Brazil fire arrests

Santa Maria (Brazil), Jan. 28 (AP): Brazilian police officials said today they have made three detentions and are seeking a fourth person in connection with a blaze that ripped through a nightclub in southern Brazil over the weekend, killing more than 230 people.

Inspector Ranolfo Vieira Junior said the detentions are for investigative purposes and those detained can be held up to five days.

He declined to identify those detained or the fourth person sought, but the Brazilian newspaper Zero Hora quoted lawyer Jader Marques as saying that his client Elissandro Spohr, a co-owner of the club, had been held.

The paper also said police detained two band members who were on stage when the blaze broke out.

Nepal school

Kathmandu (PTI): Teachers backed by the breakaway CPN-Maoist faction in Nepal have forced shut a school allegedly for including Indian course material as part of the curriculum.

Bangla clash

Dhaka (Reuters): At least 50 people, including policemen, were injured in Bangladesh on Monday as Islamist activists protested against the prosecution of their leaders on charges stemming from the 1971 independence war, police and witnesses said.

Dutch queen

Amsterdam (Reuters): Dutch Queen Beatrix, who turns 75 on Thursday, announced she was abdicating in favour of her son, Prince Willem-Alexander, who will become king on April 30. Willem-Alexander, 45, is married to Princess Maxima Zorrigueta and has three young children.

Algeria raid

Algiers (Reuters): Suspected Islamist militants attacked an oil pipeline in the Djebahia region, 70km east of the capital on Monday, killing two guards and wounding seven.