1st SEPTEMBER, 2014

Thousands of Tibetan Buddhists stream in Lhasa’s Norbulingka everyday, to offer scarves for the 14th Dalai Lama and pray for his return. Norbulingka was the “summer palace” home of the Dalai Lama from 1956 to 1959, before he fled to India. For decades, the Chinese government had kept the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) off limits to outsiders. 

A team of Forest Department officials will soon visit Beijing, another Chinese town- Xianyou, Hong Kong and Singapore to hold pre-bid meetings with prospective buyers of seized red sanders logs of around 4,160 metric tonnes to be auctioned from September 19 to 26. The cash-strapped government has decided to sell in the international market more than 8,500 MTs of red sanders logs.  As many as 246 people, including 76 from China, Japan, Singapore, U.A.E, Nepal and Australia had inspected the logs in seven depots at Kadapa, Bhakarapet, Tirupati, Udayagiri, Kanigiri, Adurupally and Venkatagiri. Of them, 49 were from China and 16 from Japan. 

Mr. Modi, who visited the heritage Toji temple on Sunday morning, met Nobel laureate in medicine Prof. Shimna Yamanaka, and discussed a possible remedy for sickle cell anaemia prevalent in India. Mr. Kadokawa, who called on Mr. Modi at his Kyoto hotel, told the Prime Minister that the city had the lowest per capita garbage generation in Japan. When Mr. Kadokawa referred to the Kyoto city museum, the Prime Minister inquired whether it was a digital facility. Mr. Kadokawa also informed the Prime Minister that the city was going to become poster-free from Sunday.

The Nalanda University (NU) will rise again on Monday as academic classes will begin on its new campus in Bihar’s Rajgir. The resurrection of the ancient university will bring to fruition of an idea proposed by the former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in 2006. “We will have a low-key launch with classes for the School of Ecology and Environmental Studies and the School of Historical Studies beginning 9 a.m. tomorrow [Monday]. Right now there are 15 students and 11 faculty members,” NU Vice-Chancellor Gopa Sabharwal 

The Punjab-based Netaji Subhash Kranti Manch on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to visit the Renkoji temple in Tokyo where some believe that the ashes of the late freedom-fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose are buried.

Legendary actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao will be the first Indian actor to be honoured with a postage stamp by the U.S. Post Service (USPS). The Akkineni Foundation of America (AFA) has said that the stamp will be issued on the birth anniversary of Nageshwara Rao, who died of cancer early this year. A special release ceremony is being planned by AFA on September 20 in Dallas, Texas. The AFA is also planning to release the stamp in India on December 17 at the first International Akkineni Awards Ceremony being planned at ANR College, Gudivada in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. 

Responding to the government’s recent ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ (Clean India Campaign), engineering major Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (L&T) on Sunday announced plans to build 5,000 toilets as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. L&T group executive chairman A.M. Naik said that initially 2,000 toilets would be built.

Taking a cue from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech, Sulabh International on Sunday kick-started its nationwide ‘Toilet for Every House’ campaign from Katra Sadatganj village in Badaun that has been in the news for the killing of two girls when they ventured out of their homes in the dark to relieve themselves.

Jailed Bahraini activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja has been on hunger strike for a week seeking release, his lawyer said on Sunday, adding that authorities have arrested his daughter at the airport.“Abdulhadi is continuing with the hunger strike he began on August 25” in Jaw prison near Manama, said lawyer Mohammed al-Jishi. Jailed for life for plotting to overthrow the monarchy, Mr. Khawaja (54) had staged a 110-day hunger strike in 2012.

Spain’s Carolina Marin pulled off a monumental upset as she beat Chinese world No.1 Li Xuerui to win the women’s singles title at the badminton World Championships in Copenhagen on Sunday. The 21-year-old ninth seed recovered from dropping the opening game to the top seed and Olympic champion to complete an incredible 17-21, 21-17, 21-18 victory and earn her country its first ever major title in the sport.