News in Brief

Channel 10's political analyst Raviv Drucker, who is facing a NIS 1 million libel suit for a report some two years ago, yesterday exposed his sources at the court's instruction. Drucker cited teachers union head Ran Erez as saying that the long teachers' strike at the end of 2007 was intended not to improve the teachers' wages but to lead to the resignation of then education minister Yuli Tamir's and have her replaced by Ami Ayalon. Erez denied it and sued Channel 10 and Drucker. Raviv named economist Daniel Doron and Diana Zaks, who overheard Erez, as his sources. In a deposition to the court Doron said that when he heard Erez speak "about a political conspiracy behind the teachers strike, I decided to write it down." (Gili Izikovich)

Tali Somech, whose husband is suspected of shooting a man to death last week, was arrested yesterday on suspicion of obstructing justice. Her husband, who is in the Border Police Superintendent Nir Somech, allegedly shot Ben Tal, 30, of Givat Yeshayahu in the Elah Valley, three times after a physical altercation in which Tal allegedly tried to attack him with a metal rod. Nir Somech believed Tal had been stalking his wife. The couple told police that Tal had harassed them and threatened to kill them many times in recent months, causing them to move from Givat Yeshayahu to Kibbutz Zikim in the northern Negev. Tali Somech was taken to the Justice Ministry's Police Investigation Department for questioning. (Jonathan Lis)

Daniel Twitto, 27, of Arad, was indicted yesterday for allegedly using the Internet to lure and sexually assault boys as young as 8-years-old. Police began investigating Twitto after receiving a complaint from a mother who worried her 8-year-old was communicating with a pedophile over the Internet, and her suspicions were confirmed when the police examined the boy's computer. Investigators said Twitto would log onto the Net through wireless use of his unsuspecting neighbors' connections. Police say there are two outstanding files against Twitto for alleged sexual assault and harassment of a minor. (Jonathan Lis)

Jerusalem police arrested a 17-year-old youth for alleged involvement in the mob beating of a Palestinian taxi driver in the capital's Mea She'arim neighborhood earlier this month. Authorities say the suspect is a "shababnik" - the street term used for disaffected ultra-Orthodox youth - who has had run-ins with the law. The taxi driver "disappeared" following the incident but later pressed charged, and police used amateur videotape shot by a passerby to locate the youth. The suspect has refused to cooperate, denying he was involved in the incident. (Jonathan Lis)