BEIRUT: The Environment Ministry signed a 1.6 million euro ($2 million) agreement with the Greek Embassy and the United Nations Tuesday with the aim of monitoring environmental resources. The initiative was valued at 1.64 million euros and will include studies of various types of pollution in Lebanon and several environmental projects. Environment Minister Mohammad Rahhal […]

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ASTANA (Petra) –– Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh on Wednesday called for closer partnership between Europe and the Middle East to overcome common challenges. Taking part in the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) summit in Astana on behalf of His Majesty King Abdullah, Judeh underlined the Kingdom’s commitment to support OSCE […]

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The establishment of an institute that will help enhance sustainable development may very well be what the country needs to complement its plans of action to deal with the various dimensions of the issue. Her Majesty Queen Rania, who supported the creation of this institute right from the start, said at the recent ceremony that […]

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By Taylor Luck AMMAN – Consumerism, rapid development and climate change are forcing people and governments to turn to alternative approaches to energy and water use, experts said on Sunday. At the opening of the International Conference on Energy, Water and Environment (ICEWE) 2010 yesterday, researchers from several fields of academia discussed potential green solutions […]

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Minister calls for hasty government action to address deficiencies in key utilities By Osama Habib Saturday, December 11, 2010 BEIRUT: The dwindling number of engineers, technicians and clerks in the electricity and water departments may seriously affect the overall performance of Electricite du Liban (EDL) if the government fails to take immediate action, Energy and […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 11/25/2010 Scientists prod through test tubes of mud and salt to reveal secrets of half a million years. For the Israeli Dead Sea researchers, the 40 days of drilling that began late last week is the culmination of 10 years of effort. It is also the raw material for at least […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 12/12/2010 06:58 Water situation has never been bleaker; higher costs should be covered by government, not public, Landau to tell cabinet today. Despite this weekend’s rain, the water situation has never been bleaker, National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau is due to tell the cabinet on Sunday. Landau (Israel Beiteinu) will outline […]

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BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — A Palestinian contractor was hired to dump chemical waste from Israeli factories in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, the governor said Sunday. The issue arose in November, when Palestinian Authority security forces seized a truckload of chemical waste originating from Israeli factories. The waste was examined in PA laboratories and found […]

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Tuesday, December 14, 2010 If a major storm bringing hail, winds topping 100 kilometers per hour and snow to the mountains were to occur in September, that would constitute a surprise. For such a storm to arrive in December, however, cannot come as a surprise to anyone in Lebanon. What has been seen, though, is […]

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oung people clean up the streets near Al-Fayha garden in Suweida on October 31. Two environmental campaigns are focusing on the necessary – but ultimately superficial – tasks of picking up rubbish and beautifying the Syrian landscape. The Governorate of Damascus Countryside declared 2010 to be the “Year of the Environment”, later downgrading that title […]

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By Ali Akbar Dareini The Associated Press TEHRAN – In Tehran’s northern suburbs, 24-year-old Sepehr Shaygan is nursing a stubborn headache he blames on the smog. His mother puts on a surgical mask to do the shopping for a barbecue on the roof. The family then peered out into a soup of yellow haze instead […]

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With the failure of collective action to prevent climate change, Israel will have to accept that unexpected extreme events will become much more common. By Lucy Michaels As the Carmel forest fires begin to die down, the public has inevitably begun to ask how the catastrophe happened, with accusatory fingers pointed at careless youths and […]

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When the mandatory review of the events surrounding the fire is complete, and its conclusions reported, it must not overlook the ecological conditions that contributed to the pall of smoke wafting from Mt. Carmel. By Daniel Orenstein * * Published 00:57 10.12.10 * Latest update 00:57 10.12.10 When fire is an abnormal event When the […]

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The way the Israeli public perceived the Carmel fire is a frightening reflection of our cultural mindset: It’s all about war. The fire is the enemy, the forest is a war victim, the solution depends on the weapons we’re able to stockpile. By Gaby Nitzan So what do we do? Buy the biggest plane in […]

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JNF forest official: Ground was exceptionally dry after long, hot summer and lack of winter rain. By DPA The wildfire that devastated large swathes of land in northern Israel and killed 42 people, was a consequence of a climate change, a forestry expert said on Thursday. “This fire had a a strength we’ve never seen […]

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The sad truth is we don’t really need to verify the facts, because we all know the truth: the Arabs burned down the Carmel. By Sayed Kashua That’s it, I’m quitting smoking. I’ve tried unsuccessfully for years to kick the detestable habit. Blood pressure, headaches, chest pain, and faltering health − none of these factors […]

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Wave of nationalistically motivated arson cases in recent days deserves attention Yoaz Hendel Published: 12.09.10, 00:42 / Israel Opinion The incisive debate over the failures revealed through the blaze disaster left the question of potential matches outside the discussion. This time around, the Carmel blaze resulted from criminal negligence, yet the flames gave rise to […]

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By KENNETH I. SWARTZ 12/12/2010 06:40 The Carmel fires were a national tragedy, but they provided an important lesson. Fire-fighting airplanes and helicopters are often seen by the public as an easy fix to wildfires, and provide a boost to morale, but controlling wildfires with aircraft is a complex mission. The challenge for Israel is […]

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Lebanese brace for weekend of intense storms, snowfall at high altitudes By Wassim Mroueh BEIRUT: A heavy weekend storm is expected to lash Lebanon until Monday, ending weeks of unseasonable warm and dry weather and bringing the first snowfall of winter. Despite the heavy rain that battered the capital on Friday evening, Beirut residents took […]

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100 km/h winds and massive rains knock out trees and power throughout the country. After a weekend of storms that contained relatively light rainfall, the havoc-wreaking winter weather pattern that descended on Israel gained strength on Sunday and large quantities of precipitation fell in the northern and central regions of Israel. The harsh weather conditions […]

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