Click to Read . . .
A news wrap-up concerning Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, Tibet, India, etc.
China Daily to publish African edition as Beijing strengthens voice abroad
The state-owned English-language newspaper that claims an independent editorial policy 'to introduce China to the world'. (May 13)
Dalai Lama fears Chinese poison plot
Buddhist leader believes Chinese agents may have trained fake female followers to kill him when seeking blessings. (May 12)
Plane crashes at Himalayan airport
Fifteen people die and six are critically injured as aircraft crashes into mountains while trying to land in northern Nepal. (May 11)
Dalai Lama gives $1.7 million prize money to save malnourished children
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama today received the 2012 Templeton Prize and announced that he will give away to charity 1.1 million pounds (about $ 1.7 million) in prize money awarded to him. (May 11)
HHDL to address mass solidarity rally for Tibet
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is scheduled to address a mass solidarity rally for Tibet in Vienna, Austria on May 26. According to organizers, more than 10,000 people are expected to attend the Europe-wide solidarity rally. (May 10)
Indians host Clinton while also wooing Iran
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in New Delhi this week after declaring that India should reduce imports of Iranian oil and comply with Western sanctions. Yet across town, India and Iran were trying to figure out ways to do business together. (May 9)
China forces Karma Monastery monks to disrobe
In a revival of Cultural Revolution tactics, monks at the Karma Monastery in Chamdo, Tibet are being forced to disrobe by Chinese officials. (May 8)
To battle its toilet stink, India Railways to give passengers phenyl bottles
India Railways has found a way around a lingering problem: passengers with reservations on certain long-distance trains will now get bottles of phenyl-like substances to ensure hygiene in toilets on board. (May 8)
Nepal's kung fu nuns practice karma with a kick
The sisters of the Amitabha Drukpa Nunnery -- aged from nine to 52 -- come to Kathmandu from across Nepal, India, Tibet and Bhutan to learn the ancient Chinese discipline of kung fu, which they believe will help them be better Buddhist practitioners. (May 8)
Beijing seizes Tibetan nomad land for Chinese migrants
In another instance of forced removal of Tibetan nomads from their grasslands, Chinese authorities have grabbed land from three Tibetan nomadic villages in eastern Tibet. According to sources in the region, the land confiscated from the Setong, Dragmar, and Seru villages will be given to thousands of new Chinese migrants. (May 7)
Why up to 90% of Asian schoolchildren are nearsighted
Researchers say the culprit is academic ambition: spending too much time studying indoors and not enough hours in bright sunlight is ruining kids' eyesight. (May 7)
New rules on Nepal mountaineering raise hopes
New rules, revising the earlier structure of expedition team, allow a single climber to scale Mt. Everest with a royalty of $25,000 from the normal South-east ridge route. Earlier a team consisting of one to seven members had to pay a royalty of $70,000. The revised fee structure, which varies with the number of members of the expedition, is expected to boost mountaineering. In yet another bid to make mountaineering more attractive for foreigners, Nepal's government has scrapped the mandatory requirement of a recommendation letter from the Alpine Clubs of the respective countries. (May 7)
No Miss Tibet pageant 2012 over Tibet tension
The annual Miss Tibet beauty pageant has been cancelled in the wake of renewed tension in Tibet and a series of self-immolations by Tibetans. (May 6)
In India, more food and more suffering
People in India have more money for food and shelter than they did six years ago, but the percentage of people who say they are suffering has increased, according to a new survey. (May 1)
Treacherous passage: ferry accidents in India and Bangladesh
Yesterday's capsizing of a ferry boat packed with hundreds of people in the Brahmaputra River in northeastern India has killed scores, and the death toll is expected to rise. The accident has once again raised concerns about the safety of South Asia's ferries, which often operate with no safety equipment and too many passengers. In watery parts of India and neighboring Bangladesh, these ferries are sometimes the only method of transport because roads and bridges are scarce, and accidents are common. (May 1)
Abandoned farm animals fill humane societies
The growth in urban farming is sprouting some negative side effects, such as the influx of barnyard animals to humane societies across the country. (May 1)
Young Himalayan girls falling prey to substance abuse
The Nepali government and Nepal's society as a whole have remained oblivious to the grave issue of women substance abuse even when the growing numbers of such substance users in society can no longer be ignored. (April 30)
Bad weather holds up trade through Nathu La
This year's trade between India and China through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim -- at an altitude of 14,140 feet -- which was to have begun this week, could not come off due to inclement weather. (April 30)
Nepal offers to train Indian peacekeepers
Nepal has offered to train Indian Army officers who will take part in the United Nations peacekeeping operations under various international assignments. (April 29)
4.6 million year old extinct horse holds clues to the rise of Tibetan plateau
The discovery of a skeleton of an ancient three-toed horse from the Tibetan Plateau has opened new areas of study on the habitat and elevation of Tibet nearly 5 million years ago. (April 24)
In an unlikely corner of Asia, strong promise of growth
Bangladesh is probably one of the last places in Asia people would expect to see a thriving beachside resort with luxury hotels. (April 23)
The investment we all have in asteroid mining
The doubters are having a field day with the recent announcement of a private venture, organized by a collection of tech titans, to launch a mission to mine asteroids. (April 23)
Thailand's Buddhists take up arms against insurgency
A deadly Thai insurgency has Buddhists scrambling for guns. (April 16)
HHDL begins North American tour
Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama left his exile residence of Dharamsala over the weekend for a visit to Hawaii, San Diego, Los Angeles, Chicago and Ottawa. (April 16)
China said to detain returning Tibetan pilgrims
Hundreds of Tibetans who attended an important Buddhist ceremony in January in India have been detained without charge by Chinese security officers on their return to Tibet, according to family members and friends living in exile in India, international human rights groups and officials with the Tibetan exile government. (April 16)
Water Wars: Why India and Pakistan are squaring off over their rivers
The waters of the Indus River and tributaries like the Jhelum - and the dams built on them by India - have long been one of the main points of contention between the rival neighbors, along with the disputed region of Kashmir itself and cross-border terrorism. Pakistan, whose agriculture-dominated economy is heavily reliant on the Indus and its tributaries, fears upstream dams allow India to manipulate the flows of water as it sees fit. (April 15)
Meet Nancy Powell, the new U.S. Ambassador to India
Nancy Powell, the first female American ambassador-designate to India, will arrive in New Delhi later this week bearing a few words of Hindi, a much-used camera and ambitious plans for the countries' relationship, according to an introductory video released yesterday by the U.S. Embassy. (April 15)
Outgoing TWA President admits to embezzlement
The former president of the Tibetan Women's Association was found to have embezzled funds of the organization and was dismissed from her post. (April 14)
Americans believe close U.S.-China ties good for them . . . unless: Poll
Most adults and opinion leaders in the U.S. say a close relationship between the U.S. and China is a good thing for the U.S. About eight in ten Americans and 88 per cent of U..S opinion leaders say this, a Gallup-China Daily USA study said. However, about six in 10 in both groups say China's growing influence in the world is bad for the U.S., it said. (April 10)
What does India's poverty line actually measure?
In India, even something as seemingly innocuous as a statistic can become a politically loaded football. (April 10)
Chinese army to help discipline party?
The PLA Daily - Chinese People's Liberation Army newspaper - has suggested that the ruling Communist Party's military-linked members could step in to ensure discipline in the party "if some members try to stray from the line." (April 10)
In India, a small pill, with positive side effects
Worms are so common in the developing world that they are considered a part of childhood. (April 10)
Fire sweeps through Tibetan forests
A fire sparked by illegal hunters has been raging across forests in eastern Tibet for nearly a month, causing a severe environmental crisis and displacement of people, according to government officials and local residents. (April 10)
Maid's cries cast light on child labor in India
In India, reported to have more child laborers than any other country in the world, child labor and trafficking are often considered symptoms of poverty: desperately poor families sell their children for work, and some end up as prostitutes or manual laborers. But the case last week of a 13-year-old maid is a reminder that the exploitation of children is also a symptom of India's rising wealth, as the country's growing middle class has created a surging demand for domestic workers, jobs often filled by children. (April 9)
U.S. official talks to Nepal about Tibetan refugees
A senior U.S. official met with Nepal's prime minister last week to express concerns about the situation of Tibetan refugees in the Himalayan country bordering China. (April 9)
Between Tibet and China, India plays a delicate balancing act
For more than 50 years, India has been a sometimes gracious, sometimes uneasy and occasionally hostile host to tens of thousands of Tibetans who fled their homeland and settled in India after claiming religious and political persecution by the Chinese government. Last week, India played all three roles, as President Hu Jintao of China met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other emerging market leaders in New Delhi. (April 3)
Rare Mac Trojan exploits Microsoft Office for Mac
A new Mac backdoor Trojan exploits a 2009 vulnerability in Microsoft Office to break into the computers of Tibet sympathizers, though it has potential to target other OS X users. (April 2)
China: Nobel winners urge Tibet talks
Twelve Nobel Peace laureates have written an open letter to President Hu Jintao of China, urging him to engage in "meaningful dialogue" with the Dalai Lama to ease Tibetans' frustrations over Chinese policies. (April 2)
China's Tibetan herders face uncertain future
China has invested billions of dollars into resettling Tibetan herders, who have for centuries led a nomadic life, moving regularly to seek fresh grazing for their animals. Beijing says the policy is aimed at improving nomads' living standards, creating markets for their livestock and the traditional herbal medicines they gather and curbing rampant environmental degradation on the roof of the world. But while some Tibetans welcome the changes, many worry about the disappearance of a lifestyle that has endured for hundreds of years, and see the resettlements as part of a broader erosion of Tibetan culture in China. (April 2)
China overtakes U.S. as world's largest grocery market
China has overtaken the United States to become the world's biggest market for grocery shopping, according to the latest report to underscore the country's growing global economic dominance. (April 1)
Activist who burned himself alive left letter, asking world to 'stand up for Tibet'
Tibetan activists say the exile who burned himself alive on the eve of a visit to India by China's president has left behind a letter urging the world to "stand up for Tibet." (April 1)
| 
