World Report

PARIS (JTA) -- Fervently religious Jews served as couriers for an international drug ring that operated in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Israel and the United States, Israeli police asserted Tuesday.

A fervently religious man recruited young religious Jews to smuggle the drug Ecstasy, the police added. Forty-nine suspects, of whom 24 were Israeli, have been arrested in Holland and Israel for alleged connections to the ring.

Zhirinovsky and party barred from Russia's national elections

MOSCOW (JTA) -- Russian ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky and his party have been barred from participating in the nation's parliamentary elections in December.

Russia's Central Election Committee barred the entire slate of the Liberal Democratic Party after two of its candidates were rejected for failing to disclose some of their assets.

Polish governor denies permit for discotheque near Auschwitz

NEW YORK (JTA) -- The governor of a southern Polish province revoked permission for a disco to be built near the site of the Auschwitz death camp.

The Oct. 5 action came in response to protests that noise from the disco would disturb visitors to the site.

Local officials had previously given permission to open the disco in a building that once was a storage house for the camp.

European Union's relations with Israel will be upgraded

PARIS (JTA) -- The level of relations between Israel and the European Union will be upgraded because France and Belgium agreed to ratify an association agreement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said this week.

As a result of the pact, Israeli-European Union political dialogue, as well as economic, cultural, commercial, scientific and technological cooperation will deepen.

Five countries face sanctions for violating religious freedom

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- China, Iran, Iraq, Myanmar and Sudan could face U.S. diplomatic and economic sanctions for violating religious freedom, State Department officials said last week

The five countries were designated under a provision of last year's Religious Freedom Act.

Germans arrest former officer in Nazi SS for alleged killings

BERLIN (JTA) -- German authorities arrested a former Nazi SS officer last week on charges he killed seven inmates near Theresienstadt during World War II.

Julius Viel allegedly shot the seven as they were digging anti-tank trenches.

Viel, 81, worked as a journalist after World War II and was awarded the German federal medal of honor in 1983 for his newspaper columns promoting hiking.