Dalai Lama steps down as Tibetan political leader

The Dalai Lama announced on Thursday that he was stepping down as political leader of the Tibetan govermment in exile.

"As early as the 1960s, I have repeatedly stressed that Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power," the Dalai Lama said in a prepared speech. "Now, we have clearly reached the time to put this into effect." (Reuters)