Sudan

Fourteen killed in riot of tribesmen, police

Police clashed with tribesmen Saturday in the Red Sea coastal city of Port Sudan, leaving at least 14 people dead and 16 injured, a government official said. The United Nations said police fired on peaceful demonstrators.

Riots involving Beja tribesmen broke out early Saturday in Port Sudan, 425 miles northeast of the capital of Khartoum, Red Sea governor General Hatim al-Wasilah said. The area is underdeveloped and poor, and the rioting appeared to be economically motivated.

The casualties occurred when police tried to stop widespread looting and vandalism, al-Wasilah said. He said the situation was under control. He said 14 people were killed and 16 injured.

Radhia Achouri, spokeswoman for the U.N. Mission in Sudan, said the clash could open a new front of violence in Sudan.

Afghanistan

Mine blast kills nine near Pakistani border

A land mine exploded Saturday near a pickup truck carrying Afghan soldiers close to the Pakistani border, killing nine soldiers and seriously wounding another, an Afghan commander said, one of the bloodiest attacks in months.

Mullah Abdul Hakim Latifi, a man who regularly claims to speak for the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the mine blast on behalf of the hard-line militia.

The 10 soldiers from a border guard unit were aboard a pickup truck when it struck the mine on a road near Spinboldak, a frontier town in southern Kandahar province.

The only survivor, an officer called Qadir Bhai, was seriously injured and taken to a nearby French special forces base for treatment.

Israel

Anticipation builds for upcoming summit

A Saturday meeting between Israel’s defense minister and a top Palestinian security official went well, Israeli officials said, as the two sides try to reconcile differing expectations for an upcoming summit between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Palestinian security official Mohammed Dahlan, a top adviser to Abbas, met late Saturday under tight security at a Tel Aviv hotel. The talks focused on security matters.

The talks were part of preparations for a summit between Abbas and Sharon expected in the second week of February. The summit would be a crucial step in the push to end four years of hostilities and revive Israel-Palestinian peace talks.

Tokyo

Japan may donate anime to Third World

The Foreign Ministry is considering providing popular anime programs for free to television stations in developing countries to promote cultural exchanges and help expand the market for the genre, sources said Saturday.

The ministry will likely provide the money for the project to the Japan Foundation.

The sources said the ministry and the foundation were talking about purchasing several animated series of 30-minute episodes including one about soccer because of the sport’s popularity worldwide.

Anime has become extremely popular in Europe and North America over the past few years, and about 60 percent of cartoon shows aired in the world are produced in Japan.