Manama-Beirut, 25 November 2010 The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced a regional consultation meeting for civil society organizations in West Asia region, to be held in Beirut on 30 November and 1 December, in cooperation with the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED). The meeting will group some 35 representatives of civil […]

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Researchers observe five dolphins swimming 5 kilometers from the shore. By Zafrir Rinat Researchers observed Saturday a group of five dolphins near the Rishon Letzion coastline. In a survey carried out by members of the Israel Marine Mammal Research & Assistance Center, five dolphins of the species Tursiops truncates, were found swimming 5 kilometers from […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 11/29/2010 05:00 Hi-tech millionaire Moshe Yanai has decided to contribute NIS 1 million a year over the next 10 years for research, habitat preservation, bird rescue. Israel’s national bird – the hoopoe – will now have a generous fund named after it that will promote bird research and education. Hi-tech millionaire […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 11/30/2010 04:06 Security services contact Parks Authority to pave road through sand dune in order to provide more security for prime minister. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) sent a letter to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday asking him not to allow an access road to […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 11/21/2010 03:05 Buildings are the biggest producers of greenhouse gases, vehicles are the biggest emitters of air pollution. Buildings emit 67 to 87 percent of greenhouse gases (GHG) and transportation is responsible for more than 80% of air pollution in Israel’s biggest cities. That’s the bottom line of a new set […]

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By Ahmad El-Atrash Palestine is a small country that is engulfed by problems that have evolved throughout modern history as a serious challenge to the sustainable development of contemporary Palestinian society. Inevitably, un-harmonised urbanisation within the Palestinian context is one of the most persistent challenges that undermine the development of Palestinian statehood. One tangible cause […]

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National planning bodies approved a park but threw cold water on Petah Tikva’s plan to pay for it by building more homes and shops By Zafrir Rinat The city of Petah Tikva found out the hard way that the state won’t stand for paying for the preservation of a green area by developing more land. […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 11/25/2010 20:24 November set to be worst ever for Kinneret, forecasters predict dry spell to continue into December; cabinet to discuss emergency water plan. With no significant rainfall thus far, the dire predictions about this winter have become a reality, the Water Authority said on Thursday. With November nearing its end, […]

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Rain seems to elude the Kingdom, although traditionally the wet season will have started quite some time ago. Unless the weather changes, the country could be facing a worrisome development: acute lack of water, not only for agricultural but also for domestic use, a fear that never really leaves countries poor in this precious commodity. […]

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By Mohammad Ben Hussein AMMAN – The Muslim Brotherhood movement on Thursday organised a mass prayer for rain in Tabarbour amid concerns that the delay in the onset of the wet season could lead to a substantial decline in the Kingdom’s water reserves. Hundreds participated in the event, including women, children and the elderly. This […]

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by Arieh O’Sullivan 25 November 2010 JERUSALEM – It’s been said that everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it. Well, seven years of drought in the Holy Land has been so bad that it has brought together Muslim, Christian and Jewish clerics to offer prayers for rain. The rainy season […]

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GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — The first concrete was poured Thursday morning in the Western-funded construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip. French Consul General Frederic Desagneaux participated in the ceremony along with representatives of the other donors, which include the World Bank, the European Union, Belgium, and […]

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One more refinery worker in critical condition, with seven others ill after inhaling poisonous gas. By Eli Ashkenazi and News Agencies * * Published 21:42 23.11.10 * Latest update 23:15 23.11.10 Three dead after toxic leak at Haifa oil refinery One more refinery worker in critical condition, with seven others ill after inhaling poisonous gas. […]

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Industry minister threatens to shut down the oil installation after a toxic leak that left three workers dead. Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer threatened Wednesday to close down oil refineries in the city of Haifa, a day after a toxic leak left three workers dead. “The whole area is like a nuclear bomb […]

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The road to hell, they say, is paved with good intentions. Even bad economic decisions may stem from a surplus of good intentions. By Doron Tsur A few years ago I wrote several articles on the folly of producing corn-based ethanol as fuel for cars. At the time the United States was encouraging ethanol use […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 11/21/2010 03:12 Society of Electrical and Electronic Engineers chairman says only engineers can solve tomorrow’s problems. The world needs engineers to solve tomorrow’s problems, just as they have been solving today’s problems, according to Emil Koifman, chairman of The Society of Electrical and Electronic Engineers in Israel. The engineering organization held […]

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Russians looking for more Israeli economic cooperation. By TheMarker and Agencies re Russian-Israeli economic ties picking up steam? Russian natural gas giant Gazprom plans to buy into an Israeli offshore gas project this year, Russian media outlets yesterday. Also, the joint Russian-Israeli intergovernmental committee of economic cooperation, headed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Russian […]

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Steinitz agrees to hold the meeting even though there will be an official hearing process for the gas companies, scheduled for next month. By Avi Bar-Eli Delek Group controlling shareholder Yitzhak Tshuva, Delek Energy CEO Gideon Tadmor and Isramco controlling shareholder Kobi Maimon met with Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz and treasury Director General Haim Shani […]

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