Kathmandu, Nov 25 : Visiting Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee called on Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias, ''Prachanda'' at his official residence in Baluwatar this morning.

It has been learnt that the meeting dwelt on making the bilateral relationship between both countries more strong.

Mukherjee reportedly discussed Nepal''s political situation, the peace process and the army integration with Maoists.

Kathmandu - Police officers in south-eastern Nepal went on strike accusing a politician and his supporters of assaulting and attempting to abduct their colleagues, media reports said Monday.

Officers stopped work across Dhanusa district, about 250 kilometres south-east of Kathmandu, as part of their protests, the independent Kantipur Televison said.

The report said two police officers were assaulted on Sunday night after they stopped Sanjaya Kumar Saha, local leader of ethnic Madhesi People's Rights Forum, for a routine check in the town of Janakpur.

Kathmandu - Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday arrived in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu at the start of a three-day official visit to the Himalayan nation.

The visit is the first by an Indian foreign minister since the Maoist-led government took power in August.

Talks between the Indian foreign Minister and his Nepalese counterpart Upendra Yadav will focus on a wide range of bilateral issues and Indian financial assistance to Nepal.

Kathmandu - Nepal's suicide rate has nearly doubled in the past four years, blamed mostly on growing depression among youth, a media report said Saturday.

The Kathmandu Post newspaper said the number of suicides reported by police rose by 40 per cent in the past four years.

Official statistics showed 2,789 suicides in 2007, up from 1,992 in 2004.

The newspaper said 659 cases were reported during the first three months of 2008, keeping pace with the record 2007 total.

Kathmandu  - At least six people were killed and more than 20 others injured when a passenger bus plunged off a mountain highway in central Nepal, police said Saturday.

Police said the driver lost control of the bus trying to avoid a truck coming from the opposite direction. It dropped into Trishuli River near the town of Mugling, about 90 kilometres west of Kathmandu Friday night.

Kathmandu - A child was killed and three people were seriously wounded when a powerful explosion ripped through a stage at a cultural festival in southern Nepal, police said Friday.

The bombing in the town of Gaur in the Rautahat district, about 100 kilometres south of Kathmandu and close to the Indian border, killed an 8-year-old boy, police said.

Police said the explosion targeted a dance stage at a festival attended by thousands of people.

The blast occurred when no shows were being presented, and there was no large crowd at the stage, the district police office said.