World in brief

New tropical storm forms in Atlantic

MIAMI - A tropical depression in the central Atlantic Ocean developed into the sixth named storm of the hurricane season Wednesday.

Tropical Storm Frances was about 1,400 miles east of the Lesser Antilles and was no immediate threat to land, forecasters said.

At 11 p.m., the center was near latitude 11.8 N and longitude 41.7 W. Maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph, and some additional strengthening was forecast over the next day.

Frances was moving toward the west near 16 mph, and was expected to remain on this path for the next 24 hours, then gradually begin turning toward the west-northwest, taking it to a position northeast of the Leeward Islands, including Puerto Rico, early next week.

SANA, Yemen - Yemen's former interior minister helped the alleged mastermind of the attack on the USS Cole to pass through security checkpoints in the months leading up to the 2000 bombing, according to a document read in court Wednesday by a lawyer for five of those accused in the plot.

Defense lawyer Abdul Aziz al-Samawi read out an official letter by former Interior Minister Hussein Arab, who was removed in April 2001, instructing security authorities to give "safe passage to Sheik Mohammed Omar al-Harazi with three bodyguards without being searched or intercepted. All security forces are instructed to cooperate with him and facilitate his missions."

The order was valid from April 2000 until the end of 2000. The Cole was attacked on Oct. 12.

The letter alleging a government role in facilitating terror activities appeared to shock prosecutors in court. Officials at the ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs refused to comment.

KHARTOUM, Sudan - Sudan said Wednesday that it had closed its embassy in Washington after being unable to find a bank that would handle its financial matters.

The Foreign Ministry said the bank that had handled the embassy's transfers from Khartoum for more than 30 years had closed Sudan's account, along with other embassy accounts, in July. The ministry statement did not name the bank.

PARIS CELEBRATES: Ceremonies commemorating the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Paris from the Nazis by Free French and American forces drew thousands of people into the streets Wednesday and culminated with a solemn tribute to the heroes of the liberation at Paris City Hall, followed by a jubilant outdoor ball.

AFGHAN TRIALS: Afghans now held in U.S. detention centers in Afghanistan will be tried and sentenced by the Afghan government, a U.S. military spokesman said Wednesday. The decision was reached Aug. 4 between Lt. Gen. David Barno, the commander of the U.S.-led alliance in Afghanistan, and President Hamid Karzai.

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