Washington DC, USA, 11 July 2011 - On July 11 His Holiness left early in the morning for the Verizon Center to continue his preparatory rituals.  Thereafter, he visited the offices of Radio Free Asia where he was received by its President Libby Liu and other senior officials.

Jogye Order files complaint against removal of temple-related street names. Seoul, South Korea -- The nation’s largest Buddhist sect is strongly protesting the government’s new address system in which some streets named after temples have been given new names unrelated to Buddhism.

Honolulu, Hawaii (USA) -- Pacific Buddhist Academy in Nuuanu will publicly launch a $5 million capital campaign Friday as part of the first phase of an expansion plan.

Kathmandu, Nepal -- A Buddhist monastery near Kathmandu is enjoying a surge in popularity after its spiritual leader directed its 300 nuns to use martial arts techniques.

Kalmykia, Russia -- “Let all our wishes come true! Let all living creatures be free of suffering, of danger, of diseases and sadness! Let peace and happiness govern on Earth!” More than 2,000 Buddhists chanted the mantra, kneeling on mats before the Golden Abode of Buddha temple in Elista, the capital of the republic of Kalmykia, one of three traditional Buddhist regions in Russia. They repeated words of prayer after the Kalmyk Buddhist leader, Telo Tulku Rinpoche. Finally, the square grew quiet as the group went into deep meditation.

New Delhi, India -- On Saturday afternoon at the India Habitat Center in New Delhi, the Dalai Lama spent an hour educating a packed house of some 1,500 people on the art of happiness in a lecture arranged by book publisher Penguin India. That in and of itself would not be unusual: the Tibetan spiritual leader is a best-selling author and a world-renowned public speaker.

Buddhism Online reported in Myanmar   Dec. 24  -- Chinese Buddha sacred tooth relic was re-conveyed to China Saturday after concluding 48- day's public obeisance in Myanmar's three major cities -- Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon and Mandalay.

Henan, China -- Henan Buddhist College (HBC) held an inauguration ceremony on Sunday in central China's Henan province, marking the establishment of the first-ever higher institute dedicated to Buddhist education in the birthplace of Han Chinese Buddhism.

FUKUI, Japan -- Religious leaders from Buddhism, Christianity and other faiths are calling on a higher authority as they join the campaign against the restart of two idled reactors at the Oi nuclear power plant, operated by Kansai Electric Power Co.

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Buddhist Thais nationwide marked Vesak Day on Monday which this year also was in commemoration of the 2,600th anniversary of the enlightenment of the Lord Buddha, or Buddha Jayanti.