"His Holiness is deeply concerned about the situation and is praying for the safe return of Dorjee Khandu and others," Tenzin Taklha, joint secretary at His Holiness the Dalai Lama's office, told IANS.

The Nobel laureate is now in Japan, where he offered prayers and provided solace to the survivors of the devastating March 11 earthquake.

Tibetan leader had visited Arunachal Pradesh on the invitation of Khandu in November 2009. His Holiness the Dalai Lama inaugurated a hospital there for which he contributed Rs 2 million.

It was through Tawang that in 1959 His Holiness the Dalai Lama escaped the Chinese authorities to enter India. The sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, was born in the Tawang region in 1682.

One of the events will be taking place on Hainan Island in China and when Schumacher, an avid women's rights activist, received the invitation for the event, which would be subsidised by the Chinese government she was faced with a dilemma, "I felt like I had two choices: I could go with my reservations and wear a 'Free Tibet' shirt. Or, I could stand up for what I believe in and hopefully call more attention to these issues through a boycott," she told the Del Mar Times.

Schumacher pointed out that the decision to host the 2011 World Tour in China, "followed an important US congressional hearing on China's 'One Child Policy,' a policy sanctioned by the Chinese government that is implicated in gendercide, sexual slavery, forced sterilization and forced abortions." wrote lifesitenews.com.

In her much lauded career as a long-board surfer Schumacher has chosen not to be sponsored but rather work a regular 9-5 job to support herself in order to be able to speak her mind without contractual restrictions. Women's Rights Without Frontiers (WRWF), a human rights group that focuses on China, applauded Schumacher for her decision, calling her a woman of "tremendous courage, conviction and backbone - a shining light not only to female athletes, but to all women who are struggling for basic human dignity, all over the world."

His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived at Tokyo Narita Airport this morning. Today there will be a public memorial prayer service in remembrance of the victims of the tragic earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan last month. Coincidentally this mass prayer meeting happens to be on the 49th day, which according to Buddhist tradition is the end of formal mourning period.

On 30 April, His Holiness the Dalai Lama will leave for the United States on a two-week visit.

-Report filed by Tsewang Gyalpo Arya, Office of Tibet, Japan

In his condolence message issued today (25 April), His Holiness the Dalai Lama said: "I am saddened by the passing away of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, the respected spiritual leader. I would like to convey my condolences and prayers to all the followers, devotees and admirers of the late spiritual leader."

He was hospitalized on March 28 with respiratory problems and passed away on Sunday around 7.40am following multiple medical complications.

The spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba, 85, had millions of followers around the world. Sri Sathya Sai Baba and his organisations support a variety of free educational institutions, hospitals, and other charitable works in India and abroad.

According to Chinese state controlled media 'Xinhua', Up to 80 centimeters of snow fell in Karze, (Chi: Ganzi), and around 20 centimeters of ice was found on the highways.

"Two hundred soldiers were deployed to help those stuck in their vehicles, by delivering food and drinks. It took eight hours to clear the snow and for traffic to resume," Xinhua further reported.

The snow has covered national road linking Karze County and Dege County in Kham region of Tibet (Chi: Southwest China's Sichuan Province), April 23, 2011. Due to the continuous snowfall, the Karze-Dege section of National Road 317 which was covered with snow of over 50 cm in thickness, causing many vehicles stranded for hours.

13 April: "Possibilities 2011 - National Civic Summit" from Dublin, Ireland. Webcast will start at 9:45am (UTC/GMT +1 Hour). His Holiness is scheduled to speak from 10:30am to 12 noon. View the live webcast here.

13 April: His Holiness the Dalai Lama will give a talk on "The Spirituality of Compassion" at St. Brigid's Catholic Church in Kildare, Ireland, starting at 1:45pm (UTC/GMT +1 Hour). View the live webcast here.

14 April: Public address by His Holiness the Dalai Lama entitled 'The Power of Forgiveness' from the University of Limerick. The webcast will start at 9:20am (UTC/GMT +1 Hour). The address will be part of a 2-hour event including performances by students and faculty of local schools. View the live webcast here.

Audio and video for streaming and download will be available several days after the events at http://dalailama.com