PA President Abbas and Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon clash at a signing event in the United Nations General Assembly, with Abbas asking the UN for help combating settlements, and Danon accusing him of ignoring terrorism. Reuters 04.23.16 The Palestinian President and Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations traded barbs on Friday during a signing […]

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Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas told world leaders at a U.N. ceremony Friday that Israel must stop “destroying” the climate in the Palestinian territories. “The Israeli occupation is destroying the climate in Palestine and the Israeli settlements are destroying nature in Palestine,” Abbas told the gathering of 175 countries signing a landmark climate deal. “Please help […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – Apr 24,2016 Environment Minister Taher Shakhshir signs the Paris Agreement on Climate Change at the UN in New York on Friday (Petra photo) AMMAN — IndyACT, an Arab climate change NGO, has invited Jordan and other Middle East and North African countries to review their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) following […]

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AMMAN — The Water Authority of Jordan and the Yarmouk Water Company on Monday inaugurated the “Mafraq Wastewater Treatment Plant” in a ceremony held at the plant site in Mafraq. The $34 million project was co-financed by USAID ($26.3 million) and the government ($7.7 million). In addition to the treatment plant, the project includes a […]

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By MICHELLE MALKA GROSSMAN 04/26/2016 Thousands visited the park throughout the day, with families barbecuing and enjoying quality time during Hol Hamoed. Haifa has been in the headlines for months due to its alarming pollution problem and that was what apparently made it the appropriate spot for Israel’s annual Earth Day celebration. Thousands of celebrants […]

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Fight for the Future of Israel Israel is not rich with natural resources. I recall a lecture I delivered about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in South Africa, a country that is blessed with many natural resources. At the end of the lecture, a student raised his hand to ask a question. He asked: Does Israel have […]

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By MICHELLE MALKA GROSSMAN 04/21/2016 In an attempt to help out the domestic market, government will more than double the size of grants given to companies to convert their factories to natural gas power. Israel’s natural gas market has been trying to gain a sizable foothold in the energy sector for the past several years […]

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Plan, known as Vision 2030, outlines how the oil-reliant state will diversify its economy in the future. 25 Apr 2016 16:26 GMT Saudi Arabia’s cabinet has agreed on a broad-based economic reform plan, known as Vision 2030, revealing how the oil-reliant state plans to diversify its economy over the next 14 years. Prince Mohammed bin […]

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Saudi Gazette, Hail Wednesday, 20 April 2016 Text size A A A Saudi Arabia intends to establish a 1,000 km-long canal linking the Gulf with the Arabian Sea, passing by the Kingdom to facilitate transport of oil, avoiding the Strait of Hormuz. The latest issue of Al-Muhandis magazine, published by the Saudi Council of Engineers, […]

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haaretz.com Nearly Half of Israel’s Farmland Threatened by Over-processing, Climate Change Experts are looking for radical new ways to tackle a growing concern, but undertaking operations to prevent such damage has been a major challenge. Zafrir Rinat Apr 24, 2016 10:58 AM read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/science/.premium-1.716003 ——————————————– Residents of Israeli Town Object to Tree-cutting Plan Intended […]

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Speaker Nabih Berri requested during his meeting with French President Francois Hollande on Saturday France’s assistance in demarcating Lebanon’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Mediterranean that borders with Israel, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday. A parliamentary source revealed that “this is a problem that Israel is creating and it may spark a […]

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By MICHELLE MALKA GROSSMAN 04/17/2016 Citizens for the Environment said in a statement that they were glad about the “victory” after what they called a public struggle in the Haifa Bay area. One of Haifa’s central petrochemical plants had its plans for expansion turned down after the region’s planning and building committee feared it would […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – Apr 17,2016 AMMAN — With the onset of the picnicking season, more than 1,500 people visit Bergesh Forest, located 90kms northwest of the capital, in Ajloun Governorate on the weekends, according to an official. The area’s moderate climate and dense green cover attracts an increasing number of visitors, the majority of […]

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AMMAN — Energy Minister Ibrahim Saif on Saturday announced the completion of the first stage of a programme to install solar panels at houses in the Kingdom’s northern region, which will be extended later to the rest of Jordan. The project, executed in partnership with Mercy Corps and 10 local associations, includes installing solar panel […]

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By Mohammad Ghazal – Apr 17,2016 Source: MCT AMMAN — Electric and hybrid taxis offering rides on the country’s streets will charge fares that are at least 25 per cent less than gasoline run-taxis, according to Noor Jordan for Transport — Taxi Moumayaz, the first company to introduce electric taxis in the country. “We have […]

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By MICHELLE MALKA GROSSMAN 04/19/2016 An emergency team from the Environmental Protection Ministry was called to the scene and carried out an inspection of the area. About 3,000 cubic meters of waste sludge spilled into the Patish Stream, northwest Beersheba, after a processing device at a waste treatment facility broke down late Monday. The reason […]

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By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH 04/18/2016 “Treated wastewater-irrigated produce exhibited substantially higher carbamazepine levels than fresh water-irrigated produce.” Eating fresh produce grown in soil irrigated with reclaimed wastewater exposes people to tiny quantities of carbamazepine, an anti-epileptic drug commonly detected in wastewater effluents, according to research at the Hebrew University and Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. The […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – Apr 18,2016 AMMAN — Authorities on Monday uncovered a new case of water theft in south Amman, under which 3,840 cubic metres of water were being diverted daily for the irrigation of crops, an official said. The diverted water is equal to the daily share of 48,000 individuals, since the daily […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – Apr 20,2016 AMMAN — Water and wastewater projects implemented under the $275-million grant from the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) are scheduled to be completed this summer, Millennium Challenge Account-Jordan (MCA-Jordan) CEO Kamal Zoubi said Wednesday. “Our target is to complete all of the projects by July 31… and to use […]

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by Hana Namrouqa – Apr 19,2016 AMMAN — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation has modified the final submission date of the prequalification proposals for the first phase of the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project (Red-Dead), according to an official source. “The ministry has extended the original date for submitting the prequalification proposals of […]

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