October 04, 2013 12:13 AM By Kareem Shaheen BEIRUT: The most comprehensive map yet of Lebanon’s forests was unveiled Thursday in a major step in efforts to track the health of the country’s tree populations and combat forest fires. The map, part of a new online portal, identifies sites where trees ought to be replanted […]

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By Mohammed Zaatari SIDON, Lebanon: Sidon is just a few steps away from fulfilling a longstanding dream: Getting rid of its suffocating and toxic landfill. The initiative to clear the garbage site was launched after Saudi Arabia donated $20 million to support efforts. The United Nations Development Program is overseeing and providing consulting services for […]

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Reuters, London An offshore gas find in the Nile Delta is strong new evidence that Egypt has the resources to end power cuts and get export income flowing again. Its challenge is to persuade wary international oil companies to develop them. In the deepest well ever drilled in the delta, some 7 km under the […]

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by JT | Sep 30, 2013 | 23:20 AMMAN — Executive director of the Chinese Hunan Herui company, Li Jin Fu, on Monday expressed interest to invest in electricity-generating projects and the silica industry in the Kingdom, expecting the volume of investments to reach $2 billion. During a meeting of several Chinese investors on Monday […]

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U.S. bid to solve Lebanon-Israel EEZ row possibly revived – DAILY STAR BEIRUT: American mediation efforts to resolve a maritime dispute between Israel and Lebanon appeared to be revived this week, following months of impasse over an oil-rich area in the Mediterranean Sea. Reports of a deal emerged during the visit of Israeli President Benjamin […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 09/21/2013 The EU and Germany will fund a 40 million euro wastewater treatment plant in east Nablus to handle sewage that currently flows untreated into the surrounding soil and groundwater. The new facility will treat the sewage of up to 150,000 people in the region, and significantly reduce health risks posed to […]

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By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN Published: September 21, 2013 145 Comments IF you fell asleep 30 years ago, woke up last week and quickly scanned the headlines in Iran and Egypt you could be excused for saying, “I didn’t miss a thing.” The military and the Muslim Brotherhood are still slugging it out along the Nile, […]

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Arab scientists learn to fight desertification in China 24/9/2013 Sixteen scientists from Yemen, Sudan, Libya, Palestine and Morocco participated in a month-long desert control training program, which concluded on Monday in northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The Anti-Desertification Technology Training Program for Arab Countries, co-organized by the Ministry of Commerce and the Ningxia Academy […]

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Municipality says it will take preservation of indigenous flora and fauna into account when approving construction plans. By Zafrir Rinat | Sep. 22, 2013 Dozens of nature spots in Haifa are at risk of yielding to development or are inaccessible to residents because they lack hiking trails, according to experts who have been surveying the […]

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September 23, 2013 12:19 AM By Hugh Pope Israel is quietly challenging Turkey and Cyprus to make a choice: Move together to develop Israel’s share of the East Mediterranean’s natural gas riches, or stay on the sidelines and perpetuate their decades-old stalemate over Cyprus. The Israelis have stated their preference for export pipelines to both […]

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September 23, 2013 12:19 AM By Hugh Pope Israel is quietly challenging Turkey and Cyprus to make a choice: Move together to develop Israel’s share of the East Mediterranean’s natural gas riches, or stay on the sidelines and perpetuate their decades-old stalemate over Cyprus. The Israelis have stated their preference for export pipelines to both […]

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NAJIB SAAB Silent Death 18/9/2013 As hundreds of tons of radioactive water were leaking from the wrecked Japanese Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant hit by the tsunami in 2011, thousands of people were being killed by chemical weapons on the outskirts of Damascus. Killing by radioactive material is similar to killing by chemical agents in […]

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Ministry honours Qatari for solar energy efforts 23/9/2013 The Ministry of Environment (MoE) has honoured a citizen, Hamad Suleiman al-Ghafiri from Al Hadarma, for his efforts in utilising solar energy, local Arabic daily Arrayah has reported. Through his eco-friendly initiative, al-Ghafiri has been harnessing solar energy at his residence for a variety of purposes, including […]

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Israel Railways temporarily suspends train service between Be’er Sheva and Kiryat Gat; firefighters say no leaks found. By Shirly Seidler | Sep. 24, 2013 Train service between Be’er Sheva and Kiryat Gat has been suspended following the derailing of a cargo train carrying hazardous substances near Kiryat Gat on Monday night. In the absence of […]

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Local garbage collection to replace foreign companies 19/9/2013 Ghada Wali, secretary general of the Social Fund, said on Wednesday the fund is studying with the Ministry of Environment and the Cairo and Alexandria governorates the granting of low-interest credit facilities to local garbage collection companies, in a prelude to taper off and eventually end work […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 09/15/2013 Some of the joint committees formed under Oslo Accords were frozen with the onset of the Second Intifada. Israel The Israeli and Palestinian Agriculture Ministries agreed on Saturday night to revive some of the joint committees formed in the 1990s under the Oslo Accords, which were frozen 13 years ago with […]

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An abandoned hydroelectric power station founded in the Jordan valley in 1927 serves as a vestige of regional cooperation; an environmental group is now collaborating with Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian planners to preserve the historical site – a process fraught with obstacles. By Keshet Rosenblum | Sep. 12, 2013 “Why hasn’t the train arrived yet?” […]

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What caused the conflict in Syria to erupt when it did, pushing citizens from discontent with the regime to outright rebellion? CONTRIBUTOR Eckart Woertz Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) CONTRIBUTOR John Waterbury NYU Abu Dhabi CONTRIBUTOR Jeannie Sowers University of New Hampshire One emerging theory1 is that environmental factors, particularly a long-lasting drought, were […]

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Alon Tala*, Shira Leon-Zchouta, Itay Greenspan, Liat Oshryc & Shira Akovd pages 779-791 Abstract We report results of a recent national survey of the Israeli environmental movement, assessing its activities, strategies, and financial viability. Since the early 1990s, the movement has undergone significant expansion, with numerous new organisations at both local and national levels. The […]

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Ministry seeks to phase out use of lead-based paint by Hana Namrouqa | Sep 17, 2013 AMMAN — The manufacture and sale of lead paint in the Kingdom will be banned before the end of this year due to its negative impact on public health and the environment, according to Environment Minister Taher Shakhshir. The […]

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