The Electricity of Lebanon has completed a plan that would increase energy production after raising the capabilities of two Turkish power generating vessels that supply Lebanon with power, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday. “EDL concluded a plan that would increase power supply by about 100 megawatts after raising the production capacities of the two ships […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – May 03,2016 Those who violate the regulations on sandblasting face a minimum prison term of 30 days and a maximum of three months or are fined JD300 to JD5,000 (Photo by Hana Namrouqa) AMMAN — Many abrasive blasting businesses ignore laws regulating sandblasting operations in the country, thus causing public health […]

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AMMAN — Environment Minister Taher Shakhshir on Monday said his ministry has received a $3 million grant from the World Bank to implement the Market Readiness Proposal (MRP), the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. The MRP aims at preparing the local market to face obstacles hindering investments in projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, one […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – Apr 27,2016 Jordan’s main exports of leaf vegetables include mallow, basil, thyme, spinach, fennel, lemongrass, gundelia, coriander, garlic, grape leaves, corchorus, mint and sage (Photo by Hassan Tamimi) AMMAN — The Ministry of Agriculture on Wednesday urged farmers to focus on growing leaf and root crops, whose exports generate more than […]

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Successful Youth Camps Held in the Jordan Valley and at the Dead Sea April heralded the completion of not one but two successful Good Water Neighbors (GWN) regional youth camps in the Jordan Valley Basin. After the success of last year’s “Streaming to the Jordan”, a community-wide environmental event held on the banks of the […]

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Gaza doesn’t have enough electricity to run its water treatment plants, so it’s dumping its sewage into the sea, threatening the Israeli coastline. Palestinian political infighting is a major factor keeping the electricity off. Associated Press 05.03.16 Each day, millions of gallons of raw sewage pour into the Gaza Strip’s Mediterranean beachfront, spewing out of […]

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Eliyahu Kamisher Lebanon’s eight-month garbage crisis, in which mountains of trash accumulated in the suburbs of Beirut, has reached a temporary stasis. In mid-March, the Lebanese government reopened the Naameh landfill, which had been closed because it was at full capacity. Yet, this only provides temporary relief to a problem that has roots in Lebanon’s […]

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Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb assured on Monday that the trash management plan is going smoothly and slammed reports claiming that it is going in circles and is doomed to fail. “The waste management plan is going the right way contrary to what some people think. The plan was initially put in order to prevent the […]

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By JT – Apr 25,2016 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 […]

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Hundreds of thousands of Israelis take advantage of the warm weather to go out into nature on the last day of Passover holiday, filling up the Kinneret’s beaches as well as parks and forests throughout the country. Ahiya Raved 04.30.16 Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took advantage of the warm spring weather on Saturday to […]

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Citing a rise in cyclists, accidents and crowds, Israel Police are beginning to enforce the previously ignored laws on the books for cyclists. Noam (Dabul) Dvir 05.01.16 Starting on Sunday, the Israel Police will be enforcing laws prohibiting bicyclists travelling on sidewalks, with offenders being fined NIS 250. This law has long been on the […]

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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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