News in Brief

A truck driver charged with running over an army canine-unit commander in February was convicted yesterday after reaching a plea deal in which he admitted to manslaughter and driving while intoxicated. Moshe Cohen, 45, of Ramat Hasharon, ran over the officer, Jackie Lugasi, while the latter was helping his son fix a flat tire at Morasha Junction. The prosecuting attorney said Cohen's friends testified to consuming two bottles of vodka with him prior to the accident. The prosecutor asked the Tel Aviv District Court to hand the driver a five-year sentence, while the defendant's lawyer sought a 30-month sentence. Sentencing will take place June 18. (Ofra Edelman)

One of the men convicted of the 1994 murder of taxi driver Derek Roth in Herzliya has reportedly left Argentina, his home since fleeing Israel while on a prison furlough five years ago, the international division of the State Attorney's Office said yesterday. It quoted unconfirmed reports. Justice Ministry officials said Israel has enlisted an Argentinian attorney to work with local authorities to allow Moshe Ben-Ivgi's extradition to Israel to serve out his sentence for killing driver Roth. (Tomer Zarchin)

Three more possible cases of swine flu have been discovered, the Health Ministry said yesterday, bringing the total number of possible infections in the country to 63. One potential case, an 8-year-old girl, is being examined at her home. Two others arrived in Israel from the United States, a 32-year-old hospitalized in Ashkelon's Barzilai Medical Center and a 45-year-old at Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital. The Health Ministry also said passengers from El Al flight 028 from New York to Ben-Gurion airport are asked to seek medical assistance should they notice flu-like symptoms. (Ran Reznick)

After learning that a new runway at Ben-Gurion Airport would not be opened for the next 60 days, and following the High Court of Justice's indication it would not intervene in the professional decisions of the aviation authorities, the city of Modi'in has withdrawn its petition seeking to block use of the runway. The city argued the flight path for the runway would bring planes directly over Modi'in. Aviation authorities said new technology requires the chosen flight path; the parties have agreed to work together to find a solution. (Zohar Blumenkrantz)

A 40-year-old woman was in serious condition yesterday after being bitten by a snake while picking cherries near her home in Majdal Shams. The incident follows another snake-bite case two weeks ago, in which a 30-year-old resident of the north spent a week in intensive care. Dr. Amar Hussein of the Rebecca Sieff Hospital, where both were treated, said poisonous snakes are especially dangerous this time of year, following winter hibernation; victims should get immediate medical treatment and be kept calm until help arrives. (Eli Ashkenazi)

The editor of the "7 Days" supplement in the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth has been appointed head of hasbara (public diplomacy) at the Prime Minister's Office. Nir Hefez, 44, has been the supplement's editor for the last three years. He is considered a close associate of Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar and other senior Likud figures, and in 2001 was nominated to be director of the Israel Broadcasting Authority by then-prime minister Ariel Sharon, though he was ultimately not selected for the post. In 2005, Hefez released the biography "Ariel Sharon: A Life" with co-author Gadi Bloom. (Gili Izikovich)