BEIRUT: Lebanon aims to invite tenders to explore for offshore gas within three months, the energy minister said on Sunday, downplaying the risk of conflict with Israel despite a dispute over the maritime border. “Our target is to begin within three months,” Energy Minister Jibran Bassil told AFP. “We now have everything required for an […]

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Transnational oil and gas pipelines form the contour lines of the geopolitics of the 21st century. In the coming months, Jordan is likely to make irreversible decisions regarding its energy future. By Gal Luft Jordan is facing a full-blown energy crisis. Its electricity demand is expected to double by 2020, yet, being heavily dependent on […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 01/08/2012 04:37 Gov’t here needs to re-examine its solar policies’ so innovators won’t need to seek markets abroad, says company’s CEO. Talkbacks (10) Israeli technology will soon begin harnessing the light of southern Spain at a research and development park located on the country’s sun-drenched Mediterranean coast. AORA Solar, an Israeli developer […]

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January 09, 2012 By Mohammed Zaatari The Daily Star JIYEH, Lebanon: Experts have warned that catfish which have recently begun migrating to Lebanese waters could be fatal to humans in certain circumstances. Recent diving operations carried out by divers from the Professional Divers Association in Lebanon and the Civil Defense Marine Rescue Team in the […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Jan 03,2012 | 23:47 AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation will decide next month on which water billing system to apply after giving citizens an opportunity to weigh in, an official said on Saturday. The ministry’s decision whether to maintain the current monthly billing system or return to a […]

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by Hana Namrouqa AMMAN — Water storage at the southern dams remains disappointing, as the reservoirs have not received any rainwater since the start of the wet season, an official said on Tuesday. Although the southern and eastern parts of the country were affected late last week by unstable weather conditions that brought heavy rain, […]

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January 06, 2012 02:06 AM By Osama Habib The Daily Star ?BEIRUT: Lebanon is sitting on one of the biggest gas reserves in the region and drilling is likely to start as early as this year, a leading expert said Thursday. “I am very happy that [the] Lebanese government passed the law to administer the […]

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Lebanon will issue international tenders for drilling in its potentially gas-rich Mediterranean waters and aims to have contracts signed with the winning firms within a year, its Minister of Energy said on Thursday. Interest in drilling off Mediterranean coasts has grown since two natural gas fields were discovered off the coast of Israel, Lebanon’s southern […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 01/04/2012 05:52 Advocacy groups filed a petition against a government deal on upcoming salt harvest and royalties paid to Dead Sea Works. Talkbacks (1) Environmental advocacy group Adam Teva V’Din (Israel Union for Environmental Defense) and the Movement for Quality Government submitted a petition to the High Court on Tuesday morning, calling […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 01/04/2012 05:35 Eilat Magistrate’s Court imposes fine for harming the coral in the Red Sea bay by crushing the organisms with rocks and dirt. Talkbacks () The Eilat Magistrate’s Court charged the administrators of the city’s “Dolphin Reef” with a fine of NIS 100,000 on Sunday for harming the coral in the […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 01/04/2012 23:25 Erdan made decision after touring Nahariya, where he witnessed firsthand the process of removing dangerous substance. Talkbacks () Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) has doubled his ministry’s budget for asbestos removal to NIS 40 million per year in an attempt to eradicate within the next two years the material […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 01/04/2012 05:31 The Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee plans to establish treatment facility in Jerusalem industrial area. Talkbacks () To solve a growing garbage problem, the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee has adopted a master plan for transforming solid waste “from nuisance to resource” by establishing a treatment facility in […]

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Report recommends legislation for treating the tens of thousands of tons of dangerous household waste. By Zafrir Rinat Dangerous waste materials that accumulate in households due to the use of various products constitute an environmental hazard that is almost totally overlooked, according to a report compiled by the government company for environmental services that operates […]

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By Mohammed Zaatari The Daily Star TYRE, Lebanon: The Italian contingent serving as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon organized Monday a day of environmental activism in the area surrounding the village of Shamaa, near the southern coastal city of Tyre to mark New Year. According to the NNA, the commander of […]

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AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation will decide next month on which water billing system to apply after giving citizens an opportunity to weigh in, an official said on Saturday. The ministry’s decision whether to maintain the current monthly billing system or return to a quarterly system will be primarily based on what […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 01/03/2012 05:04 Private initiative releases its final assessment on environmental impact to pave way for pilot drilling and production. Talkbacks (22) After completing operations at its six oil shale experimental drilling sites, Israel Energy Initiatives has submitted a final assessment of its project’s environmental impacts to the Environmental Protection Ministry. IEI hopes […]

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by Taylor Luck | Jan 04,2012 | 23:51 AMMAN — Jordan and Qatar formed a joint technical committee on Tuesday as the Kingdom moved one step closer towards easing its reliance on Egyptian gas. A “positive” meeting was held between Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Qutaiba Abu Qura and his Qatari counterpart Mohammed Ben […]

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Company will pay for most of the salt-harvesting project that aims to protect hotels at the southern end of the Dead Sea from flooding, a project whose cost is estimated at NIS 3.8 billion. By Zafrir Rinat The cabinet is set to approve an agreement today in which the Dead Sea Works will pay for […]

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Tel Aviv’s many boulevards are among the city’s most prized spaces, providing oases of green among the asphalt, dotted with 24-hour kiosks and room for no less than the very incubation of democracy itself. By Noam Dvir       Published: 03.01.12 Just under two weeks ago, the metal fences were removed from around the last unrenovated site […]

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Tel Aviv may be gaga for its bike rental program, but one man is out to document the system’s many failings, from computers on the fritz to missing pedals. By Ilan Lior Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai cycled last week to the Jaffa promenade on one of the bikes available through the city’s bike rental […]

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