Nepal capital brought to standstill over Maoist murder

Nepal's capital was brought to a tense standstill Wednesday after the family of a businessman murdered by Maoists called a day-long general strike, police and eyewitnesses said.

Groups of young men at major intersections in Kathmandu were forcing people off the roads. The only vehicles on the streets were United Nations convoys, diplomatic vehicles and the occasional tourist bus.

"The Kathmandu valley has been effectively closed by the strike. All schools and major markets are shut," Kathmandu police chief Sabendra Khanal told AFP.

"Extra police have been mobilised, and we are keeping a close eye on the situation to minimise violence."

The Maoists, regularly under fire over their human rights record, have admitted that their cadre abducted and killed Ram Hari Shrestha, a Kathmandu businessman and supporter of the former rebels, late last month.