to shake the capital since 1985, when an 8.1 earthquake left between 6,000 and 30,000 dead, according to officials and rescue organizations respectively.

"We were told to evacuate," said office worker Francisco Bernal, standing in the street. "The earthquake was strong but now we're prepared, unlike in 1985."

"I stood up when I saw the lights moving," said Ana Fernandez, another office worker in the central Roma district. "Our boss told us to get out and we followed instructions not to shout, run or push. I was really scared but I made myself stay calm."

German tourist Gernot Nahrung said he was in the city's Chapultepec park and did not feel the long swaying movement of the quake, which lasted several minutes. "My mum told me: 'It's shaking, it's shaking,'" he said.

Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrand said no serious damage was visible during a helicopter survey.

The mayor's Twitter account said the water system and other "strategic services" experienced no problems.

Some windows broke at the city's international airport, and the monorail between the two terminals was stopped temporarily.

The quake's epicenter was 12.4 miles (20 kilometers) deep, 100 miles (162 kilometers) from the tourist city of Oaxaca, according to the USGS.

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