Tibetan Buddhist Master from Sikkim dies from pneumonia in Taiwan

By Deborah Kuo, CNA News, March 4, 2005

Taoyuan, Northern Taiwan -- Tibetan Buddhist master Khenpo Loden Rinpoche died recently of acute pneumonia days after arriving in Taiwan for a Buddhism promotion tour, religious sources said Friday.

Shaolin kung fu may be on World Heritage List

Indo-Asian News Service, March 4, 2005

Zhengzhou, China -- Shaolin kung fu, one of China's ancient martial art forms, may find a place in Unesco's World Intangible Heritage List, says Xinhua.

Cultural factors bind China and India

by Eric Teo Chu Cheow, China Daily, Feb 25, 2005

Beijing, China -- The buzz today is over the rise of China and India in the big global power shift, as witnessed during the recent Davos World Economic Forum. The two Asian giants' rise is being reflected in the international arena. India is seeking a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council, while China has been invited to attend the G-7 Finance Ministers' Meeting in London, after its first invitation to a similar rendezvous in Washington last autumn.

In greying Japan, prayers for a discreet death

AFP, February 20, 2005

IKARUGA, Japan -- A heart attack or sudden natural ailment would be a dream come true for the pilgrims who flock to this Japanese town where, nestled in the bamboo, an ancient temple is reputed to fulfill a modern wish: discreet death.

Pray for World Peace

AboutShaolin.com. Feb 17, 2005

Taipei, Taiwan -- A group of performers of Buddhist music from the Chinese mainland has held a religious ceremony on the Taiwan island. The performers say their ceremony is a prayer for world peace, but is also aimed at promoting Buddhist exchanges across the straits.

Shaolin Temple welcomes Lunar New Year

Xinhuanet, Feb 8, 005

ZHENGZHOU, China -- A bell ringing ceremony is scheduled at 10:30 Tuesday night in the famous Shaolin Temple in central China's Henan Province to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Calls for change as WHS status threatens one of Japan's gems

By MARIKO YASUMOTO, Special to The Japan Times, Feb. 6, 2005

Tokyo, Japan -- The breathtaking mountain landscape of the Kii Peninsula, and its ancient temples, monasteries and shrines have captivated the Japanese people for more than 1,000 years.

China spares Tibetan monk

BBC, Jan 26, 2005

China has commuted a death sentence for prominent Tibetan monk Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche to life imprisonment.

Beijing , China -- Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche's sentencing in 2002 sparked international concern, after rights groups said the case against him was seriously flawed.