Dalai Lama turns 80
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Jul 6, 1935: Born to peasant family in small village in north-eastern Tibet

1937: Buddhist officials recognise two-year-old as reincarnation of 13 previous Dalai Lamas

1940: Enthroned as 14th Dalai Lama. Tibet ruled by regents as he begins monastic education

1950: China invades Tibet. Dalai Lama, aged 15, assumes full power

1959: Tibetan protestors demand end to Chinese rule. Troops crush revolt, killing thousands. Dalai Lama flees to Dharamsala, India, and sets up Tibetan government in exile

1959-65: Dalai Lama persuades UN to adopt three resolutions calling for protection of human rights in Tibetr

1989: Awarded Nobel Peace Prize for consistent opposition to violence in quest for Tibetan self-rule

1993: Expresses his goal of Tibetan autonomy rather than complete independence

1995: Dalai Lama names six-year- old boy as reincarnation of Panchen Lama – second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism. China places boy under house arrest and chooses another child in his place

2002: Envoys of Dalai Lama visit Beijing amid signs of thaw, but discussions make no progress

2008: Tibet sees worst anti-China violence for 20 years, five months before Beijing hosts Olympic Games

2010: Formal dialogue between Dalai Lama and China stalled amid leadership changes in Beijing and crackdown in Tibet

2011: Dalai Lama announces retirement from politics. Exiled Tibetans elect Lobsang Sangay to lead government-in-exile

2013: Denies accusations that he encouraged spate of Tibetan self-immolations in protest at Chinese rule, urging China to investigate underlying causes

2014: Concedes he may be last to hold spiritual title, suggesting it is better if centuries-old tradition ceases “at time of popular Dalai Lama”

Jul 6, 2015: Dalai Lama turns 80
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Picture: Getty Images

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