China praises holy boy

The official Chinese news agency has given details of the upbringing of the Panchen Lama - the 13-year-old boy whom China regards as the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism.

The agency, Xinhua, said the boy had made great progress in learning Buddhist scriptures - but was also interested in sport and computers, and spoke fluent Chinese.

It added that the young Lama respected the old and loved the young, and often gave food to birds, cats and dogs.

The boy is said by the Chinese authorities to be the reincarnation of previous Panchen Lamas.

However the BBC Beijing correspondent says many Tibetans do not accept the boy is the real Panchen Lama and instead they recognise another boy, chosen by the exiled Dalai Lama.

That boy is held under house arrest by the Chinese authorities.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service