An Ashkelon couple was arrested yesterday on suspicion of abusing their children. Three of the five children - 7-year-old twins and a girl, 9 - are the mother's from a former marriage. Police were called in after the biological father of the older three children suspected they were being abused. After questioning the children, it came out that the couple used to beat them with a drumstick and stuff hot peppers into their mouth for punishment. The couple admitted this and said it was done for educational purposes. The four older children were handed over to the authorities, and the 5-month-old baby remained with his mother in Nitzan prison.

Lod's residents and business owners will have to pay a municipal tax to finance security services in the city, according to a new municipal bylaw. The tax is expected to bring in NIS 2 million, which, along with a state budget, will be earmarked to restore residents' sense of security. The increased number of security guards is expected to prevent property damage and violence, and to deter criminals. The interior and justice ministers are expected to sign the bylaw within the next few days.

The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee yesterday approved for its second and third reading a bill authorizing a police data base of unlisted numbers, mobile phone serial numbers, wiretap transcripts and Web addresses. The police hope to use the information to more easily track suspicious individuals. If the Knesset votes the bill into law as expected, the Israel Police will have the most extensive data base of this type of any Western country. Detectives will need a court order to access the data base - except to save a life or prevent a crime, in which case they can subsequently report their access.

A 72-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years in prison yesterday for killing someone in a "road rage" fight five years ago. The Haifa District Court had initially convicted Yitzhak Isakov of murder, but the Supreme Court converted the charge to manslaughter last year. In April 2002, Isakov and Heinrich Shifrin were driving down the Coastal Highway when, accusing each other of reckless driving, they first began hurling imprecations at each other and then started interfering with each other's driving. Near the Caesarea Junction, they pulled over to continue their quarrel. A fistfight broke out, and at some point, Isakov pulled out a pistol and shot Shifrin.