News in Brief

A new bill before the Knesset will seek to limit expensive, publicly funded trips abroad by MKs and ministers. According to the bill, the finance minister would set the rules by which such expenses would be monitored. MK Nachman Shai (Kadima), who proposed the bill, formulated it following the state comptroller's harsh criticism of the cost of Defense Minister Ehud Barak's recent stay in Paris. There is currently no limit on such hotel expenses. The bill proposes that those who exceed the legal amount without prior authorization will make up the difference out of pocket. (Jonathan Lis)

A bill has been proposed in the Knesset to prohibit children from bringing their cellphones to school during classes. The bill, proposed by MK Haim Katz (Likud), would apply to elementary and junior high schools. The explanatory remarks accompanying the bill cite studies in Israel and abroad which reveal that children's health is being damaged by cellphone use and that "increasing use of cellphones severely impairs the quality of lessons." The bill notes that, in special cases, the principal or the Education Ministry director general would be able to permit cellphone use. (Jonathan Lis)

The Journalists Association yesterday announced this year's winners in the field of radio broadcasting. The prizes will be awarded at the Eilat Journalists Conference at the end of this month. A special lifetime achievement award will go to entertainer and radio host Rivka Michaeli. Other prize winners include the morning current affairs program "Agenda," hosted by Keren Neubach, and satirical radio show hosts Shai Goldstein and Dror Raphael. The Voice of Music's live concert show also won a prize, as did shows on Army Radio, local radio host Haim Hecht for his broadcasts during Operation Cast Lead, and the local Arabic radio station Ashams. (Gili Izikovich)

Prosecutors in Germany have charged a 90-year-old man who had been a member of the Nazi SS, with the murder of 58 Jewish forced laborers at the end of the Holocaust. A special Nazi war-crimes prosecution unit said the man, from the western German city of Duisburg, had planned and carried out the murders, along with other members of his unit, on March 28-29, 1945 in the Austrian village of Deutsch Schutzen. The man has two weeks to file evidence against the proceedings. The case came to light when an Austrian university student researching the massacre located the 90-year-old by simply looking up his name in a German telephone directory. An investigator was sent to the scene of the atrocity in December to gather evidence and interview three former Hitler Youth members as witnesses. (DPA)

Renowned Israeli actor and director Assi Dayan suffered a severe heart attack yesterday and was rushed to Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital for treatment. Medical officials said the 64-year-old was undergoing angioplasty and was in good condition. An ambulance arrived at Dayan's home before noon, after he complained of chest pains; an on-site examination revealed an irregular heartbeat. He was evacuated to the hospital, accompanied by his mother, Ruth. Son of late defense minister Moshe Dayan, Assi Dayan is one of Israel's most prominent actors and directors. (Haaretz Staff)