Kathmandu - A general strike over the alleged murders of two youths by Maoist cadres shut down the Nepalese capital Kathmandu on Thursday.

The crippling strike closed main markets, educational institutions, offices and halted private and public transport.

The strike was called by various groups, including those supported by the Communist Party of Nepal - Unified Marxist Leninists, which is part of the coalition government.

The groups claimed two youths were abducted and killed by members of the Maoist youth wing, the Young Communist League (YCL), in Dhading district, about 50 kilometres west of the Nepalese capital.

The bodies were recovered by police on Tuesday, nearly a month after the two were abducted.

Kathmandu, Nov 20 : Nepal Government has decided to immediately kick-start dialogue with armed groups operating in Terai.

A cabinet meeting held at Singha Durbar on Wednesday reached the conclusion after being briefed by Minister for Peace and Reconciliation Janardhan Sharma on the achievement so far in this regard.

Prime Minister Prachanda directed the talks team to initiate discussions as soon as possible while the cabinet members pledged their full support for it.

Kathmandu - As Nepal marks the second anniversary of the end of civil war, there are yet painful reminders of the bitter conflict that left thousands of people dead and missing.

For many people who lost their loved ones in the fighting or were driven from their homes, their struggle for justice continues.

"It has been two years since the government and the Maoists signed a peace deal, but in reality, life hasn't changed that much for us," said Ram Bahadur Karki, who fled his home in eastern Nepal with his family after Maoist rebels accused him of supporting the government.

Kathmandu - A leading international human rights organization asked the Nepalese government Wednesday to take urgent steps to end what it called the widespread abuse and torture of children in police custody.

US-based Human Rights Watch said it had documented more than 200 cases of torture or abuse by Nepalese police against boys and girls detained on suspicion of crimes in the first 10 months of 2008.

The group said some of the children were as young as 13.

"Sometimes, the torture is inflicted to extract confessions from the children while at other times it appears to be carried out purely for the entertainment of the official," said Bede Sheppard, a researcher for Human Rights Watch.

Kathmandu, Nov 18 : Nepal Constituent Assembly (CA) chairman Subhas Nemwang today urged the nation to actively participate in the constitution-making process, saying that "only the constitution prepared with the participation of the people will be a true people''s constitution".

Kathmandu, Nov 18 : Visiting Former Indian President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam today said that investment in education sector was essential for rural development without which achieving the development of Nepal was impossible.

Addressing the 14th convocation ceremony of Kathmandu University in Dhulikhel, Kavre, Dr. Kalam urged the Kathmandu University graduates to pay attention for development of rural areas of Nepal.

Citing the instance of India''s project for developing 6000 villages, he suggested that Nepal should launch similar projects in 4000 villages.