By Amos Harel, Shmuel Rosner, and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents, and AP   
Tags: U.S., Israel, nuclear reactor  
Israel will maintain its official policy of silence regarding the Israel Air Force strike on a Syrian nuclear facility as the American administration is slated to provide Thursday, for the first time, extensive details about the nature of the compound destroyed by the IAF on September 6.
The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that Congress will hear from the Central Intelligence Agency that the facility destroyed in the Israel Air Force attack was a nuclear reactor for producing plutonium.
Israel, however, does not intend to break the official silence it has maintained on the matter for the past seven months. Security sources told Haaretz on Wednesday night that the government will not go public with new information in the case.
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The Prime Minister's Office declined to comment on the matter Wednesday, and referred Haaretz to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's statements last week in his Pesach interview with media outlets, in which he said that "the Syrians know what our position is, and we know what their expectations are."
Thursday's briefings of the Senate and House Intelligence committees, as well as ...   more »

NEWARK, N.J. — A Grammy-nominated violinist has been reunited with a $4 million violin he left in the back of a cab.
Grammy-nominated violinist Philippe Quint exited a minivan cab at New York City's Battery Park early Monday, leaving the 1723 Antonio Stradivari "Ex-Keisewetter" inside.
The violin spent the remainder of the night on the seat of the cab, which owner Mohamed Khalil parked on a Newark street. By the morning, he was still unaware of what he was carrying.
By then, the frantic Quint was calling the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Newark's Taxi Commission, which put the word out that the violin was missing.
Monday afternoon, Khalil checked his taxi while at Newark Liberty International Airport and discovered the violin case with the instrument inside.
Quint soon arrived, dropped to his knees and shed tears of joy.
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Some parents, school officials fret about protest of bullying over sex orientation
By SARAH VIREN
The prospect of silent teenagers has a handful of parents, and now a few school administrators, antsy.
In Clear Creek, staff members have been fielding calls and e-mails from parents concerned about students taking a silent vow in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth at some schools Friday. And this week, Alton Frailey, superintendent of Katy's school district, let all teachers know that — though no one asked his district to participate in the silent protest — if someone did, "my answer is no."
His districtwide e-mail on the subject, which confused and offended some teachers, came in response to form letters from parents complaining about Day of Silence, a national, and usually non-disruptive, silent student protest meant to draw attention to bullying based on sexual orientation.
"The degree of exposure and political posturing currently being generated is bringing more attention to this particular subject than is necessary," Frailey wrote Monday in an e-mail that also instructed teachers not to make exceptions for students taking vows of silence.
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network has registered five participating schools in Katy, at ...   more »

Court filing seeks elimination of penalties for Christian art
By Bob Unruh
A court in Wisconsin has been asked to suspend immediately a policy in the Tomah Area School District that bans Christian symbols in students' artwork, but allows Hindu, Buddhist and satanic representations.
The motion was filed yesterday by the Alliance Defense Fund, which has taken on the case of a student identified by the initials A.P.
The ADF launched a lawsuit on the student's behalf after a teacher refused to give him a grade on a project because his work included "John 3:16" as well as "As sign of love."
Artwork banned because of the inclusion of a biblical reference and the message: "A sign of love"
The school district, however, openly acknowledged and publicized various pieces of art representing Buddhism, and Hinduism as well as several demon faces that appeared satanic.
The school defended its actions:
"Respect for the beliefs of a diverse student population … requires that the district treat all students equitable and fairly regardless of their faith," it said in a website statement.
"To meet our responsibilities, students are required to follow the rules of conduct for their classrooms and the instructions that their ...   more »

NEW: Suspect was released on $300,000 property bond Tuesday
New Jersey man accused of using same handler as a convicted spy
He is said to have supplied secrets to Israel from 1979 through 1985
Secrets dealt with nuclear weapons, F-15 plane, Patriot missile defenses
From Terry Frieden
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An 84-year-old retired military engineer from New Jersey was arrested early Tuesday and charged with sending highly classified military information to Israel through an operative who also served as handler for convicted spy Jonathan Pollard.
Ben-Ami Kadish, a U.S. citizen and engineer employed at a military arsenal in Dover, New Jersey, supplied secrets to Israel from 1979 through 1985, according to a court document unsealed Tuesday.
Kadish is accused of providing secrets that dealt with nuclear weapons, the F-15 plane and the Patriot defense missile system.
At a court hearing Tuesday afternoon, Kadish was released on a $300,000 property bond. He was required to surrender his passport and will be allowed to travel only in New York and New Jersey. Watch Kadish leave court after being charged »
The document says Kadish has continued to stay in touch with his Israeli handler over the years, and as recently as last ...   more »

By ALEX BRANCH
FORT WORTH -- A one-stop shop where homeless people can find all the services they need to get off the streets.
More than 1,000 permanent supportive housing units with a voucher program and move-in fund to help with deposits and application fees.
A homeless court and more case managers for the shelters.
These are among the recommendations in the first draft of Fort Worth's 10-year plan to end homelessness, which was presented to the City Council on Tuesday at a pre-council meeting.
The plan's price tag could range from $700,000 to $3 million annually, depending on which initiatives city officials choose and to what level they decide to enact them. Some goals can be accomplished with existing resources, said Otis Thornton, city homeless coordinator.
Mayor Mike Moncrief and council members reacted enthusiastically to the plan, which will next be presented at public forums before returning to the council for a vote in June.
"It is important to put our money where our mouth is," said Councilwoman Kathleen Hicks, whose district includes East Lancaster Avenue, an area frequented by homeless people.
Moncrief told budget officials in the room Tuesday to put on their "creative uniforms" as they begin ...   more »

The euro surged to a record 1.6002 dollars here Tuesday after weak US housing market data added to fears over the health of the US economy.
Sales of existing US homes fell two percent in March, underscoring the continuing slump in the property market sparked by the US subprime home loan crisis.
The National Association of Realtors said the annualized sales pace was 4.93 million, weaker than the 4.95 million expected by Wall Street economists. Sales resumed their decline after a slight uptick in February.
The report also showed a 19.3-percent plunge year-over-year in existing home sales, the largest segment of the housing market.
This reflects a meltdown in the property market after years of sizzling growth and a speculative bubble. The boom-and-bust has slammed the entire economy and led to rising foreclosures and massive losses for banks.
The median existing-home price for all housing types was 200,700 dollars in March, down 7.7 percent from a year ago.
The association said existing home sales have been uneven with the steepest declines in high-cost areas, providing "a downward pull to the national median" price.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the problems in the banking sector are also having an effect ...   more »

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc's Sam's Club warehouse division said on Wednesday that it is limiting sales of Jasmine, Basmati and long grain white rices "due to recent supply and demand trends."
The news comes a day after Costco Wholesale Corp, the largest U.S. warehouse club operator, said it had seen increased demand for items like rice and flour as customers, worried about global food shortages, stock up.
Sam's Club said it is limiting sales of the rices to four bags per customer per visit, and it is working with its suppliers to ensure the products remain in stock.
Sam's Club, the No. 2 U.S. warehouse club operator, said it is not limiting sales of flour or cooking oil at this time.
Costco said some of its stores had put limits on sales of items such as rice and flour, but it was trying to modify those restrictions to meet customer demand.
Food costs have soared worldwide, spurred by increased demand in emerging markets like China and India, competition with biofuels, high oil prices and market speculation.
Rice prices in the United States and around the world have more than doubled in the last year, and U.S. rice ...   more »