Shorts: World

French appeals court supports Yahoo in Nazi case

paris (ap) | A Paris appeals court upheld a decision to throw out accusations by French human rights activists claiming Yahoo should be held legally responsible for auctions of Nazi paraphernalia that were once held on its Web site.

The attorney for Yahoo, Olivier Metzner, said the decision made clear that the company and its former chief executive, Tim Koogle, were not responsible for what appeared on the site.

In 2003, a Paris court already had ruled that Yahoo and Koogle never sought to "justify war crimes and crimes against humanity" - the accusation leveled by human rights activists, including Holocaust survivors and their families.

The case was initiated in 2000, when France's Union of Jewish Students and the International Anti-Racism and Anti-Semitism League sued Yahoo for allowing Nazi collectibles, including flags emblazoned with swastikas, to be sold on its auction pages.




Bad week for German Neo-Nazis

berlin (jta) | Five neo-Nazis were convicted of planning to bomb a synagogue and Jewish center in Munich.

A German court this week sentenced the five to probation for their plans to bomb the synagogue and center during a 2003 dedication. The alleged ringleader of the group is being tried separately.

Also in Germany, thousands of people protested in Munich against a neo-Nazi rally. Demonstrators threw tomatoes, eggs and bananas at the marchers, who were protected by hundreds of police, Reuters reported.

Police said 53 arrests were made.




Austrian rightist forms new party

berlin (jta) | Austrian right-winger Jorg Haider this week announced the creation of a new political party, the Union for the Future of Austria. In recent elections Haider's Freedom Party has suffered losses.

Several years ago, Haider came under fire for praising Hitler's "decent employment policies" and describing Nazi Waffen SS troops as "men of character." He later apologized for the remarks. The Freedom Party became part of Austria's government in 2000, but Haider resigned as head of the party under international pressure.




Canadian aboriginal leader on trial for hateful words

toronto (jta) | A former Canadian aboriginal leader repeated in court that Jews were responsible for starting World War II.

David Ahenakew said this week that he stood behind his statement of more than two years ago.

During his testimony Ahenakew was asked by Crown prosecutor Brent Klause if he still believed that the Jewish people started the war. Ahenakew responded with a simple "yes." He added, "I'm talking the truth. I don't think I said anything wrong during my speech," referring to a speech he gave to around 300 people on Dec. 13, 2002.

Following that speech, Ahenakew was approached by a reporter to clarify his statements about Jews and the war. It was then that he launched into a diatribe about the Holocaust that eventually landed him in court. In a setback to Ahenakew's defense, Judge Marty Irwin rejected a request by attorney Doug Christie to exclude tapes of both the reporter's interview and Ahenakew's speech.