News in Brief

Body of missing man, 65, believed found in Modi'in

Three months after the disappearance of 65-year-old Avraham Lamberger from Netanya, police believe they have found his body in an open field in the city of Modi'in. Forensics test are underway to confirm the identity of the body, which was found by a boy near Ein Harod Street. The boy came to the field to fly a kite and told his parents he had found a human skull there. The parents called police, who found more remains and papers suggesting the body belonged to Lamberger, who came to Modi'in to visit his family. Police believe he collapsed in the field and died of dehydration. (Yuval Goren)

Condition of 'starved' J'lem 3-year-old is improving

The 3-year-old from Jerusalem whose mother is suspected of starving him was released from hospital over the weekend to a relative. His condition has reportedly improved. The affair surrounding the emaciated boy and the arrest of his ultra-Orthodox mother sparked large-scale rioting in Jerusalem over the past two weeks. "The boy has gained weight and was released in good physical condition," a hospital official said. Dr. Ya'akov Meir-Weil, the psychiatrist who evaluated the ultra-Orthodox woman, issued a letter last week saying that contrary to his initial findings, he was not able to determine whether or not the woman poses a danger to her other four children. (Dan Even)

Women, 68, dies after being hit by car in Petah Tikva

Almo Gadyanesh, 68, from Petah Tikva, died yesterday after being struck by a car Friday around 7 P.M. at the entrance to the city. She was crossing a road, and police are checking whether she crossed at a red light. The woman believed to be the driver in the incident has been detained. Gadyanesh was taken to hospital by Magen David Adom in critical condition. (Yuval Goren)

Biblical Zoo's elephant Abigail loses tug-of-war with death

Jerusalem's Biblical Zoo last week lost two elephants, an unborn calf and its mother, who died from complications of pregnancy. Abigail, 32, died on Friday evening at the zoo's intensive care veterinary ward despite an international effort to deliver the dead calf she was carrying in her womb. After Abigail went into labor but could not give birth, the zoo's veterinary staff called Dr. Thomas Bernd Hildebrandt from the Institute for Zoo Biology and Wildlife Research, Berlin, and another expert on elephant reproduction from the Rotterdam Zoo. "On the night that Abigail went into labor, at one point she became too exhausted and stopped pushing," said Dr. Nili Avni Magen. Abigail died three days after the operation, at the end of her 90th week of gestation. She was one of the zoo's symbols: She would participate in an annual tug-of-war against Jerusalem's Hapoel soccer team. (Jonathan Lis)