New Jerusalem mayor in power

– A religious Jewish candidate won election as mayor of Jerusalem yesterday in a run-off against a secular contender for a post that shapes Israel’s rule over the holy city at the heart of its conflict with the Palestinians.

Moshe Lion, a skullcap-wearing bureaucrat favoured by two key members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rightist cabinet, defeated Ofer Berkovitch, 35, after neither took enough votes in a five-man contest two weeks ago to win outright. – Reuters