TWO VEHICLES VANDALISED IN JHAPA Kathmandu, 12 Sept.: AcDivists of different youth and student organisations enforcing the nation-wide general strike vandalised two vehicles at Garamani in Jhapa district on Wednesday morning, RSS reports from Jhapa.. The banda-enforcers pelted stones at a tripper and a truck for defying the banda , smashing the windshield and windows of both the vehicles, the District Traffic Office, Birtamod stated. The youth and students organisations affiliated to the opposition parties had called the shutdown from 6 a.m. to 10 am to protest the recent hike in the price of petroleum products. Public transport service as well as the markets remained closed here since the morning due to the general strike. Nnnn NO OBAMA, NETANYAHU ENCOUNTER IN NEW YORK Kathmandu, 12 Sept.: In a highly unusual rebuff to a close ally as tensions escalated over how to deal with Iran's nuclear program, the White House said on Tuesday President Barack Obama would not meet Benjamin Netanyahu during the Israeli prime minister's U.S. visit later this month, Reuters reports from Washington/Jerusalem.The apparent snub, coupled with Netanyahu's sharpened demands for a tougher U.S. line against Iran, threatened to plunge U.S.-Israeli relations into crisis and add pressure on Obama in the final stretch of a tight presidential election campaign. An Israeli official, who declined to be identified, said the White House had refused Netanyahu's request to meet Obama when the Israeli leader visits the United States to attend the U.N. General Assembly, telling the Israelis, "The president's schedule will not permit that." White House spokesman Tommy Vietor denied that Netanyahu had ever made such an overture - let alone that it had been spurned - insisting instead that the two leaders were attending the General Assembly on different days and would not be in New York at the same time. nnnn