S P O T L I G H T

Mizo Ministry expanded
AIZAWL, Jan 12 (ANI) — The Zoramthanga Ministry in Mizoram was expanded today with the induction of five ministers of state. Two ministers of state were elevated to the rank of Cabinet ministers. The expansion was necessitated following the sacking of five ministers on December 9 last. Mr B. Lalthlengliana and Mr H.V. Nlalauva were sworn in as Cabinet Ministers by the Governor, Mr A. Padnanabhan at Raj Bhavan.

Accord reached
DHAKA, Jan 12 (DPA) — Bangladesh and India today reached an accord over a frontier river, ending a three-decade-old bilateral dispute which had touched off bloody skirmishes, official sources said.

Nedunchezhiyan dead
CHENNAI, Jan 12 (PTI) — AIADMK Presidium Chairman V.R. Nedunchezhiyan died here this evening at the Apollo Hospital, hospital sources said. He was 79. Mr Nedunchezhiyan is survived by his wife, Dr Visalakshi and a son. He died of acute isechaemic problem.

Booked under NSA
ALIGARH, Jan 12 (PTI) — Two students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Sarwar Iqbal and Naseem Ahmed, arrested following last month’s violence in the campus, have now been booked under the National Security Act (NSA) and transferred to Agra jail, District Magistrate Dev Dutt said today. The students had been arrested in December.

New Mumbai Sheriff
MUMBAI, Jan 12 (UNI) — Noted educationist Augustine F. Pinto will be the new Sheriff of Mumbai. He will be sworn in on January 19 at Raj Bhavan. The 55-year-old Dr Pinto has been involved in the field of education throughout his career. Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh recommended his name to the Governor yesterday.

35 die in accident
SAO PAULO, Jan 12 (Reuters) — At least 35 persons died when two buses collided on a highway today in Brazil’s south-eastern state of Santa Catarina, local Globo Television reported. Some of the dead were tourists from Argentina, it said.

15 Tigers killed
COLOMBO, Jan 12 (AFP) — Sri Lankan troops shot dead at least 15 Tamil Tiger guerrillas in fresh fighting in the north of the country amid heavy exchanges of artillery fire, the Defence Ministry here said today. The security forces killed 12 members of the LTTE in the northern Jaffna peninsula while three more were killed in the east of the country yesterday, the ministry said.

11 detained
CALCUTTA, Jan 12 (PTI) — Eleven foreign nationals detained here for travelling on forged documents were interrogated intensely by intelligence agencies amid reports in Dhaka newspapers that they were suspected of plotting to hijack a Bangladesh Biman Airlines flights on which they were booked. Official sources here said the foreigners, suspected to be Afghan nationals, were held at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport last night.