By SHARON UDASIN 01/01/2015 A technology hailing from the Hebrew University’s chemistry laboratories aims to tackle hydrocarbon contaminants at their chemical core, providing an efficient and affordable solution for cleanups like the country’s December oil spill. After some 5 million liters of crude oil surged into the Arava Desert sands last month, the Environmental Protection […]

Read the rest of this entry »

BEIRUT: Hezbollah deputy head Naim Qassem Sunday joined calls for Lebanon to start drilling for oil and gas off its southern coast to prevent Israel from stealing it. “If we act now on this subject, Israel will not be able to take or steal our wealth,” Qassem said during a private meeting with mukhtars, mayors […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Kerry discusses issue with Netanyahu after regulator recommended breaking up control of offshore gas reserves by Noble Energy and Delek Group. By Reuters | Dec. 30, 2014 The United States supports moving forward with offshore natural gas deals in the Mediterranean involving the U.S. company Noble Energy, a State Department spokesman said on Tuesday. U.S. […]

Read the rest of this entry »

Three weeks after 5 million liters of crude oil spilled in the Arava Desert, Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company is looking for approval to expand. By Zafrir Rinat | Dec. 30, 2014 A plan to increase stores of liquid petroleum gas to roughly 60,000 tons is on the agenda of a National Planning and Building Council […]

Read the rest of this entry »

A drab building in Rishon Letzion’s industrial zone hides one of Israel’s most surprising and innovative enterprises. The offices of this startup company are stashed away at the back corner of the second floor, and the lack of any signs showing the way doesn’t make it any easier to find it. Not far away, in […]

Read the rest of this entry »

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 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

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 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

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 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

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 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

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 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

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 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

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 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

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 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

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 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

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 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

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 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

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 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

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 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

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 […]

Read the rest of this entry »

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 […]

Read the rest of this entry »