Israel expected to approve first national plan to combat air pollution Haaretz Critics say plan is not enough to clean our air. By Zafrir Rinat | Aug.08, 2012 A decision at a ministerial meeting scheduled for Wednesday could change the way Israel handles air pollution, the environmental woe that arguably poses the gravest threat to […]

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7 August 2012 Bethlehem, West Bank In Bethlehem’s crowded Dheisheh refugee camp, space is at a premium. Families are cramped in small shelters, with only narrow alleyways separating them. With little room for families to grow, the thought of growing food has always been out of the question. That was the case until Karama (“dignity” […]

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Jerusalem area fire contained; 4 Palestinians arrested -YNET Over 40 firefighting squads, at least two planes extinguish large fire near Moshav Even Sapir; Jerusalem Police: Four Palestinians arrested in connection with blaze Ynet reporters Latest Update: 08.08.12, 17:52 / Israel News Two large fires broke out near Moshav Even Sapir in the Jerusalem area and […]

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Reuters | Aug 06, 2012 | 23:45 ANKARA — An explosion overnight on a pipeline carrying about a quarter of Iraqi crude exports from oilfields near the city of Kirkuk has knocked out flows and repairs are expected to take up to 10 days, Turkish energy ministry officials said on Monday. Exports from the pipeline […]

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Electricity outages across Egypt Thursday disrupted the bourse, halted commuters on the capital’s metro, causing further upheaval and anger over the problem that is plaguing the country., The opening session for Egypt’s bourse was postponed an hour due to the electricity blackout, Al Arabiya television reported, while Cairo’s metro lines one and two were not […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 08/09/2012 Environment Ministry will fund NIS 70 million green garbage-to-electricity facilities. The Environmental Protection Ministry will be allocating NIS 70 million toward the establishment of green energy generation facilities that transform garbage into useable electricity, the ministry announced on Wednesday. This week, ministry officials turned to industry developers, informing them that they […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 08/08/2012 Consumers will benefit from lower equipment costs, says utility authority; renewable energy experts demand further assessment. As the costs of photovoltaic equipment and installation fees decline, significantly reducing solar feed-in tariffs would bring NIS 2 billion in savings for Israeli electricity consumers, the Public Utility Authority has said. The PUA will […]

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Minister Erdan orders gas stations to install fume reduction systems by end of 2015 Billie Frenkel Published: 08.08.12 All of Israel’s gas stations will be made to install fume reduction systems by the end of 2015, the Environmental Protection Ministry said Sunday. The ministry said that the new regulations are a somewhat late addition to […]

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While development at natural springs can make them more tourist-friendly, environmentalists caution that it can also lead to their destruction. By Zafrir Rinat | Aug.09, 2012 Some of the most popular Israeli travel guides invite hikers to visit natural springs. The success of these books may be attributed to the draw that bodies of water […]

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August 06, 2012 By Mohammed Zaatari SIDON, Lebanon: Sidon residents are losing patience with the increasingly long power outages in the southern city this summer, as the cuts have left residents without water or sleep and light on cash. Power cutoffs can last for up to 20 hours a day, and regularly go on for […]

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By JOANNA PARASZCZUK 08/07/2012 There are fires all over the world and no investigative committees, prime minister says at comptroller’s hearing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu lashed out against the ongoing investigation into his government’s response to the 2010 Carmel Forest fire at the State Controller’s Knesset hearing on the issue Tuesday. Speaking at a special […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Aug 06, 2012 AMMAN — The Rangers will increase patrols in heavily wooded areas to put an end to deliberate forest fires, Minister of Environment Yaseen Khayyat said on Monday. Monitoring of the country’s limited forest areas will be intensified in cooperation with the Rangers and the agriculture ministry to curb […]

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Megan Detrie Fri, 27/07/2012 Egypt might have to look beyond the world’s biggest wheat exporter to feed its hungry nation, after the worst drought in more than a decade has wilted US grain crops. “Wheat is the biggest problem for food security. There’s a lot of vulnerability, given supply and demand sources,” said Magda Kandil, […]

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Rana Khaled Sun, 29/07/2012 Old books describe Helwan, a southern suburb of Cairo, as “the sacred healing city” — one of Egypt’s main centers of therapeutic tourism since the pharaonic era. Any book that mentions the medical healing value of Helwan has a description of Ain Helwan or Kabrittaj Helwan as marvelous places containing several […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 08/06/2012 Environmentalists call for assessment by outside body, say ‘city cannot be the one giving itself permission to build.’ By extending its existing beachside promenade, Herzliya intends to make larger portions of its coastline accessible to more people in an environmentally sound manner, officials said on Monday. In response to burgeoning pressure […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 08/06/2012 Ammonia from Acre’s Unilever Strauss plant poses too much of a risk to those inside Azrieli mall, ministry determines. The Unilever Strauss ice cream factory and the Azrieli Mall in Acre should no longer continue to operate side-by-side, as the ammonia from the plant poses too much of a risk to […]

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Friday, August 3 2012 Cross-border environmental cooperation cannot wait until a final peace agreement is signed. But it also cannot completely disregard political realities: The recent Cross-Border Environmental Conference held by Israel in the settlement of Ariel meant that no Palestinian could dare attend, leaving Israelis to discuss cooperation among themselves. By David Lehrer and […]

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By Reem Haddad In 2009, BankMed came out with a supposedly short term idea: to support some environmental projects. But the demand for projects rained on them and they found themselves adopting a challenging Corporate Social Responsibly cause: encouraging Lebanon to go ‘green’. Today and through a heavy unprecedented campaign dubbed ‘A Happy Planet’, BankMed […]

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Bloomberg news agency says explorations under Mediterranean Sea have uncovered $240 billion worth of gas, which is far more than can ever be used in Israel 08.05.12 Gas exploration companies Noble Energy Inc., Delek Group Ltd. and others have discovered enough natural gas to supply Israel’s domestic needs for the next 150 years, an investigative […]

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Government approves independent energy production ahead of foreseen summer’s ‘electricity drought’ but only fraction used so far 08.05.12 The recent Renewable Energy Summit, held earlier in July, revealed that independent electricity producers may not be as keen to sell solar power-based electricity to the State, saying that their incentive fees are “unrealistic.” Ahead of foreseen […]

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