Mahaasthami being observed on 8th day of dasain

Kathmandu, 26 Sept: Hindu devotees started worshipping Goddess Durba at prayer rooms at home and Bhagabati temples by offering sacrifices and offering pujas to weapons on the 8th day of dasain from Saturday morning.
Long queues of worshipers waited patiently at temples for heir turn to offer worship and prayers.
Special pujas will be offered to the Goddess at night on Kalratri.
Priest Nandu Lal Pode of Dakshin Kali asked devotees not to smear the idol of the Goddess with vermilion or pour coconut water laced with chemicals to protect it from erosion.
The priest asked devotees to leave offerings at the temple.
The idol has corroded over the years because of the practice of pasting the idol with contaminated vermilion and by pouring contaminated coconut water.
The festive mood is peaking.
Newspapers announced they will suspend publication for several days from Sunday to celebrate dasain.
Bada dasain is on Monday.
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PM Nepal to address UN general assembly Saturday

Kathmandu, 26 Sept: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal is addressing the 64th session of the UN general assembly Saturday in New York before returning home to celebrate dasain.
Nepal presented Obama with a rock from the Mount Everest summit and a khukri.
Following a meeting with US President Barak Obama, Nepal held bilateral discussions with Chinese President Hu Jintao Thursday.
Nepal is scheduled to pay an official visit to China after returning home.
The prime minister also held political discussions Thursday with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The prime minister is also scheduled to attend a joint meeting organized by General Secretary Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on food security.
Nepal has been facing acute food shortage and increased price rises especially in remote hill districts.
Food production is expected to decline this year with delayed arrival of monsoon.
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Three killed in Saptari

Kathmandu, 26 Sept: Police Friday killed what they called three ‘miscreants’ during enhanced security for the festive season in retaliatory firing at Saptari.
Violence continues in the terai even as some groups announced a cease-fire during dasain and tihar.
Bhuwaneshwor Yadav of injuries while being rushed to hospital; a policeman was injured in an exchange of fire.
Police recovered two revolvers, two mobile phones, a rifle and ammunitions.
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Govt. to appoint economic attaches

Kathmandu, 26 Sept: Government is to appoint economic not military attaches in embassies abroad prioritizing economic diplomacy, Annapurna Post reports.
A foreign ministry source internal homework and study have started.
Nepal had earlier also curtailed the appointment of military attaches.
Nepal maintains embassies in 23 countries and six military attaches are currently serving in those embassies.
Possibilities of appointing economic attaches in Pakistan and Bangladesh instead are being considered; there are military attaches in India, China, United Kingdom and USA as well.
Military advisor in stationed at UN headquarters sin New York.
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Big three schedule tripartite meeting

Kathmandu, 26 Sept: Maoists, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have scheduled a tripartite meeting Saturday to end a four-month political impasse delaying the drafting of the constitution and concluding the peace process that has entered the fourth year of transition.
The three parties Friday held inconclusive separate intra-party talks in the capital.
Amid threats of launching a decisive third popular movement from the Valley, Chairman Prachanda has lately been predicting a breakthrough after tihar.
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Nepal proposing hunting of leopards

Kathmandu, 26 Sept: Nepal is proposing licensed hunting of leopards at a conference of member nations of CITIS six months later in Qatar, Kantipur reports.
The leopard population has increased in Nepal and the cat has raised terror in urban areas.
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Politicization of NSC

Kathmandu, 26 Sept: Politicization of the National Sports Council (NSC) continues unabated.
Sports Minister Ganesh Tiwari Nepali has appointed four members to the council from his party-TMLP, filling in all vacancies at the apex sports body vacated by mostly CPN-UML nominees.
Amar Chandra Anil, Rita Jha, Rita Kumari Thakur and Gita Shrestha were appointed council members this week.
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Girija renegades

Kathmandu, 26 Sept: Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala has said that the past agreement between the government on the discourse of state restructuring has lost its political relevance, The Kathmandu Post reports from Biratnagar.
Koirala, …, on Friday said to media persons that the present political dynamics cannot accommodate the government’s past agreement with the Madesh-based parties—Terai Madesh Loktantrik Party and Madesh Janaadhikar Forum.
“Enough waters have flown since the signatures were inked on that deal and the national politics is also taking a different course. It is extraneous to discuss past issues.”

(Note: Koirala as prime minister signed agreements with terai-based parties to meet their demands. Lately, he has also rejected state restructuring of regional, ethnic and linguistic lines and proposed a north-south divide of the country of the panchayat-era.)
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“When the constitution is being amended to address the issues raised by indigenous ethnic people, the boycott of dasain has become a non-issue.”

(Dr Krishna Bhattachan, Kantipur, 26 Sept.)

“Khukri is a symbol of Nepalese bravery and honesty.”

(PM Nepal after presenting a khukri to President Barak Obama, Kantipur, 26 Sept.)

:” did not get the salary and dasain expenses. The person who used to bring my salary and allowances earlier did not visit me this time.”

(Parmananda Jha, The Himalayan Times, 26 Sept.)
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