RELIGIOUS celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the United Nations are in trouble following a row over the presence of the Dalai Lama. He has been banned from attending at the request of the office of Boutros Boutros Ghali, the UN secretary general, who is keen not to antagonise the Chinese contingent expected at the party.

The group delegated to organise the secular bash, The Temple of Understanding, is furious. China's record on human rights and involvement in Tibet has caused UN officials to pause briefly from filling in their expenses forms. The decision to keep the Chinese happy and the Dalai Lama away has angered many. His will be a glaring absence from the service of Thanksgiving, set to take place on Saturday in New York's Cathedral of St John the Divine.

The 185 heads of state and 12 religious leaders will just have to endure the hours of multi-cultural prayers and anthems without him. Normally, they are a quiet bunch at the Temple of Understanding. Founded in 1960 with the support of Pope John XXIII and the Dalai Lama, to propagate the study of world religions, the group has ballooned, its liberal ideals fitting in closely with those of the UN. But now they are breaking rank. Yesterday, an original member raged from upstate New York: "What I would do to that Boutros Ghali." The UN, however, shall not be moved.