Residents tell of great light and magnificent privacy; but while Israelis approve of green building, they aren’t stampeding for it. By Israel Fisher | Dec. 28, 2014 Living the green life sounds great. Lower electricity bills, insulation from heat, cold and noise too. So why is the demand for green housing so small? Opponents claim […]

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Nizar Hassan| The Daily Star BEIRUT: The controversial cement factory being built in Zahle by the brother of MP Nicolas Fattoush will most probably not be completed, the city’s mayor told The Daily Star Friday, saying that the municipality has revoked its construction permit after a public outcry against the project. “We made the decision […]

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by Mohammad Ghazal | Dec 28, 2014 AMMAN — Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has endorsed a draft agreement to build Jordan’s first nuclear power plant, according to the Russian government. The Russian-Jordanian intergovernmental agreement entails cooperation in the construction and maintenance of a nuclear plant in Jordan between Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation and […]

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AMMAN — Nippon Jordan Fertiliser Company W.L.L announced Tuesday in a press statement that its exports went up by 50 per cent this year, reaching a record 291,300 tonnes. According to the press statement, exports last year stood at 193,000 tonnes. Karim Halaseh, the firm’s general manager, credited Australia for the improvement, indicating that exports […]

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on the UN General Assembly decision on Friday to hold Israel responsible for the oil spill on the Lebanon Coast in 2006 In a recent blog, I reported that Jordan will be joining the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the first of January. In that role, Jordan has circulated a resolution to be passed […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 12/25/2014 Deputy Environmental Protection Minister Ofir Akunis will submit to the cabinet on Sunday a NIS 17 million plan for the rehabilitation of areas affected by the Arava Desert oil spill earlier this month. If the ministry’s proposal is approved, the government would allocate the NIS 17m. and a boost in manpower […]

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24 December 2014 Gaza The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has provided UNRWA with 137 cubic meters of chlorine, which is essential for water and sanitation activities in UNRWA-managed collective centres in the Gaza Strip. “JICA has always been a great supporter of UNRWA and the Palestine refugees,” said Director of UNRWA Operations in Gaza […]

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Israel Nature and Parks Authority behind restoration efforts of one of the most important springs in Judean Desert. By Zafrir Rinat | Dec. 24, 2014 A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled on Wednesday for a project that will bring water to one of the most important springs in the Judean Desert, now contaminated by underground industrial […]

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Viva Sarah Press On December 17, 2014 The US affiliate of Israel’s Energiya, an international solar development firm headed by Yosef Abramowitz, recently won a $30 million, 17.68 megawatt solar deal in southeastern Georgia, the first utility scale solar project in the region. The enormous 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with Georgia Power Company – to […]

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BEIRUT: A group of researchers at the American University of Beirut succeeded in turning dry pine needles, usually a forest fire hazard, into activated carbon that is used as a purification material, an AUB statement said Tuesday. The team, led by civil and environmental engineering professor George Ayoub, was the first to scientifically test the […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Dec 21, 2014 AMMAN — More than 4,000 abandoned vehicles have been removed from Amman’s streets since 2011 in an ongoing effort to improve the appearance and cleanliness of the capital, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) said on Sunday. A total of 4,500 abandoned vehicles have been removed by their owners […]

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Kareem Shaheen| The Daily Star BARJA, Lebanon: “Stop belittling our minds: It will not pass,” read the sign in the town’s central square. In the distance, a gigantic plume of gray smoke was belched out of the sand factory that dominates Barja’s skyline, in nearby Sibline. The Chouf town, home to about 55,000 residents, can […]

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The Daily Star BEIRUT: Health Minister Wael Abu Faour announced Wednesday that all Lebanese hospitals have a one-month deadline to properly dispose of hazardous medical waste, otherwise violating hospitals would be liable to closure. After a meeting with Environment Minister Mohammad Machnouk Wednesday, Abu Faour announced that Lebanon’s 19 private and 9 public hospitals would […]

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Al Arabiya Saturday, 20 December 2014 The U.N. General Assembly on Friday has adopted a resolution urging Israel to pay Lebanon over $850 million in damages for causing an “environmental disaster” during the July 2006 war. As many as 170 countries voted in favor of the resolution, three abstained, and six countries: Israel, the United […]

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NEW YORK, December 20, 2014 – (WAFA) – The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) overwhelmingly adopted Friday a resolution on permanent Palestinian sovereignty in the occupied Palestinian Territory (oPT) over their natural resources. The Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the […]

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Jordan Times Petra | Dec 21, 2014 | 22:51 AMMAN — The Rafah Party on Sunday criticised the government’s plans to buy gas from Israel, commending the Lower House’s stance against the deal. Party Secretary General Mohammad Shomali called on the government to respect the House’s recommendation in shelving the planned gas deal. http://jordantimes.com/rafah-party-criticises-projected-israeli-gas-deal ——————————– […]

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Petra | Dec 21, 2014 ABU DHABI — Energy Minister Mohammad Hamed said on Sunday that the government is facing problems in curbing poverty and unemployment due to the high energy bill. Delivering a speech at the opening of the 10th Arab Energy Conference in Abu Dhabi, Hamed said Jordan imports 97 per cent of […]

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The Netanyahu government gave its blessing to the birth of the most powerful, threatening monopoly in Israel’s history. Haaretz Editorial | Dec. 22, 2014 One of the most serious failures of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s third government was its regulatory neglect of the natural gas market, which paved the way for the growth and establishment […]

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BEIRUT: Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has called for an inquiry as to why Washington halted its mission to resolve the dispute between Israel and Lebanon over the exclusive economic zone. Berri, according to visitors, has tasked Lebanon’s Ambassador to Washington Antoine Shedid to find out why Amos Hochstein, U.S. deputy assistant secretary for energy diplomacy, […]

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Bloomberg report quotes US special energy envoy to Mideast saying Israel’s gas could help overcome diplomatic tensions between Israel and Arab nations. 12.19.14 Israel will export natural gas to Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, a top US official told Bloomberg, claiming political obstacles preventing the export deals will be overcome. “We have a remarkable situation where […]

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