Osama Habib| The Daily Star BEIRUT: Lebanon will reschedule the offshore gas auction again after the Cabinet failed to discuss two decrees setting the number of blocks and the share of the government from untapped wealth, Energy and Water Minister Arthur Nazarian said Wednesday. “The prime minister has not yet put the decrees on the […]

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by Mohammad Ghazal | Aug 10, 2014 AMMAN — Jordan is in discussions with Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, to build solar and wind power plants in the Kingdom, according to Energy Minister Mohammad Hamed. “We are in talks with the government-owned company and they have plans for building a solar and wind power […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Aug 10, 2014 AMMAN — Work is under way to rehabilitate three deep wells in Karak Governorate to meet the increasing demand for water in the southern region, a government official said on Sunday. The wells are located in the Lajjoun area in Karak, the official added, and a local company […]

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Sarah Weatherbee The Daily Star BEIRUT: Plenty of pollution floats on the surface of Lebanon’s coastal waters, visible to all who stop for a seaside stroll. But the scientists aboard the Tara Méditerranée, a boat newly arrived in Beirut’s Marina, are focused on the invisible pollution, in the form of microplastics, that may be harming […]

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Sunday, 3 August 2014 Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) took over Iraq’s biggest dam unopposed by Kurdish fighters, who also lost three towns and an oilfield on Sunday to the Sunni militant group, witnesses said, according to Reuters news agency. Control of the dam could give ISIS, which has threatened […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 08/04/2014 As a result of damage from rockets, asbestos roofs are becoming a dangerous threat, Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz says. Boasting a front-yard garden of potted plants and palm fronds, an otherwise pastoral cottage in the heart of Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha threatens the lungs of those who enter – following the […]

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by Mohammad Ghazal | Aug 04, 2014 AMMAN — First Solar, a global provider of comprehensive photovoltaic (PV) solar systems, said Monday it signed an agreement to provide engineering, procurement and construction services for the Shams Maan Company’s projected 52.5 megawatt solar-run power plant in the southern governorate. The US company said it has also […]

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Petra | Aug 04, 2014 AMMAN — Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday began a comprehensive review of the Kingdom’s infrastructure for the nuclear energy programme, according to Energy Minister Mohammad Hamed. The review is aimed at assessing the current situation of the infrastructure and identifying priorities to enhance the local […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 08/03/2014 Project was aiming to prove usability of approximately 40 billion barrels of oil found in te shale rock layer of the Shfela basin in south-central Israel. Just before the Jerusalem District Committee for Planning and Building is set to discuss the fate of a pilot oil shale drilling project on Monday, […]

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Mohammed Zaatari| The Daily Star SIDON, Lebanon: With the long-term project to turn Sidon’s notorious dumpsite into a proper landfill completed in early July, a new report has praised the recently constructed seawall for having stimulated the re-emergence of marine life. The report, compiled by the municipality of Sidon, surveyed the marine biodiversity and fisheries […]

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Knesset panel: Haifa Oil Refineries air pollution must be cut Mayor Yona Yahav agrees, says five-year study about to start. By Zafrir Rinat and Eli Ashkenazi | Aug. 1, 2014 A Knesset subcommittee has recommended stricter measures to reduce the air pollution caused by Haifa’s Oil Refineries, in view of the high cancer rate in […]

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NBC The fuel tanks at Gaza’s only power plant came under attack early Tuesday. Thick black smoke billowed over Gaza City as the fire raged at the power plant, which is the enclave’s second-largest source of electricity and the only provider inside the territory for its 1.8 million citizens. Fathy Sheikh Halil, who is the […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 07/31/2014 Report says companies won’t implement projects without Erdogan’s consent. Any agreement to export natural gas from Israel’s large Leviathan reservoir to Turkey can only occur following an improvement in political relations between the two countries – relations that have grown increasingly fragile during the Israeli-Gazan conflict – according to an Institute […]

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Michael Klare At first glance, the fossil-fuel factor in the recent outbreaks of tension and fighting in the Middle East may not seem evident, but in reality these conflicts are part of an energy war, writes Global conflicts are increasingly fuelled by the desire for oil and natural gas and the funds they generate. Iraq, […]

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Tuesday, 29 July 2014 Rising temperatures from a flaming oil depot may ignite nearby reserves containing 90 million liters of fuel which will lead to a “catastrophe” affecting a radius of three to five kilometers, Libyan officials warned on Tuesday according to Al Arabiya News Channel. The Buraiqa fuel depot continues to burn out of […]

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Target area is a sensitive region, and results would be inconclusive, argue environmental groups. By Zafrir Rinat | Jul. 29, 2014 The Israel Nature and Parks Authority has called for halting the approval process for oil shale drilling in the Judean Plain, ahead of a crucial discussion on a proposed pilot production facility. The authority […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 07/31/2014 Emissions of volatile organic compounds from Haifa plants amount to 2,400 tons per year, in comparison to 111 tons per year in Ramat Hovav, says report. Emphasizing the urgency of curbing pollution levels in the Haifa Bay region, MK Dov Henin presented critical findings to Internal Affairs and Environment Committee members […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 07/27/2014 Sunday’s approval occurred followed a recent authorization in June to move forward with the program from the National Council for Planning and Building. The Ministerial Committee on Interior Affairs, Services and Local Government unanimously approved on Sunday a plan for transporting natural gas from additional future terminals to the country’s transmission […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 07/29/2014 Panel members recommend setting a uniform royalty rate on all natural resources of 5%, to remain consistent with global standards. Adam Teva V’Din (Israel Union for Environmental Defense) and the Movement for Quality Government on Monday slammed the Sheshinski 2 for taking a conservative stance with regards to the country’s natural […]

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Ryan Stultz| The Daily Star BEIT MERY, Lebanon: Better known for the capital’s glittering nightlife and exclusive beach clubs, Lebanon is launching a new, ambitious strategy to promote something entirely different: rural tourism. “We need to begin marketing not just the country – but destinations” within Lebanon, Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon said Thursday night at […]

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