Ukraine - A husband was murdered in front of his wife, and she injured in their hotel room in Odessa, Ukraine. The American couple who are from Tampa, Florida where on vacation in Ukraine when a perp entered their hotel room took their money, stabbed to death 52-year-old Asaf Yehudeev and injured his wife. Odessa and Southern Ukraine Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Avraham Wolf, is working to prevent an...

Lubien, Poland - Bronislaw Geremek, an icon in the struggle against communist rule in Poland and founding member of the Solidarity trade union, died in a car accident today, he was 76. Geremek was a legendary figure in the anti-communist opposition and in the post-communist era served as foreign minister between 1997 and 2000. He was elected to the European Parliament in 2004 on the list of...

Berlin, Germany - A former Berlin police officer who tore off the head of an Adolf Hitler waxwork at a new museum in the German capital will probably not have to pay for damages because he is destitute. The 41-year-old scuffled with guards and leapt over a rope barrier before tearing off Hitler's head just minutes after Berlin's new Madame Tussauds opened last week. The headless Hitler...

Vermont - If you're traveling in Vermont this summer, you might want to register for a gas giveaway contest. The state is giving away $100 gas cards each week in hopes of encouraging people to visit. The summer promotion, dubbed ''Vermont Fuels Your Vacation,'' runs through Sept. 30. The cards are redeemable at participating gas stations. You can register here. Several Vermont inns and lodgings...

Brooklyn, NY - According to the latestst NYPD figures, felonious assaults in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn are up 21% this year, jumping from 96 to 116 through last Sunday. The NY Post is reporting that police spokesman Assistant Chief Michael Collins couldn't say how many of those assaults were stabbings or slashings. "It's a spike we are looking at now," he said. Early this morning...

Monroe, NY - Installation of the highway speed E-ZPass system will change traffic patterns starting early this week at the Thruway’s Woodbury toll plaza. Traffic on the existing northbound interchange ramp at Exit 16 will be directed to a temporary ramp, the state Thruway Authority said. The change is expected to begin Monday or Tuesday, and last until the end of August, the authority said...

Sydney - A KOSHER diet can stack on the kilos, so a rabbi has launched a diet challenge to Australia's Jewish community: lose 1000 kilograms in 12 weeks. Rabbi Mendel Kastel is launching an online diet program later this month, giving kosher recipes, personalised menu and exercise plans, a kosher conversion guide, and goal-setting and weight-tracking tools. "Bagels, chopped liver, matzoh...

Postville, IA - Anyone who has doubts that this country is abusing and terrorizing undocumented immigrant workers should read an essay by Erik Camayd-Freixas, a professor and Spanish-language court interpreter who witnessed the aftermath of a huge immigration workplace raid at a meatpacking plant in Iowa. The essay chillingly describes what Dr. Camayd-Freixas saw and heard as he translated for...

Lawrence, NY - The newest trustee of the Village of Lawrence is Michael Fragin. He is an investment banker, was a key aide to two New York governors and, until his appointment to government, wrote a popular political column in this newspaper. He also happens to be an Orthodox Jew, and for that his appointment earned the staunch opposition of the Lawrence Association. Fragin’s appointment was...

Israel - A first-of-its-kind agreement between Belz Hasidic Court and the internet provider Rimon may soon enable Belz followers to subscribe to the "kosher" internet. Though "kosher" internet has been available for quite some time, the Belz version is expected to be different, as Rimon has pledged to put to use one of its newest technological developments to block any content even remotely...

New York, NY - It’s tough being a driver these days. Even with gasoline prices at $4 or more a gallon, parking costs are also climbing steadily. According to a parking rate survey by Boston-based real estate research firm Colliers International, parking costs have risen nationwide for the fifth year in a row and they aren’t expected to change much in the near term. The median monthly...

Boca Raton, FL - Six homes could soon be demolished to make room for a new house of worship in Boca Raton. Neighbors in the area aren't happy about the plan to build a new Chabad synagogue. Firefighter Anthony Majhess spent his day off wearing a suit at the Boca Raton Library to ask people to sign a petition to stop the demolition. The Chabad synagogue, will be built on 22,000 square feet...