Shorts: World

Israeli clinches Davis Cup match

london (jps) | Noam Okun came through for Israel in the clutch yet again, leading the Davis Cup squad to a crucial win over Great Britain that keeps its spot in Europe/Africa Zone Group I for another year.

Okun rallied from down a break in the fifth set for the 6-3, 6-4, 6-7(5), 2-6, 6-3 victory over Jamie Delgado on Sunday, July 23 at the International Lawn Tennis Center in Eastbourne, England.

This was Israel's first win in four tries against the Brits.

"To come here and win on grass was very emotional," non-playing captain Eyal Ran told the Jerusalem Post. "A lot of very good teams lost here and I'm proud that we won.

"I hope this win brought some happiness to people in Israel," he added. With Okun and Yoni Erlich both hailing from Haifa, the situation in the north of Israel was never lost upon the team.




Germany to rate potential immigrants

berlin (jta) | Germany will initiate a point system to reduce the number of Jews it accepts from the former Soviet Union.

The most important criteria are education and job experience, with the goal of reducing pressure on existing Jewish communities to integrate the newcomers.

In the 16 years since German unification, the Jewish population in that country has more than quadrupled, reaching a current official total of 120,000.

According to the new system, which reportedly received the approval of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, any Jew applying for citizenship must have at least 50 of 105 possible points, according to the news magazine Der Spiegel.

Exceptions will be made for survivors of Nazi persecution.




Germany, Israel, U.S. sign agreement on archives

berlin (jta) | Germany, Israel and the United States signed an agreement that would open millions of Holocaust era files.

Wednesday, July 26's signatures raised to eight the number of countries who have signed the April pact. The pact was devised by the governing body of the International Tracing Service, the arm of the International Committee of the Red Cross that oversees the archive. The agreement opens the files to researchers.




Survey says hate in Europe rising

london (jta) | Racism and xenophobia are on the rise in Europe, according to a new survey.

The survey by the European Network Against Racism, which covers 20 countries, says immigrants and Muslims are the main targets of discrimination, according to The Independent newspaper in London.

The report found that police were lacking in the ability to investigate hate crimes. The report notes that Jews and Roma, also known as gypsies, have also been targeted by racist groups.