01/19/13

* For Israeli voters, missile fire, money main issues in Tuesday election The pundits in Israel, the United States and the West Bank have pretty much forecast the winner of Tuesday's Israeli national elections.

* Algeria crisis: 'Captors and hostages die in assault' The hostages were summarily killed as the troops tried to free them, it said.

* Netanyahu vows he won't demolish settlements in next term Adopting a hard-line stance ahead of the elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a Friday interview promised that, if reelected, he would not uproot West Bank settlements in the coming four years.

* Keeping Hebrew Israel's living language Israel recently celebrated the 155th birthday of Eliezer Ben Yehuda, considered by many the father of modern day Hebrew.

* Newsweek: Obama is 'The Second Coming' According to the new issue of Newsweek online, President Obama, who this weekend begins his second term--the third president in a row to do so--is "The Second Coming."

* Hamas's star rising in the West Bank Hamas is steadily gaining strength among Palestinians in the West Bank.

* France's Fabius says Africa 'must' send troops to Mali West African leaders have been told they must "pick up the baton" in the military offensive to drive Islamist insurgents out of Mali.

* With Google and Apple services, Israel enters new digital era For the first time, Israelis are now able to join the "world digital party."

* Center-left slams right-winger's talk of 'blowing up' Muslim shrine Center-left party leaders Tzipi Livni and Yair Lapid castigated Naftali Bennett's Jewish Home party on Saturday.

* Syrian rebels tighten siege of two military bases Syrian activists report intense fighting on Saturday between government troops and rebels.