Monday, July 29, 2013
IDF Soldiers Invite You to "Like" us on Facebook
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https://www.facebook.com/idfonline
Check it out: IDF soldiers invite you to "Like" us on Facebook.
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http://www.idfblog.com/
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http://www.idf.il/english/
Israeli Arab pita conquering world
After becoming huge hit in Switzerland and Germany, flatbread from Baqa al-Gharbiyye bakery expanding to French, Spanish and American markets
Pita and taboon bread from a family bakery in the Israeli Arab city of Baqa al-Gharbiyye have become a huge hit in supermarkets in Switzerland and Germany, and are about to conquer new markets in France, Spain and the United States.
The “Omar al-Saba” bakery was founded in Baqa al-Gharbiyye in 1985 with one sack of flour and a dream. It made its big breakthrough about 12 years ago, when it successfully penetrated the Jewish market and began selling products to large supermarket chains and hotels – all supervised by the Rabbinate.
About two years ago, the bakery owners decided to expand to foreign markets with the assistance of the Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute’s Tevel program, which helps Arab-owned businesses export their products and services.
“It was a dream for us,” says Izdihar Ghanem, one of the company owners. “In accordance with the program, we set up a website and packages and searched for a market abroad. We learned from the Export Institute staff that we must supply the perfect product.”
Several months ago, a first delivery left for Switzerland with 28,000 frozen pita breads, which were snatched off the shelves in Swiss cities such as Zurich and Basel. Several weeks later, a shipment arrived in Germany and received a warm welcome there too.
The next destinations are France and Spain and an American supermarket chain which has already ordered tens of thousands of units of pita bread.
“We have received great reactions,” concludes Ghanem. “I haven’t had a chance to see our pita on European shelves yet, but I really want to. It’s very exciting.”
Source: Ynetnews.com
Sand sculpture exhibition in Israel
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This summer at the Eretz Israel Museum (Land of Israel Museum) - Tales in the Sand, 15 lifelike sculptures of characters from the biblical Samson to Alice in Wonderland.
Tel Aviv's Land of Israel Museum took 700 tons of Israel's most plentiful natural resource -- sand -- and asked international sand sculptors to create exacting likenesses of super-heroes, storybook figures and Bible greats.
Film by Sally Halon and Marian Lebor
Music by Kevin MacLeod, Incompetech
2 Israeli scientists up for UNESCO prize
Five women from around world handpicked each year by international scientists’ board (illustration) Photo: Shutterstock
Natalie Zetoony, Adit Naor singled out for $100,000 award aiming to empower women to carry on with research without worrying about family stressors
Two female Israeli scientists are contenders for a $100,000 UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) prize from the United Nations and cosmetics company L’Oreal.
The award aims to help women, particularly wives and mothers, working in labs mitigate family stressors.
Five women from around the world are handpicked each year by an international board of scientists for advancements in life sciences and materials engineering.
Dozens of researchers from around the world are currently having their work reviewed. Successful candidates will be endowed with their awards next March.
The Israeli L’Oreal-UNESCO council made known Israel’s two nominees earlier: Natalie Zetoony and Adit Naor.
Zetoony is testing different ways to use “magnetic bacteria” in industrial and medical settings, and Naor is researching gene exchange in single-cell organisms that look like bacteria (but aren’t) for medical purposes.
The Women in Science Awards have been conferred to 64 scientists from 30 countries for the past 15 years.
Source: ShalomLife.com
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Remembering the Raid on Entebbe – July 4th 1976
It is known/remembered as one of the most sophisticated and successful rescue operation in military history, today we remember those who perished during the event of July 4th 1976
The names of the 5 Israelis killed
Jean-Jacques Maimoni
Pasco Cohen
Ida Borochovitch
Dora Bloch
Yonathan Netanyahu
More about the rescue operation
and the Full movie “Raid on Entebbe”
Raid on Entebbe is a 1977 TV movie directed by Irvin Kershner. It is based on an actual event: Operation Entebbe and the freeing of hostages at Entebbe Airport in Entebbe, Uganda on July 4, 1976. It was the last movie to be released featuring Academy Award-winning actor Peter Finch. Actress Dinah Manoff appears in one of her very first roles.
This version of Operation Entebbe is believed to be fairly accurate. The basic facts of the rescue of hostages held when hijackers working for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine boarded and hijacked an Air France plane recounts the events and response of the Israeli government and the controversy that the rescue stirred.
This version shows the difficult deliberations held by the Cabinet of Israel to decide on a top-secret military raid on the Jewish Sabbath by commandos; a difficult and daring operation carried out over 2500 miles from home, and of course, an unwillingness of the Israeli government to give in to terrorist demands. One commando was killed (the operation commander Yonatan Netanyahu, brother of future Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu), as were three of the hostages, and 45 soldiers under the then dictator of Uganda, Idi Amin. The death of Netanyahu was moved from the beginning of the assault when it happened to the end for plot reasons. A fourth hostage, Dora Bloch, who had been taken to Mulago Hospital in Kampala, was murdered by the Ugandans on Idi Amin's orders.
Monday, July 22, 2013
José Feliciano to perform in Israel
José Feliciano
Puerto Rican virtuoso guitarist to give one concert in Tel Aviv on October 10
The Israeli musical scene is receiving another international boost: Yedioth Ahronoth has learned that Latin virtuoso guitarist and singer José Feliciano will return to Israel on October 10 for one concert at Tel Aviv’s Nokia Arena.
Feliciano, 68, who was left permanently blind at birth, launched his musical career almost 60 years ago. He was born in Puerto Rico and is considered one of the first artists to cross the boundaries of Latin music into the mainstream as he made his way to the top of the international world of music.
His first single, “Everybody Do the Click,” was released in 1964 and quickly became a huge hit, garnering global interest. Throughout his career, Feliciano released dozens of albums in Spanish and English which sold millions of copies.
He recorded another significant achievement in 1969, when he won two Grammy Awards in the Best New Artist and Best Pop Song categories.
The accomplishments and age have not
affected the pace of his work, and Feliciano has gone on to release new albums in the past few decades and is considered a virtuoso.
The summer of 2013 has brought quite a few international artists to Israel, including Barbra Streisand, Cliff Richard, Alicia Keys and the Pet Shop Boys. Julio Iglesias and Rihanna are scheduled to perform in the Holy Land a well.
Source: Ynetnews.com
Enjoy the German Colony, a trendy Jerusalem neighborhood
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Emek Refaim, the main street of Jerusalem's German Colony, is a great place to enjoy a meal, a stroll and a bit of nightlife.
"It's a fun place, it's chilled, it's modern, it's hip," says a man strolling down Emek Refaim, the heart of Jerusalem's German Colony. "You have restaurants, you have a couple of bars, you have good places to sit, nice cafés, different things to do."
Emek Refaim (which can mean "Valley of Ghosts" or "Valley of Giants") was built by 19th century Christian German Templers, and many of those original stone structures still dominate the quaint street.
The German Colony is alive at all hours with residents and tourists visiting its cafés, restaurants, bakeries and boutiques. This is also where you'll find the International Cultural and Community Center and one of the city's largest public swimming pools. Just off Emek Refaim is Jerusalem's Natural History Museum
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Israelis find new way to fight breast cancer
Researchers develop theory that may be able to improve survival rates in breast cancer patients Photo: Shutterstock
New strategy developed by research team from Weizmann Institute of Science may be able to help descendants of women with triple-negative cancer
An Israeli research team from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, led by Professor Yosef Yarden of the Institute’s Biological Regulation Department, have embarked on a journey to find methods that will help fight off triple-negative breast cancer, a type of cancer usually found in young, Hispanic, or African women.
It is also often found in Jewish Ashkenazi women of Eastern European descent.
Triple-negative means the cancer is lacking three hormone receptors (estrogen, progesterone, and HER2) that provide fuel to most cancerous tumors.
As breast cancer carries a strong genetic link, daughters and granddaughters of patients with the cancer are often affected. The Weizmann team’s experimental research utilizes methods that mimic the way the body normally responds to breast cancer, as they search for the first solution for triple-negative cancer.
“It’s quite a difficult disease,” Professor Yarden told ISRAEL21c. “Women who are initially treated with chemotherapy show a good response, but they eventually develop resistance to the chemical therapy. They die within seven or eight years.”
Along with his colleague, Professor Michael Sela, the two went on to develop a theory that may be able to improve survival rates in breast cancer patients, and reduce the number of re-occurrences.
They came to this conclusion by abandoning the normal method of developing medicines to fight cancer, which is traditionally done through attacking an antibody on the surface of the tumor. Instead the Israeli doctors combined two diverse antibodies to separate sections of the receptors, which resulted in a positive response during testing.
“If this approach is developed into a drug, it might treat about 5% of all breast cancer patients, a meaningful proportion considering the aggressiveness of triple negative,” said Yarden.
While the two have only conducted their tests on animals so far, all of their research has proved very positive thus far, and they are looking to collaborate with pharmaceutical institutions to develop a drug.
Both Professors Yarden and Sela have stated that finding a vaccination that completely fights off cancer is their overall objective.
Their research has since been published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Source: Ynetnews.com
Israeli And Palestinian Metal Bands Join Forces For European Tour
Israeli progressive folk metal masters ORPHANED LAND will join forces with the Palestinian group KHALAS for an 18-concert European tour in October/November. The two bands will also share a tour bus for three weeks, an artistic cooperation between Jewish and Arab artists which is being hailed as “a major breakthrough.”
“We can’t change the world, but we can give an example of how coexistence is possible,” ORPHANED LAND singer Kobi Farhi told The Guardian. “Sharing a stage and sharing a bus is stronger than a thousand words. We’ll show how two people from different backgrounds who live in a conflict zone can perform together.”
“We are metal brothers before everything,” added KHALAS lead guitaristAbed Hathut. “There is no bigger message for peace than through this tour.”
Previous collaborations between Jewish and Arab artists in Israel have led to calls for boycotts from pro-Palestinian activists as part of a campaign to isolate the Jewish state culturally and economically.
“I’m strongly against boycotts of any kind,” Farhi told The Guardian. “The purpose of art is to represent harmony in places of disharmony, to bring hope.”
Green Bikes for a Green City
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Tel Aviv has joined great cities around the world - including Amsterdam, London, Barcelona, Buenos Aires and Taipei -- in offering its residents and visitors a bike sharing program. With 1,700 bikes and 170 bike stations spread around the city, anyone who wants to go for a ride, run a short errand or skip the search for a parking space can now rent a bike for NIS 17 (less than $5) a day or for free for less than a half hour.
Tel Aviv's flat roads and growing number of bike paths make biking attractive to anyone (over 15) who can push a petal (and children can rent bikes from a bike shop). Tel Aviv natives and visitors alike love the eco-friendly transportation and over 7,000 people use the green bikes daily.
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Israeli clothing line to open first branch in Ramallah
The Israeli based fashion chain Fox is to open its first franchise in a mall in the Palestinian city of Ramallah, a move that is already facing strong opposition by Palestinian activists, Ynet reported on Monday.
Recently, a banner was hung on one of the commercial centers in the Palestinian city, announcing that the clothing and home-design chain will soon open a branch there. While potential Palestinian customers are expressing their support, the decision has also sparked a storm on social networks among Palestinian activists who vehemently oppose any normalization with Israel and the sale of products of Israeli companies in the Palestinian Authority
Cool Globes in Jerusalem
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18 hot ideas for a cool planet, launched in Jerusalem at the first International Symposium on Green Pilgrimage.
Eighteen oversized globes -- each artistically showcasing an approach to climate change, from solar power to rooftop gardens, recycling to fuel efficiency -- were installed along a beautiful and educational public art pathway leading from the Jaffa Gate to the Jerusalem City Hall courtyard.
In 2007, Cool Globes premiered in Chicago and has been spreading across North America and Europe.
The official launch of Cool Globes Jerusalem (http://greenpilgrimjerusalem.org/symp...) coincided with Earth Day, April 22, 2013, at the International Symposium on Green Pilgrimage (http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/israelexper...).
"A quarter of a billion people around the globe go on pilgrimage every year. This has a tremendous impact," says Naomi Tsur, deputy mayor of Jerusalem and Green Pilgrimage Network Ambassador. "We are extremely proud that Jerusalem was the first city to host a symposium of this kind and to have been able to have the Cool Globes as our partners in this venture."
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Israel, Singapore launch joint PhD program
Hebrew University Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson. Strengthening academic ties Photo: Gil Yohanan
National University of Singapore, Hebrew University of Jerusalem to promote training, research in biomedical science starting this August
The National University of Singapore (NUS) and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem are launching a Joint Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree program in biomedical science beginning in August.
Prof. Tan Eng Chye, deputy president (academic affairs) and provost at the National University of Singapore, and Hebrew University Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson signed the joint degree agreement at NUS, in the presence of Ambassador of Israel to Singapore Amira Arnon and 30 invited guests.
The new joint PhD program is a collaboration between the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and the Faculty of Science at NUS, with the Hebrew University Faculties of Medicine and Science. Students enrolled in the program will divide their time between both campuses in Singapore and Jerusalem, spending a minimum of nine months at each institution.
Two NUS students have already been selected for the inaugural intake and they will begin their program in the new academic year starting this August.
NUS President Prof. Tan Chorh Chuan said, “We are excited to further deepen our ties with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem through this new joint PhD program. The Hebrew University is highly respected internationally for its outstanding scientific research and its application.
“As the program leverages on the complementary academic strengths of our two institutions, I am confident that it will offer a unique and world-class learning experience for our students and an excellent platform for our faculty to drive for even higher levels of excellence.
“This partnership also opens up more opportunities for researchers and students from both our universities to break new ground in biomedical science.”
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
4 Israeli apps every college student should know about (USA Today)
by Daniel Blas
Hot on the heels of Waze, four ideas from the Middle East hub of innovation
Getting stuck behind miles of cars is no fun. Israeli iPhone app Waze, acquired last week by Google, uses crowdsourcing to reduce wait time by providing users with up-to-the-minute traffic data.
The blockbuster deal — Google paid more than $1 billion — marks what may be a turning point for tech companies based in Israel, the first country outside of the United States in which Warren Buffet invested.
Here are four applications whose creators hail from the Middle East hub of innovation that college students need to know about.
1. Parko : What Waze did for traffic, Parko does for parking. Co-founder Tomer Neuner used to drive upward of 40 minutes daily searching for an empty spot in Tel Aviv, annoyed that there wasn’t a better way to find his car a temporary home.
Neuner, originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, transformed his frustration into innovation, developing an application to connect drivers looking for parking spaces with drivers vacating them. Smartphone location technology senses when users are about to leave their curbside spots and rewards them with prizes including free coffee, gas and cash.
The app’s Tel Aviv pilot program has had wide-scale adoption; almost 10% of the 700k drivers signing up in just a few months.
Why should college students care? Implementing pilot programs on U.S. campuses with major parking problems is a high priority.
Neuner says the large North American target market is appealing, and “within a year, we’ll be there for sure.” Parko plans to partner with leading navigation apps to give users a full “door-to-door” experience.
2. CupsTelAviv: CupsTelAviv allows users to drink unlimited coffee from local cafes for the price of a 169-NIS (about $45) monthly subscription fee. Customers may order any type of coffee-based drink — whipped cream, hazelnut shavings and caramel drippings are all fair game — but they must wait 30 minutes between cups.
CEO Alon Ezer, who has said he is “currently the biggest consumer of coffee in Tel Aviv,” pays for every cup bought, passing along part of his quantity discount to users. Ezer has thousands of subscribers in Tel Aviv and plans to expand to the U.S. eventually, where 41% of adults ages 18-24 drink coffee daily.
Coffee every half-hour might be just the fuel college students need halfway through all-nighters.
3. Invi: Helping Google put Israel’s tech prowess on the map is Ashton Kutcher, who last month contributed to Invi’s latest round of $3 million in funding.
Invi is an Android-based (coming soon to iPhone) mobile message app that attempts to “reinvent texting” with features such as the ability to watch YouTube videos while sending text messages. A major challenge for Israeli entrepreneurs looking to break into the U.S. market — including Invi’s founders — is understanding how the young audience acts.
“Without being exposed to what a U.S. consumer is like, they oftentimes miss the opportunity to really create something the consumer wants,” says Shuly Galili, co-founder of Israeli start-up incubator UpWest Labs in Palo Alto. Invi, one UpWest’s 100-plus alumni, took her advice to heart, visiting California high schools and colleges to observe how youth interacted with mobile devices.
“U.S. consumers commute differently, share differently and view privacy differently” than their Israeli counterparts, Galili says.
It is precisely for that reason that all of her companies — recruitment for a sixth round of entrepreneurs is underway — undergo an extended three-month U.S. stay. Each start-up aims to establish an American satellite to its Israeli office. Invi is quickly becoming a success story, and the perfect media-sharing tool for SMS-loving students.
4. Veed.me: As unemployment rates push 10% for recent college graduates who studied the arts, this start-up — not technically an app — fills an important niche.
Veed.me was founded by Israeli film graduates who recognized that it was difficult to make a living as videographers, even in a $5 billion video production market experiencing annual growth of 25%. [HKB1] They created an online “Video Creation Marketplace” where businesses hire videographers for projects. Through a system of requesting videos and submitting proposals, firms find talent — often recent graduates — to produce film content.
According to a recent study by Georgetown’s Public Policy Institute, “Hard Times,” the median salary for recent graduates who majored in film, video and the photographic arts was $30,000 per year. Aspiring producers need not fret: Although Veed.me is in the “alpha” stage, which refers to early development and testing, it may prevent future artists from starving.
Veed.me’s customers include Duracell, Google Tel Aviv and Waze.
Daniel Blas is a summer 2013 Collegiate Correspondent.
Source: USAtoday
Israel’s Yad Vashem named world’s 4th top museum
‘Very moving and inspirational,’ visitor says of Yad Vashem (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
TripAdvisor travel website ranks Israel’s Holocaust memorial among 25 most recommended museums worldwide, awarding it with 2013 Certificate of Excellence
Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial has been ranked fourth among the world’s top 25 museums by the popular TripAdvisor travel website, which relies on reviews and comments of tourists and travelers from all around the world.
The website’s visitors praised the museum’s “moving and informative displays” and said that visiting Yad Vashem was an “emotional, educational and inspiring” experience and “a must for any human.”
TripAdvisor also awarded Yad Vashem with the 2013 Certificate of Excellence, which is given to outstanding institutions that have received praise and recognition in reviews by the website’s travelers.
In order to receive the Certificate of Excellence, the tourist site must maintain an overall ranking of at least four of five stars in visitors’ reviews.
Yad Vashem is currently ranked first among Jerusalem’s 146 attractions and has been named the most recommended place to visit in the holy city.
Yad Vashem has nearly one million visitors annually, mostly tourists. The museum recently unveiled a new exhibition, “I Am My Brother’s Keeper,” marking 50 years of recognizing saviors of Jews and dedicated it to the 24,811 people from 47 countries who have been honored as “Righteous Among the Nations.”
Source: Ynetnews.com
Israel Makes Dramatic Advance in Blindness Prevention
Lessons from Israel’s healthcare system could optimize eye health around the world, says a TAU researcher
According to the World Health Organization, 80% of blindness is preventable or treatable — but it remains a severe health concern across the globe, even in industrialized countries.
Now hope is on the horizon — especially if countries are willing to emulate Israel’s approach to eye health, says Prof.Michael Belkin of the Goldschleger Eye Research Institute at Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sheba Medical Center in a new study published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology. In the last decade, rates of preventable blindness in Israel have been cut by more than half — from 33.8 cases of blindness per 100,000 residents in 1999 to 14.8 in 2010. This improvement, found across all four main causes of avoidable blindness — age-related deterioration, glaucoma, diabetes, and cataract — is unmatched anywhere else in the world, he says.
The secret is not only the innovative methods of treatment that were added to the Israeli medical system, but their universal availability and accessibility, as well as good patient compliance with treatment regimens, including the correct use of prescribed medications.
Israel also offers community-based programs, such as dedicated diabetes clinics, which promote early prevention and timely treatment for diabetes-related complications that can lead to blindness. Prof. Belkin notes that such programs save public and private health care money in the long term.
Hummus declared official dip of NFL
US National Football League chooses Sabra Dipping, owned by PepsiCo, as its official dips sponsor as company launches substantial campaign to bring Middle Eastern delicacy to American masses
Hummas and Pita.
The National Football League has declared hummus the official dip of the NFL, promoting the Middle Eastern delicacy to the vast population of football fans that exist across America.
Specifically, the league chose Sabra Dipping Co., owned by PepsiCo Inc., as its official dips sponsor.
The decision comes just as the company approved its first batch of US television commercials, most likely part of a substantial campaign to bring hummus to the American masses.
Ronen Zohar, the Israeli-born CEO of Sabra, is confident that the hummus trend will catch on in the States, and that hummus will take over mayo as the next big dip to accompany cold cuts and vegetarian sandwiches.
One commercial, labeled “a guide to good dipping,” displays the different kinds of hummus Sabra offers, and the variety of items you can dip, including chicken wings, carrots, celery, and chips. Coincidentally, the typical Monday Night Football smorgasbord. The commercial goes on to advise viewers to “dip life to the fullest.”
Zohar realizes, though, that his work is cut out for him.
Currently, salsa is (obviously) the most popular dip for NFL gatherings and Super Bowl parties, producing double the sales hummus does.
However, hummus-like spreads have been growing by 14% in the States.
“Most of the people in the US never tasted hummus,” Zohar told Bloomberg. “You have to change their mindset that even if the name is strange and the brown color of the hummus is not as appetizing, it tastes wonderful.”
Israel wins 5 medals in Physics Olympiad
Israel’s medal winners: (l-r) Guy Segal, Dan Karliner, Offer Kopelevitch, Gilad Kishony and Shoham Jacoby.Pic: Eli Raz
Students return with one gold medal, three silver and one bronze from International competition held in Denmark. Israel ranked 13th out of 83 participating countries, up 12 places from last year’s event
Israeli students won five medals – one gold, three silver and one bronze – in IPhO 2013, the 44th International Physics Olympiad, which concluded in Denmark on Monday.
The gold medal was won by Dan Karliner from Hakfar Hayarok High School. The silver medals were won by Offer Kopelevitch from Haemek Hamaaravi High School, Guy Segal from the Hebrew Reali High School in Haifa and Gil-Ad Kishony of Haifa’s Leo Baeck High School. Shoham Jacoby from the WIZO Nahalal Youth Village took home a bronze medal.
“Before the competition I expected a silver medal, so I am very satisfied,” said Dan Karliner, who won the gold. “The exam was long, but not too difficult.”
Fellow team member Offer Kopelevitch, who won a silver medal, said “the competition was harder than I expected, but I really enjoyed it and I am glad I managed to win.”
At the end of the eight-day International Physics Olympiad, Israel ranked 13th out of the 83 participating countries, up 12 places from last year’s competition. This achievement comes several days after Israeli students won four medals in the International Olympiad in Informatics held in Brisbane, Australia.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Created in Israel - Part of your life
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Israeli innovation in your everyday life: "Created in Israel" may not be stamped on all the Israeli innovations that pop up during your average day, but in this short clip you can see a small sample of these anonymous inventions for yourself.
Most people would be very surprised to find out just how many of the products and technologies that make their lives better were developed in tiny Israel.
Few know that Israel created flash drives and anti-virus technologies, let alone solar water heaters and the drip irrigation which saved water and revolutionized agriculture, including in the developing world. And Israel has not only helped advance our hi-tech existence, it has made the world a more beautiful place, as the role played in this clip by Bar Rafaeli -- one of Israel's most beautiful creations -- reveals.
Credits:
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Production - Zed films
Director - Haim Zilberstein
Producer - Gil Roeh
Animation & Design - Ilan Weintrob
DOP - Ari Amit
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Israelis, Palestinians talk water cooperation
‘Water has to be shared by all people of this region’ Photo: Visual Photos
Scientists from France, West Bank, Gaza, Jordan and Israel to travel to southern town of Sde Boker to discuss common water production issues. ‘Water can be an issue for peace or for conflicts,’ says French ambassador to Israel
Under the patronage of the French Embassy in Israel, scientists from France, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan and Israel will travel to the southern town of Sde Boker to talk common water production issues.
At the French ambassador’s villa in picturesque Jaffa, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, yet another cocktail party is being hosted, but this event is very special because sworn enemies are here to talk their future survival.
“We think that water can be an issue for peace or for conflicts,” says French Ambassador to Israel Christophe Bigot. “Of course water is very scarce, very rare in this region, and of course water has to be shared by all the people of this region. So they may either fight to get it or they may cooperate.
“Cooperation is obviously a way that we promote, and I think if you look at the history of the matter, people are cooperating on water much more in advance before being in the position to make peace. So water and working on water can also be a way to promote peace.”
One of the major partners on the other side is Prof. Yusuf Abu Mayla from Gaza, who realizes if the sides won’t sit down now, it will lead to a catastrophic future for all those involved.
“I think regarding the water issues, all people all over the world should talk together because its shared water,” he says. “No one can have his own water. We have shared water with the Israelis, we have the shared water with the Egyptians, we have shared water between the Israelis and the Jordanians, between all the countries together in the region.
“I think it is important to sit, to talk, to meet each other and then have some new issues, new technique or something to imply something like that. But it is really very important to improve the situation on the ground. It’s really very important for all the scientific and academic staff to talk together about the academic and technical issues, which I think is very important for our futures.”
Under the patronage of the French Embassy in Israel scientists from France, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan and Israel will travel to the southern town of Sde Boker to talk common water production issues.
Israeli based Netafim opens factory in Valencia
Netafim factory in Kibbutz Hatzerim Photo: Meir Azoulay
New facility in Spanish city to serve Israeli irrigation firm’s plan to expand in Portugal, North Africa as well
The Israel-based Netafim company, a world leader in drip irrigation technology, had opened a factory in the city of Valencia in eastern Spain in light of its growing activity in the country.
The factory will serve the company’s plan to expand in the markets of Portugal and North Africa as well.
Earlier this year, Netafim inaugurated factories in Brazil and Peru. Its total investment in new factories this year has reached $10 million.
Netafim was founded in 1965 in Kibbutz Hatzerim. More than 10 million hectares of farmland around the world are irrigated with the drip irrigation technology it developed.
Source: Ynetnews.com
Tel Aviv Water War 2013
The first Water War Tel Aviv, in 2004, was a fringe phenomenon. This year, over 7,000 water warriors showed up to take part.
Report: Casspi joining Houston Rockets
Casspi. Moving to Texas? (Photo: AP)
Israeli free-agent forward appears to have found new home in NBA, week after being released by Cleveland Cavaliers, Yahoo! Sports says
A week after being released by Cleveland Cavaliers, Omri Casspi appears to have found a new home in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
According to Yahoo! Sports reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, the Israeli free-agent forward has agreed to a two-year deal with the Houston Rockets, which has just boosted its team with superstar Dwight Howard.
A league source told Yahoo! Sports that Casspi’s two-year, $2 million deal would include a team option in 2014-15.
The official signing is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, when the NBA free agents market opens.
Casspi played in only 43 games for the Cavs last season, and his average was the lowest in this four-year NBA career with just four points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
Cleveland, which in the summer replaced coach Byron Scott with Mike Brown, had the option of paying $3.3 million and comparing every offer for Casspi, but decided to give up on his services after his disappointing season.
Source: Ynetnews.com
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Israel to help India diversify fruit, vegetable crops
Israel will offer technology and know-how to India to diversify its fruit and vegetable crops and raise their yield, senior Israeli officials has said.
New Delhi will also get help to set up 28 centres of excellence in 10 states over the next three years.
“We are providing technologies and know-how. Our focus is on training the trainers,” Daniel Carmon, head of Mashav, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, said.
Mr. Carmon said Israel will help set up 28 centres of excellence in 10 states, of which eight are likely to be functional by the end of 2013. Each centre will be focussed on specific fruit and vegetable crops.
Israel is a world leader in agriculture technologies. Despite limited water resources and a difficult environment, the yield per acre of most of the farm products in that country is among the highest in the world.
Mr. Carmon said yield can rise manifold in India with the help of generic Israeli technologies and agricultural techniques.
“We congratulate India on being self-sufficient in food. Feeding 1.2 billion people is not an easy task. But with improvement in technology, a lot more can be achieved,” he said.
Mr. Carmon said Israel would also offer help in increasing milk output in India. Average milk output per cow in Israel is around 12,000 litres, the highest in the world.
According to Uri Rubinstien, counsellor for international cooperation (Mashav), science and agriculture, at the Israeli embassy in New Delhi, Israel is providing seeds and technologies to help grow new variety of vegetables and fruits like capsicum, cucumber, mango, dates and herbs.
“We will be introducing a variety of coloured capsicum and a new variety of cucumber and other vegetables,” Mr. Rubinstien said.
Most vegetable and fruit crops in India are seasonal and have short life span. “Increasing the life span will boost output and earnings to farmers,” Mr. Rubinstien said.
One centre of excellence, to focus on orchards, was recently inaugurated in Haryana’s Sirsa district. Also in Haryana, another centre is proposed to be set up near Karnal, focussed on vegetables.
Mr. Carmon said two centres were functional in Maharashtra and would be formally inaugurated soon. Other states where the centres would be located include Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Gujarat and Karnataka.
Agriculture cooperation projects are also planned to be set up in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.
Mr. Rubinstien said Israeli technologies and know-how would play a significant role in the second green revolution in India.
“Now India needs to focus on increasing the production of healthy food like vegetables, fruits and milk. We have proven technology and would like India to benefit from it,” he added.
Source: TheHindu.com
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Intel in talks to invest $10 billion in Israel – report
An Intel logo is seen at the company’s offices in Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv October 24, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Nir Elias
Credit: Reuters/Nir Elias
Intel Corp, the world’s No. 1 chipmaker, is in talks with the Israeli government about a $10 billion (6.5 billion pounds) investment in Israel, a senior government official told the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Tuesday.
“Intel is talking with us about a huge investment of $10 billion,” Nahum Itzkovich, the new director of the Economy Ministry’s Investment Centre, said in his first interview since assuming office. “We are engaged in intensive negotiations with Intel.”
Under discussion is an investment of $3 billion to upgrade the existing Fab 28 factory in the southern town of Kiryat Gat, and another $7 billion in a new factory in the town over the course of 10 years, he said.
The government has set up a negotiating team that includes Economy Minister Naftali Bennett.
“Contrary to Intel’s previous investment, we are trying this time to create a long-term process in which each side will commit for at least 10 years,” Itzkovich said.
He did not say how much of a grant or subsidy the government was considering providing Intel for the new investment.
A spokesman for Intel declined to comment on the report and officials at the ministry were not immediately available for comment.
Intel’s last overseas investment was made in Ireland and if it does not build a factory in Israel this time the country could find itself no longer relevant to Intel, Itzkovich said.
“We are talking about a manufacturing facility that has incredible impact on the Israeli economy,” he said. “That said, it is incumbent upon us to examine the worthwhileness and to explain to the public what the benefits are and what the considerations are if we approve the investment.”
Intel will build chips over the next two to three years with features measuring just 14 nm in Irelandand the United States but the company is already thinking about where it will produce 10 nm chips. Intel Israel executives said in February they would like to see 10 nm production in Israel.
Intel has invested $10.5 billion in Israel in the past decade, including $1.1 billion in 2012, and has received $1.3 billion in government grants.
Source: Reuters.com (Reporting by Tova Cohen)
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