Nepal mourns killed captives

KATHMANDU: A day-long curfew on Thursday helped to end violent protests in Kathmandu, even as the nation observed a day of mourning for the 12 Nepalese killed by abductors in Iraq.
But in two other areas authorities had to resort to force to quell anti-government and anti-Muslim rioting. In the western town of Butwal, authorities declared an indefinite curfew following violent protests.Curfew was also re-imposed in the eastern district of Jhapa.
But by and large, the day was remarkably quiet. Throughout the day, the state-run radio and television played religious and patriotic songs. Flags flew at half-mast in all government offices. Businesses, offices, shops and schools remained closed, and no vehicles other than security vehicles and ambulances were seen on the streets.
Tourists were escorted by security officers to their respective hotels. All airlines, including Indian Airlines, operated their scheduled flights into Kathmandu.
But three airlines — the Pakistani state carrier PIA, Qatar Airways and private Indian operator Air Sahara, which was to inaugurate its Delhi-Kathmandu flight on Wednesday — suspended operations for a week. All three had been targeted by irate mobs.