Hamas said Saturday it would only release an American-Israeli and the bodies of four other hostages if Israel implements the existing ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, calling it an “exceptional deal” aimed at getting the truce back on track. A senior Hamas official said long-delayed talks over the ceasefire's second phase would need to begin the day of the release and last no longer than 50 days. Israel would also need to stop barring the entry of humanitarian aid and withdraw from a strategic corridor along Gaza's border with Egypt. Hamas would also demand the release of more Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door talks. Edan Alexander, 21, who grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey, was abducted from his military base during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war, and is the last living American citizen held in Gaza. Israel has cast doubt on Hamas' offer There was no immediate comment from Israel, where government offices were closed for the weekly Sabbath. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Friday accused Hamas of “manipulation and psychological warfare” when the offer was initially made, before Hamas spelled out the conditions. Turkey and Israel facing rising tensions over Syria's post-Assad future The United States said it presented on Wednesday a proposal to extend the ceasefire a few more weeks as the sides negotiate a permanent truce. It said Hamas was claiming flexibility in public while privately making “entirely impractical” demands. Negotiations continued in Egypt after senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Cairo on Friday. Egypt and Qatar served as key mediators with Hamas in reaching the ceasefire and have continued to host talks aimed at getting it back on track. There was no immediate comment from the mediators. A ceasefire in limbo Under the ceasefire agreement reached in January, Israel and Hamas were to begin negotiations over a second phase — in which Hamas would release all the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting truce — in early February, but so far only preparatory talks have been held. After the first phase ended at the beginning of this month, Israel said it had agreed to a new U.S. proposal in which Hamas would release half the remaining hostages in return for a vague commitment to negotiate a lasting ceasefire. Hamas rejected that offer, accusing Israel of backtracking on the signed agreement and trying to sabotage the truce. Trump clarifies his 24-hour Russia-Ukraine war promise as 'Sarcastic' Israel has barred the delivery of food, fuel and other supplies to Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians, and cut electricity to the territory, to pressure Hamas to accept the new proposal. The first phase of the truce, which took hold on Jan. 19, saw the release of 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight more in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces pulled back to a buffer zone along Gaza's border and allowed a surge of humanitarian aid. An Israeli official said last month that Israel will not withdraw from the so-called Philadelphi corridor, along the Gaza-Egypt border, as called for in the ceasefire agreement. They have cited the need to combat weapons smuggling. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostage. The group is still holding 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, after most of the rest were freed in ceasefire agreements. Tensions between Iran and US rise as Trump sends letter to supreme leader Israel's military offensive has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced most of the population and left nearly everyone dependent on international aid to survive.

The fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government has aggravated already tense relations between Turkey and Israel, with their conflicting interests in Syria pushing the relationship toward a possible collision course. Turkey, which long backed groups opposed to Assad, has emerged as a key player in Syria and is advocating for a stable and united Syria, in which a central government maintains authority over the whole country. It welcomed a breakthrough agreement that Syria’s new interim government signed this week with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, to integrate with the Syrian government and army. Israel, on the other hand, remains deeply suspicious of Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, pointing to his roots in al-Qaida. It's also wary of Turkey’s influence over Damascus and appears to want to see Syria remain fragmented after the country under Assad was turned into a staging ground for its archenemy, Iran, and Tehran's proxies. “Syria has become a theater for proxy warfare between Turkey and Israel, which clearly see each other as regional competitors,” said Asli Aydintasbas, of the Washington-based Brookings Institute. “This is a very dangerous dynamic because in all different aspects of Syria’s transition, there is a clash of Turkish and Israeli positions.” Following Assad’s fall, Israel seized territory in southern Syria, which Israeli officials said was aimed at keeping hostile groups away from its border. The new Syrian government and the United Nations have said Israel's incursions violate a 1974 ceasefire agreement between the two countries and have called for Israel to withdraw. Israel has also conducted airstrikes targeting military assets left behind by Assad’s forces and has expressed plans to maintain a long-term presence in the region. Analysts say Israel is concerned over the possibility of Turkey expanding its military presence inside Syria. Since 2016, Turkey has launched operations in northern Syria to push back Syrian Kurdish militias linked to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and maintains influence in the north of the country through military bases and alliances with groups that opposed Assad. Turkish defense officials have said Turkey and Syria are now cooperating to strengthen the country’s defense and security, and that a military delegation will visit Syria next week. Nimrod Goren, president of the Mitvim Institute, an Israeli foreign policy think tank, said that unlike Turkey, which supports a strong, centralized and stable Syria, Israel at the moment appears to prefer Syria fragmented, with the belief that could better bolster Israel's security. He said Israel is concerned about al-Sharaa and his Islamist ties, and fears that his consolidated strength could pose what Israel has called a “jihadist threat” along its northern border. Israeli officials say they will not tolerate a Syrian military presence south of Damascus and have threatened to invade a Damascus suburb in defense of members of the Druze minority sect, who live in both Israel and Syria, after short-lived clashes broke out between the new Syrian security forces and Druze armed factions. The distance from Damascus to the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights is about 60 kilometers (37 miles.) Turkey and Israel once were close allies, but the relationship has been marked by deep tensions under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s more than two-decade rule, despite brief periods of reconciliation. Erdogan is an outspoken critic of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians, while Israel has been angered by Erdogan’s support for the Hamas militant group, which Israel considers to be a terrorist group. Following the war in Gaza, Turkey strongly denounced Israel’s military actions, announced it was cutting trade ties with Israel, and joined a genocide case South Africa brought against Israel at the U.N. International Court of Justice. Aydintasbas said Turkish authorities are now increasingly concerned that Israel is “supportive of autonomy demands from Kurds, the Druze and Alawites.” Erdogan issued a thinly veiled threat against Israel last week, saying: “Those who seek to provoke ethnic and religious (divisions) in Syria to exploit instability in the country should know that they will not be able to achieve their goals.” Last week, factions allied with the new Syrian government — allegedly including some backed by Turkey — launched revenge attacks on members of Assad's Alawite minority sect after pro-Assad groups attacked government security forces on Syria's coast. Monitoring groups said hundreds of civilians were killed. Erdogan strongly condemned the violence and suggested the attacks were aimed at “Syria’s territorial integrity and social stability.” Israel’s deputy foreign minister, Sharren Haskel, said the deadly sectarian violence amounted to “ethnic cleansing” by Islamist groups led by “a jihadist Islamist terror group that took Damascus by force and was supported by Turkey." Israel, Haskel added, was working to prevent a threat along its border from Syria’s new “jihadist regime.” Israel’s involvement in Syria is deepening, with the country pledging protection and economic aid to the Druze community in southern Syria at a time of heightened sectarian tensions. The Druze, a small religious sect, are caught between Syria’s new Islamist-led government in Damascus and Israel, which many Syrians view as a hostile neighbor leveraging the Druze’s plight to justify its intervention in the region. Israel says it sent food aid trucks to the Druze in southern Syria and is allowing some Syrian Druze to cross into the Israeli-controlled part of the Golan Heights to work. Al-Sharaa was somewhat conciliatory toward Israel in his early statements, saying that he didn’t seek a conflict. But his language has become stronger. In a speech at a recent Arab League emergency meeting in Cairo, he said that Israel’s “aggressive expansion is not only a violation of Syrian sovereignty, but a direct threat to security and peace in the entire region.” The Brookings Institute's Aydintasbas said the escalating tensions are cause for serious concern. “Before we used to have Israel and Turkey occasionally engage in spats, but be able to decouple their security relationship from everything else,” Aydintasbas said. “But right now, they are actively trying to undermine each other. The question is, do these countries know each other’s red lines?” A report from the Institute for National Security Studies, a think tank led by a former Israeli military intelligence chief, suggested that Israel could benefit from engaging with Turkey, the one regional power with considerable influence over Syria’s leadership, to reduce the risk of military conflict between Israel and Syria.  

Former President Donald Trump acknowledged on Friday that his claim of resolving the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours was meant to be “a little bit sarcastic.” During an interview for the television program Full Measure, Trump was questioned about the pledge he had repeatedly made during his campaign. At the time, he insisted he could broker peace between Russia and Ukraine even before taking office. “Well, I was being a little bit sarcastic when I said that," Trump explained in a preview clip ahead of the episode’s airing on Sunday. “What I really mean is that I want to see it settled, and I think I’ll be successful.” US resumes military aid as Ukraine signals ceasefire possibility This marks a rare acknowledgment from Trump, who is known for making bold claims. During a CNN town hall in May 2023, Trump had stated, “They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done — I’ll have that done in 24 hours.” Similarly, in a September debate with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, he declared, “That is a war that’s dying to be settled. I will get it settled before I even become president. If I win, when I’m president-elect, I’ll speak to one, I’ll speak to the other, and I’ll bring them together.” Trump frequently repeated this assertion while campaigning. Meanwhile, his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, was in Moscow this week for discussions on a U.S.-proposed ceasefire, which Ukraine has accepted. When asked in the interview how he would proceed if Russian President Vladimir Putin refused a ceasefire, Trump responded- “That would be bad news for the world because so many people are dying. But I think, I think he’s going to agree. I really do. I think I know him pretty well, and I think he’s going to agree.”  

Representatives of China, Russia and Iran called Friday for an end to U.S. sanctions on Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program and a restart to multinational talks on the issue. The three countries' meeting was the latest attempt to broach the matter and come after U.S. President Donald Trump wrote to Iran’s supreme leader in an attempt to jumpstart talks. The letter, which hasn’t been published, was offered as Trump levied new sanctions on Iran as part of his “maximum pressure” campaign that holds out the possibility of military action while emphasizing he still believed a new deal could be reached. China, Russia and Iran “emphasized the necessity of terminating all unlawful unilateral sanctions,” China’s Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu read from a joint statement, flanked by Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov Sergey Alexeevich and Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi. “The three countries reiterated that political and diplomatic engagement and dialogue based on the principle of mutual respect remains the only viable and practical option in this regard,” Ma read. In comments to the three representatives, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reinforced China's commitment to a peaceful settlement and opposition to “illegal” sanctions, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported. He added that China remains committed to the framework of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear deal between Iran and six major countries — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany — as "the basis for new consensus.” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has mocked Trump, saying he wasn’t interested in talks with a “bullying government,” although Iranian officials have offered conflicting signals over the possibility of negotiations. Trump sent a letter to Khamenei in 2019 with no apparent effect on rising tensions. China and Russia are both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, along with France and Britain, that took part in the original 2015 Iran nuclear deal preliminary framework agreement. Trump withdrew America from the accord in 2018, setting in motion years of tensions in the wider Middle East. China and Russia have particularly close relations with Iran through energy deals and Iran has provided Russia with bomb-carrying drones in its war against Ukraine. They are also seen as sharing a joint interest in diminishing the role of the U.S. and other liberal democracies in determining world events in favor of their own highly authoritarian systems. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful. However, its officials increasingly threaten to pursue a nuclear weapon. Iran now enriches uranium to near weapons-grade levels of 60%, the only country in the world without a nuclear weapons program to do so. Under the original 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium only up to 3.67% purity and to maintain a uranium stockpile of 300 kilograms (661 pounds). The last report by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran’s program put its stockpile at 8,294.4 kilograms (18,286 pounds) as it enriches a fraction of it to 60% purity. While Iran has maintained it won’t negotiate under duress, its economy has been savaged by the U.S. sanctions. Protests over women’s rights, the economy and Iran’s theocracy in recent years have shaken its government. China has sought to become more involved in Middle Eastern affairs and a year ago hosted talks leading to the full restoration of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

A letter from U.S. President Donald Trump to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has arrived in Tehran, aiming to revive talks over Iran’s advancing nuclear program. Though the contents of the letter remain undisclosed, its arrival coincides with Trump imposing new sanctions as part of his “maximum pressure” strategy. While keeping military action on the table, he has also expressed confidence in the possibility of a new agreement. Khamenei, 85, has publicly dismissed Trump, but Iranian officials have sent mixed signals on the prospect of negotiations. Why Did Trump Send the Letter? Trump confirmed in a televised interview on March 6 that he had written to Khamenei, stating, “I hope you’re going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, it’s going to be a terrible thing.” Since returning to office, he has pushed for dialogue while simultaneously increasing sanctions and hinting at a potential military strike by the U.S. or Israel on Iran’s nuclear facilities. This is not the first time Trump has reached out to Khamenei—his earlier letter during his first term was met with a harsh rebuke. However, he successfully initiated direct talks with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un through a similar approach, though no formal agreement was reached. Iran’s Response: Mixed Signals Iran’s reaction has been contradictory. Khamenei has rejected talks with what he calls a “bullying government.” Yet, Iranian diplomats, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, previously suggested discussions on security guarantees could be possible. However, Araghchi later hardened his stance, stating negotiations would not happen under U.S. pressure—aligning with Khamenei’s position. Iranian, Azerbaijani FMs hold phone talk over ties, regional issues Despite this, Araghchi met with the Emirati diplomat who delivered Trump’s letter. Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned envoys from France, Germany, and the U.K. to protest their support for a U.N. Security Council meeting on Iran’s nuclear program. Why Is Iran’s Nuclear Program a Concern? Iran has long insisted its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes. However, recent threats to pursue nuclear weapons have raised alarm. Iran is currently enriching uranium to 60% purity—dangerously close to weapons-grade—making it the only country without a declared nuclear weapons program to do so. Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was limited to enriching uranium up to 3.67% purity with a stockpile cap of 300 kilograms (661 pounds). The latest International Atomic Energy Agency report states Iran now has a stockpile of 8,294.4 kilograms (18,286 pounds), with some enriched at 60%. U.S. intelligence agencies have not confirmed that Iran has begun an official weapons program but acknowledge Tehran is positioning itself to develop a nuclear device if it chooses. The Longstanding U.S.-Iran Rivalry Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran was a key U.S. ally under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, purchasing American military equipment and hosting CIA surveillance operations against the Soviet Union. The CIA-backed 1953 coup helped solidify the shah’s power. However, the shah fled Iran in January 1979 amid mass protests. The revolution, led by Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, established Iran’s theocratic government. Later that year, Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, demanding the shah’s extradition, sparking the 444-day hostage crisis that severed diplomatic ties between the two nations. Iran open to talks on nuclear militarization concerns Tensions escalated further during the 1980s Iran-Iraq War, when the U.S. supported Saddam Hussein. This period included the “Tanker War,” where the U.S. launched a major attack on Iran’s navy and later mistakenly shot down an Iranian passenger plane. Relations have since fluctuated between hostility and cautious diplomacy, peaking with the 2015 nuclear deal. However, Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the accord in 2018 reignited hostilities—tensions that continue to shape the Middle East today. Source: With input from agency

Prominent Pakistani architect Yasmeen Lari has rejected the prestigious 2025 Wolf Prize in architecture, citing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza as her reason. The Wolf Prize, awarded in Israel since 1978, honors outstanding contributions in science and the arts, aiming to promote global achievements and international goodwill. It is presented in six categories: agriculture, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, physics, and an arts award that alternates among architecture, music, painting, and sculpture. Lari, known for her work at the intersection of architecture and social justice, expressed her gratitude for the recognition but declined it due to what she described as the "continuing genocide in Gaza." “I made it clear in my response to them that I could not accept the award given the situation in Gaza,” she told Arab News. Her decision comes amid continued Israeli attacks in Gaza, which have killed eight people in the past 24 hours, according to Palestinian officials. Despite a fragile ceasefire, Israel has suspended essential supplies to the territory, pressing Hamas to extend the truce. While Israel demands the release of half the remaining hostages in exchange for further negotiations, Hamas insists on addressing issues like the withdrawal of Israeli forces and a lasting peace agreement. The conflict, which erupted after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, has claimed over 48,000 Palestinian lives, mostly women and children, and left Gaza’s infrastructure in ruins. Lari, a champion of sustainable and humanitarian architecture, has dedicated her career to addressing the needs of marginalized communities. She co-founded the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan in 1980 with her husband, Suhail Zaheer Lari, and has since contributed to constructing over 50,000 self-built shelters and 80,000 eco-friendly stoves using natural materials. Her commitment to sustainable, low-carbon architecture earned her the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Royal Gold Medal in 2023. “Declining the award was the least I could do,” Lari said, emphasizing her stance on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Source: Arab News  

Pakistan’s Prime Minister traveled to southwestern Balochistan on Thursday to meet survivors of a deadly train attack and the commandos who successfully rescued over 300 passengers from insurgents responsible for killing 21 civilians and four security personnel. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a banned militant group behind several recent attacks, claimed responsibility for the assault, which began on Tuesday and ended Wednesday when security forces killed all 33 insurgents. The military reported no additional passenger casualties during the operation. The Jafer Express, en route from Quetta to Peshawar, was forced to stop partially inside a tunnel after militants detonated explosives on the track, derailing nine coaches and the engine. While the BLA has frequently targeted Pakistani security forces and infrastructure, this was the first instance in which they successfully took control of a train. The group has also targeted foreign workers, particularly Chinese nationals involved in large-scale infrastructure projects in Balochistan. Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and most resource-rich yet sparsely populated province, has long been a center of ethnic tensions, with Baloch nationalists accusing the federal government of economic exploitation and discrimination. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was scheduled to visit Quetta on Thursday. Authorities confirmed that arrangements were being made to transport the victims' bodies to their hometowns, while those injured were receiving medical care. In a statement issued overnight, the military claimed it had “confirmed intelligence” that the attack was orchestrated by terrorist leaders operating from Afghanistan, who remained in direct communication with the assailants throughout the incident. Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government of providing safe haven to the Pakistani Taliban and BLA, allegations that Kabul denies. However, the Pakistani military urged the Afghan authorities to prevent the use of their territory for militant activities against Pakistan. According to the military, the insurgents took control of the train after sabotaging the tracks, using passengers—including women, children, and the elderly—as human shields. Survivors reported that the attackers fired on train windows, entered the carriages, and killed or injured passengers before taking hostages. Military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif confirmed that three soldiers guarding the railway track were also killed during the assault.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected the United States’ proposal for negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear programme, calling it a ploy to manipulate global opinion. His remarks came as a letter from US President Donald Trump, urging Iran to enter talks, was delivered to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.  Trump recently confirmed that he had sent a letter seeking negotiations over a new nuclear agreement aimed at restricting Iran’s advancing programme. The letter was handed over on Wednesday by Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates.  During a meeting with university students, Khamenei dismissed the offer, arguing that past negotiations had already resulted in a comprehensive deal that the US later abandoned.  “We negotiated for years, reached a complete and signed agreement, and then this individual tore it up,” Khamenei stated, referring to the 2015 nuclear accord between Tehran and world powers. “How can one negotiate under such circumstances? When we know they won’t honour their commitments, what is the point?”  Trump says Ireland cheats the US as its leader joins him to celebrate St Patrick's Day The 2015 deal limited Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. However, in 2018, during his first term in office, Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the agreement and imposed new economic sanctions. A year later, Iran began scaling back its compliance with the accord.  Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has expressed interest in renewed talks while reinstating his policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran.  Khamenei said negotiating with the Trump administration, which he said has excessive demands, “will tighten the knot of sanctions and increase pressure on Iran”. Iran has consistently denied pursuing nuclear weapons.  “If we wanted to build nuclear weapons, the US would not be able to stop us. We ourselves do not want it,” Khamenei added.  However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported last month that Iran’s uranium stockpile enriched to 60% purity—just short of weapons-grade levels—has increased significantly. With inputs from Al Jazeera

High-level discussions between Ukraine and the United States commenced in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, signaling a renewed diplomatic effort to address the ongoing war with Russia. The meeting took place at a luxury hotel in the Red Sea port city on Tuesday, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukrainian officials seated across from each other. While Rubio offered a smile for the cameras, Ukrainian representatives remained expressionless. Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister was also present, with the flags of the three nations displayed in the background. Officials refrained from responding to reporters’ questions. The discussions follow a tense exchange between Ukraine and the U.S. during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s February 28 visit to the White House. Ukrainian representatives told The Associated Press that they plan to propose a ceasefire in the Black Sea to ensure safer shipping, limit long-range missile strikes affecting civilians, and discuss a potential prisoner exchange. Meanwhile, hours before the talks, Russian air defenses intercepted 337 Ukrainian drones across 10 Russian regions in what appeared to be Ukraine’s most extensive drone attack on Russia since the war began. The assault left two people dead and 18 injured, including three children. Moscow faces ‘massive’ drone attack ahead of US-Ukraine peace talks The Kremlin has made no new concessions, maintaining its stance that hostilities could end if Ukraine abandons its NATO aspirations and recognizes Russian-occupied territories as part of Russia. As the conflict continues, Russian forces have maintained battlefield momentum, particularly in the eastern Donetsk region. Moscow also reported a significant drone attack targeting the Russian capital, with over 70 drones shot down en route. Damage was reported to residential buildings, vehicles, and infrastructure across multiple regions. In addition to the war negotiations, Kyiv is expected to sign a deal granting the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, a resource crucial to American industry. However, Secretary of State Rubio emphasized that the agreement is not a precondition for further discussions and could require more time to finalize. What to know ahead of the talks between the US and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia While the U.S. has not outlined specific proposals for ending the war, Rubio stated that the delegation aims to gauge Ukraine’s position and compare it with Russian demands to assess the possibility of diplomatic progress.

Dozens of Tibetan protesters clashed with police outside the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi on Monday as Tibetans living in exile marked the 66th anniversary of their uprising against China that was crushed by Chinese forces. As in past years, police blocked the protesters from entering the embassy and briefly detained some of them after wrestling them to the ground. Hundreds also marched in the north Indian town of Dharamsala, the seat of the exiled Tibetan government and home of Dalai Lama, their 89-year-old spiritual leader. Separately, about a hundred Tibetan women gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, an area designated for protests close to Parliament. The protesters shouted anti-China slogans, carried Tibetan flags and played the national anthems of Tibet and India. India considers Tibet to be part of China, although it hosts the Tibetan exiles. The 1959 independence uprising was quelled by the Chinese army, forcing Dalai Lama and his followers into exile in India. Many had their faces painted in colors of the Tibetan national flag. The demonstrators observed a minute of silence to remember Tibetans who lost their lives in the struggle against China. Monks, activists, nuns and schoolchildren marched across the town with banners reading, “Free Tibet” and “Remember, Resist, Return.” Penpa Tsering — the president of the Central Tibetan Administration, as the exiled Tibetan government calls itself — accused China's leadership of carrying out a "deliberate and dangerous strategy to eliminate the very identity of the Tibetan people.” Tibetans say the Dalai Lama should choose his successor “This marks the darkest and most critical period in the history of Tibet," Tsering told the gathering. “As we commemorate the Tibetan National Uprising Day, we honor our brave martyrs, and express solidarity with our brothers and sisters inside Tibet who continue to languish under the oppressive Chinese government.” The Tibetan government-in-exile in India accuses China of denying the most fundamental human rights to people in Tibet and trying to expunge the Tibetan identity. China claims Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries, but the Tibetans say the Himalayan region was virtually independent until China occupied it in 1950. The Dalai Lama denies China’s claim that he is a separatist and says he only advocates substantial autonomy and protection of Tibet’s native Buddhist culture.