Dalai Lama cancels Botswana visit 'due to exhaustion'

Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has cancelled a planned visit to Botswana because of exhaustion, his office said, a move that is likely to be welcomed by China, a major investor in the African country. “Although he had been eagerly looking forward to visiting Gaborone … His Holiness has reluctantly had to concede that his 82-year old body was telling him to rest.” China’s fast-growing demand for raw materials has made it one of the biggest investors in Africa and its largest trade partner. Chinese state-owned companies have been awarded contracts to build roads, dams, power stations and airports in Botswana. –The Star/