Shorts: World

Pope to hear 'Jerusalem of Gold'

rome (jta) | A 16-year-old kibbutz girl will sing for Pope Benedict XVI this summer.

Liel Kolet plans to sing "Ave Maria" and "Jerusalem of Gold" when the pope officiates at a youth conference in Germany in August, her agents said this week.

Kolet's most recent project is a joint album with the heavy metal group Scorpion. Israeli diva Ahinoam Nini and contralto David Daor performed for Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II.




Hamas leader arrested in South America

sao paulo (jta) | The local leader of Hamas was arrested in an often-lawless frontier area where Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina meet.

Brazilian and Paraguayan news agencies confirmed last week that Saiel Bashar Yahya al Atary and 21 others described as Islamic terrorists had been arrested by Brazilian federal police in the city of Foz de Iguazu.

The men were charged with being part of an international ring that committed credit card fraud, counterfeited documents and was involved in drug trafficking.

The tri-border area is thought to be a center of Islamic terrorism and, especially, a financial center for money laundering for terrorists from the Middle East.




French court probes journal

paris (jta) | A French court opened a preliminary investigation into the distribution of a free journal with anti-Semitic contents.

"The Book of Cultural Philosophy" has been distributed at the University of Lyon-III since the end of 2004. The journals include passages that question "invading foreigners of Semitic culture, with their behavior, customs and habits, rites and cultures."

The journals contain no signature, and authorities are trying to ascertain who published them.




Paris wartime archives opened

paris (jta) | Pierre Mutz has signed an agreement with Eric de Rothschild, president of the Shoah Memorial in Paris, that each would share their respective archives on the occupation and collaboration during the war.

Police archives include arrest warrants classifying Jews by name, address, profession and nationality, as well as lists of goods taken during the roundups of 1941.