Dasain starts

Kathmandu, 30 Sept: Dasain started Tuesday.
Auspicious time for ghatastapana was at 9.25 in the morning.
Bijaya dashami is on 9 October.
Auspicious time for tika is from 11.11 to 11.57 in the morning, according to astrologers.
New Road was packed with shoppers Monday which experienced the biggest traffic jam in the capital in two years.
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PM Prachanda returns from New York Tuesday; nothing unique about Bush

By Bhola B Rana

Kathmandu, 30 Sept: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda returns home Tuesday after addressing the UN general assembly in New York where he had a brief encounter with US President George W. Bush during a week-long stay.
Prachanda addressed the UN after visits of China and India.
‘Some important steps have been taken to relations with USA,” Prachanda said in an interview with Dinesh Jung Shah of Kantipur in New York adding,” Our wish is to is to improve the bitter relations of the past with the world’s most powerful nation.”
He said the his three visits to China, India and USA are ‘historic’.
“Like the USA, I didn’t find anything unique in Bush,” the prime minister said in reply to a question.
‘But with the USA, the visit is the beginning of relations”
‘He added,” I felt American compulsion to pay attention to Nepal’s Maoist movement, Maoist party and its leadership even without liking them,” Prachanda said in reply to a question: How do you look at the meeting with Bush?
He said takes the meeting with Bush at the US President’s invitation ‘positively’. He continued: “I take the meeting very positively.”
Prachanda said a meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Richard Boucher was the ‘first official talks’ with USA.
‘I told him why US policy towards hasn’t changed.” he added. “USA still puts on its terrorist list. The USA isstill where it is.”
Prachanda quoted Baucher as saying the Prachanda, Bush encounter was ‘proof of improvement of relations’.
Asked if elations has improved with USA, Prachanda told Shah,” I don’t feel this language can be used right now.”
He added: ”For us, most importantly the assembly meeting as an opportunity for us to extend our reach to donors and the international community.”
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One passenger killed, four injured in rebel firing

Kathmandu, 30 Sept: One passenger was killed and four were injured Monday when rebels of Madesh Mukti Tigers fired on a bus in Nawalparasi for defying a transport strike.
The bus was proceeding to the capital from Nepalgunj.
Daily violence continues in the tarai.
Fourteen rebel groups are meeting across the border tounite and intensify the revel movement after dasain.
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