Shorts: World

David Irving loses appeal

vienna (jta) | Austria's Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Holocaust denier David Irving.

A Vienna court sentenced Irving, a British historian, to three years in prison in February for speeches he gave in 1989 during which he argued that the Holocaust was exaggerated. He was arrested in November when he returned to Austria to give a lecture. Since then, he has been held in police custody.

Irving pleaded guilty and said he had erred in claiming that Auschwitz did not have gas chambers.

Austria has some of Europe's strictest punishments for Holocaust denial.




Czech neo-Nazis make threats

prague (jta) | Czech neo-Nazis threatened attacks against fellow Czechs unless their request to join foreign armies opposing Israel is accepted.

A Czech tabloid, Blesk, revealed that the National Resistance, the country's largest neo-Nazi movement, sent a letter to President Vaclav Klaus requesting permission to serve in the Czech foreign service in Arab countries so that they could fight against Israel.

A police spokeswoman told Blesk that an anti-extremist unit is investigating the matter.




Anti-Semitic incidents surge in Britain

london (jta) | There's been a significant increase in anti-Semitic incidents during the past month, the group responsible for the safety of Britain's Jews reported. The majority of incidents involved hate mail, emails, verbal abuse and graffiti on Jewish property, the Community Security Trust said in a statement.

The trust urged British Jewish communities to follow security measures and cooperate with security personnel at all times. Synagogue congregants were urged to disperse immediately after services, among other steps.




Poland to take up compensation bill

warsaw (jta) | A bill in Poland on compensation for property confiscated by the Nazis will be addressed by the country's parliament.

The bill proposes a 15 percent rate of compensation for property based on current prices. The bill covers property stolen by the Nazis from Jewish owners, which was later taken by the communist state. If the bill passes, about 20 percent of the claims are expected to come from Jewish owners and their heirs.

Claimants would not be required to have Polish citizenship to apply for compensation. Jewish groups have objected to the level of compensation offered in the bill.