By Patrick Galey The Daily Star BEIRUT: Lebanon is gearing up for a long-term oil and gas production program although the looming diplomatic crisis with Israel over each country’s share of undersea fossil fuels threatens full-scale conflict, a collection of diplomats and academics were told Thursday. Experts on the issue voiced varying degrees of optimism […]

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SHARQIA, 18 October 2011 (IRIN) – Leaking water pipes, evaporation and a rapidly growing population may be significant concerns for those trying to manage and plan water supplies in Egypt, but compounding such problems – and forcing Egyptians to rethink how they use water – is the threat posed by downstream countries which also want […]

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By Raed Omari AMMAN – The Ministry of Agriculture has started negotiating with officials from several European and Central Asian countries to allow Jordanian businesses to invest in wheat cultivation in these water-rich countries, a senior official said on Sunday. Ministry of Agriculture Secretary General Radi Tarawneh explained yesterday that ministry officials, fully aware of […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 10/21/2011 03:39 Emefcy named Early Stage Company of the Year and selected to the Global Cleantech 100 list. Talkbacks (2) Caesarea-based wastewater treatment company Emefcy was named Early Stage Company of the Year and selected to the Global Cleantech 100 list for the second year in a row at the Global Cleantech […]

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The Consul General of France in Jerusalem Frederic Desagneaux delivered on October 18, 2011 to the President of the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) Dr Shaddad Attili a feasibility study financed by France on the establishment of a Palestinian training center for professionals working in the water and sanitation sector. This study, conducted by the International […]

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By Taylor Luck EGYPTIAN GAS supplies to Jordan have resumed as officials pledged to continue to explore energy alternatives. According to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, gas supplies to the Kingdom resumed last Friday, ending a nearly two-week disruption following an attack on the Arab Gas Pipeline. It is believed that gas supplies […]

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Local olive oil producers fear the effects of possible cuts to import taxes and quotas, one of the popular weapons against high prices in Israel. By Zafrir Rinat Israel’s olive oil manufacturers have prospered in recent years. Owing to government assistance lands allocated for olive groves have expanded. This growth trend has been supported by […]

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By Laila Azzeh AMMAN – In a step towards increasing its reliance on clean, sustainable energy, Jordan on Thursday inaugurated its first solar-powered charging station for electric cars. Located at El Hassan Science City (EHSC), the station is considered the first step towards promoting solar-powered vehicles and building more solar-charging facilities on the streets of […]

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Israeli solar energy group gets license following successful interconnection of 4.95 megawatt Ketura sun field to national grid by Israel Electric Corporation Israeli solar energy group Arava Power Company has been awarded the first permanent solar license in the country’s history by the Public Utilities Authority (PUA), following the successful interconnection of the 4.95 megawatt […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 10/11/2011 03:01 Officially launched last June, the 4.95-megawatt, NIS 80 million Ketura Sun field stands on an 80- dunam piece of land. Talkbacks (12) The Public Utility Authority granted Arava Power Company’s Ketura Sun facility the country’s first permanent production license for a medium-sized solar field on Monday, the authority announced late […]

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SALFIT, October 13, 2011 (WAFA) – The Israeli authorities Thursday handed a number of Palestinian farmers demolition orders of several water wells and green houses and stopped construction work of rehabilitating an agricultural road in an area in Kufr Al-Deek, a town in Salfit, according to mayor of Kufr Al-Deek, Jamal Al-Deek. One of the […]

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RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Israel’s Civil Administration ordered a West Bank town’s municipality to close its central landfill site, officials said on Sunday. An order from the administration — Israel’s military body ruling the West Bank — told al-Bireh municipality it will close the waste disposal site on Dec. 15 for environmental reasons. Dr. Iyad Daraghmeh, […]

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GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — Gaza City municipal teams worked for 24 hours to stem the flow of sewage flooding homes in the city’s eastern sector, a press statement said. Faulty sewage lines burst and poured into homes on Friday, sparking the rescue mission, it said. Workers face difficulties upgrading the sewage network because materials and […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 10/16/2011 04:20 Commercial venues would would cause noise, light and air pollution, says Society for the Protection of Nature. Talkbacks (1) Over 1,000 people attended a protest on Saturday at the Betzet Beach in the Western Galilee south of Rosh Hanikra, demanding the cancellation of plans to build three vacation villages and […]

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Biological diversity will disappear because in the same way that the destruction of one dune too many led to the disappearance of the sand dune cat, more quarrying of the little that remains will lead to the annihilation of the special species of the Sands of Samar. By Uri Shanas n the early 1980s, American […]

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BEIRUT: Environment Minister Nazem Khoury discussed means to organize the “many” illegal stone and sand quarries throughout Lebanon during a meeting for the National Council of Quarries which he chaired Thursday. Khoury told The Daily Star that the Environment Ministry had specified new standards which owners of sand and stone quarries should adhere to in […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 10/11/2011 07:22 New program will shorten procedures necessary for acquiring waste treatment facility building permits in industrial zones. Talkbacks (3) The Ministerial Committee for Interior and Service Affairs approved on Sunday a new version of the Environmental Protection Ministry’s National Master Plan, that will grant priority to waste treatment and recycling over […]

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Activists, alternative planners in southern neighborhoods of Neveh Tzedek and Florentin are working to introduce changes in the municipality’s plan. By Zafrir Rinat Is the Tel Aviv Municipality neglecting its southern neighborhoods in favor of luxury high-rises; and is it abandoning public transportation in favor of construction of a major road through the area? Or […]

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By Antoine Amrieh The Daily Star BATROUN, Lebanon: Environment Minister Nazim Khoury urged the government and municipalities to join efforts to find the best measures for waste management in the country, which currently has more than 680 waste dumps. Khoury’s made his comments during a tour of the northern district of Batroun Friday, during which […]

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The Daily Star Sabounjian, right, says Lebanon is not burdened with heavy polluting industries. Sabounjian, right, says Lebanon is not burdened with heavy polluting industries. BEIRUT: Industry Minister Vrej Sabounjian declared at an ESCWA conference in Beirut Wednesday that sustainable development and green industry was integral to combating pollution, poverty and industrial waste. Sabounjian spoke […]

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