·
Israeli
scientists can stop cancer spreading by suppressing a misfunctioning protein.
·
Israeli
technology can save millions of undiagnosed TB sufferers.
·
IsraAID has
sent a team to help victims of the Mozambique cyclone.
·
An Israeli
drone has been developed to autonomously pick ripe fruit.
·
Israeli hi-tech
company Elbit earned $3.68 billion last year.
·
Israeli
special Olympiads won 22 medals in Abu Dhabi.
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Archaeologists
discover more ancient Jewish artifacts in Israel.
·
Click here
to see the 17th March newsletter on IsraelSeen, Ruthfully Yours, IsraPundit, Janglo and United With Israel with additional feature on Inclusive & Global. Also (TY Sandra) in German. Also (TY Marlene) Hebrew translation of articles from 17th March newsletter by Young Ambassadors of the Reali
School in Haifa. Please pass on these links to German and Hebrew-reading contacts.
Also (TY Esty) please visit and “like” / “follow” the bilingual (English
/ Hebrew) www.facebook.com/VerygoodnewsIL Facebook page.
·
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click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me expand the reach of VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
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ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Controlling the genome guardian. Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have been able to silence
the gene controlling the p53 protein known as “the guardian of the genome”. The
p53 protein is mutated or dysfunctional in over two-thirds of all cancers. Korean
biotech BioLeaders is investing $10 million in the new Israeli therapy.
Age your immune system for a longer life. Researchers from Israel’s Technion and US Stanford University have identified
age factors within the human immune system that predict a person’s longevity. Eventually
you will know which lifestyle changes, habits and medications can advance your
immune system and extend life.
Complementary medicine works. Dr. Yair
Maimon is head of the Tal Integrative Cancer Research Center at Israel’s Sheba
Medical Center. Thanks to 30 years’ experience of Chinese botanical medicine, his
LCS101 botanical formula alleviates treatment side effects, boosts the immune
system and kills selective cancer cells.
Medical chip for blood-tests. Israel’s Tower
Semiconductor has developed a microfluidics Bio/CMOS chip for molecular in
vitro diagnostics. The device, which is intended for blood test analyses, was
developed in Tower’s partnership with Chinese biotech Axbio and is planned to
go into production in mid-2019.
AI to diagnose Pulmonary Embolism. I
reported previously (see here) on Israel’s Aidoc and its Artificially Intelligent image software
that can help doctors diagnose brain bleeds. Aidoc has just released its
CE-marked product to identify and triage pulmonary embolism (PE) responsible for
100,000 deaths annually in the USA.
Patch for acute pain. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Teva has just launched a generic version of Flector Patch
(diclofenac epolamine) in the United States. The patch treats topical treatment
of acute pain due to minor strains, sprains and contusions. https://www.tevagenerics.com/product/diclofenac-epolamine-topical-patch-1-3
World’s 10th best hospital. "Newsweek"
has ranked Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer near Tel Aviv as one of the
world's top ten hospitals. “Newsweek” says the hospital is, "a leader in
medical science and biotechnical innovation, both in the Middle East and
worldwide.”
Two National Autism centers. I reported
previously (Aug 2015) that the Hebrew University and Hadassah were establishing the first
interdisciplinary university-based autism center in the Middle East. Now Ben
Gurion University has upgraded its autism database (see here) and opened a National Autism Research Center.
Israeli AI in Indian hospitals. The India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation
Fund (I4F) has given $4.3 million to Israel's Zebra Medical to deploy its
Artificially Intelligent screening system across India. Zebra’s AI medical imaging
technology can early-diagnose some of the 3.6 million new TB patients every
year.
United Hatzalah opens in Colombia. Israeli
Emergency Medical Service United Hatzalah has just opened a new chapter in Colombia
– its fifth country outside of its Israeli base. UH aims to reduce emergency response
times in Colombia down from 45 minutes to just three. UH operates in the US, Panama, Ukraine and
Brazil.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
World Down Syndrome Day. 21st March is World Down Syndrome Day and
coincided with Purim this year. Israel together
with Singapore initiated World Down Syndrome Day in 2006 (see here). Israel’s Yated Association provides parents with reliable
information about raising children with DS. Please donate if you can.
Help for siblings of children with disabilities. Israel has many charities helping children with disabilities.
However, only one - "Siblings in the Field" – supports siblings of
those children, who might not get as much attention because parents’ focus is
elsewhere. It currently helps kids aged 9
to 10 in the city of Modi’in.
Teaching Hebrew to asylum seekers. (TY
Josie) Josie taught Hebrew to migrants to Israel from Eritrea and Sudan between
Sept 2018 and Jan 2019. Here is an
account of her experiences.
Israel is feeding the world. (TY Hazel) Israel
has over than 300 food-tech and agro-tech startups. Many of them presented at the
Israel Export Institute’s “Rethinking Food” conference in Tel Aviv. Subjects
discussed included eliminating waste, packaging, global partnerships, vegan food
and international markets.
US to follow Israeli model for army “specials”. The IDF’s Special
in Uniform program integrates young people with autism and other disabilities
into the Israel Defense Forces and, in turn, into Israeli society. US Ambassador
to Israel David Friedman said that the US wants to implement a similar model in
the US army.
Global State Comptrollers meet in Jerusalem. (TY Sharon) Israeli President Reuven Rivlin met with a delegation of 21 State
Comptrollers, representing 42 countries in Europe and Asia. They were in Israel
attending Israel’s State Comptroller’s conference on global issues and best
practices in state auditing.
Aid to Mozambique. Israeli
humanitarian NGO IsraAID has dispatched an emergency response team to
Mozambique, to help victims of the cyclone that devastated the country. IsraAID
will distribute relief supplies, deliver psychological first aid and restore
access to safe drinking water to affected communities.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Beresheet goes into maximum Earth orbit.
On 19th March, the engines of Israel’s Beresheet spacecraft fired it into a
405.000 km maximum Earth orbit which will take it to within range of the
Moon. Next event hopefully will be lunar
capture on or around 4th Apr for a moon landing on 11th / 12th Apr. (see also on
JPost)
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/israel/israeli-spacecraft-beresheet-completes-another-successful-maneuver/2019/03/19/ http://www.spaceil.com/mission/ http://live.spaceil.com/
Enhanced security at Ben Gurion airport.
(TY Janglo) Security improvements will reduce delays for tourists at Ben Gurion
Airport in time for Eurovision. Delegations can be pre-registered. Facial recognition
will speed up passengers with biometric passports. And machines will (initially)
ask “did you pack your own baggage?”.
Preventing railway crashes. Israel’s
RailVision has developed revolutionary technology that prevents accidents involving
trains by ensuring they have an adequate stopping time. RailVision’s thermal
sensor can identify hazards up to two miles away. RailVision has just raised
$10 million.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3757764,00.html https://www.railvision.io/about-us/
Traffic lights for smartphone users. (TY
Janglo) Tel Aviv is testing new “zombie” traffic lights, designed to alert
pedestrians too absorbed on their smartphone to look up at the signals. Bright
LED light strips set into the sidewalks at one Tel Aviv road junction will turn
red or green in sync with the traffic lights.
Technology to improve driving. I reported
previously (see here) on the vehicle cyber security systems from Israel’s ERM Advanced Telematics.
ERM has now launched eVoice for fleet managers to warn their drivers of safety
violations. eVoice will issue a real-time audio alert if a driver performs a
dangerous maneuver.
Enhancing AI applications. Israel’s Iguazio offers data management
services and tools designed to improve the performance, security, and
scalability of machine learning applications. Samsung SDS is funding Iguazio
and will incorporate its technology into Samsung’s cloud services portfolio. See
Iguazio on CNBC and BBC.
Protecting against hardware-based cyber-attacks. You’ve probably seen movies where someone walks into a company, plugs
a device into one of the computers and starts copying sensitive data. Not possible with protection from Israel’s
Sepio Systems. European energy giant EDP
just made a strategic investment in Sepio.
Improving access to Eurovision. Microsoft is to host a two-day “hackathon” in
Tel Aviv in April. 150 participants will attempt to tackle issues of accessibility
arising from the live broadcast of the Eurovision Song contest and maximize
viewer experience. Israeli is hosting the 2019 Eurovision from 14th to 18th May.
A drone that can pick fruit. Israel’s Tevel Aerobotics has developed an autonomous drone equipped
with a mechanical claw that can pick fruit or prune trees. It uses artificial
intelligence to detect fruit quality and ripeness. The prototype is for apples and
oranges but is being expanded to other fruits and to function at night.
Autonomous crop management. (TY Atid-EDI & Nevet) I reported previously (Aug 2016) on Israel’s Prospera and its AI systems to help farmers better
monitor their crops. Prospera is now
partnering with US Valmont Industries (part of Valley Irrigation) to provide
growers with autonomous crop management solutions.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2019/03/19/how-to-transform-60000-irrigation-pivots-into-autonomous-growing-machines/#1b5da159721d https://www.valley-prospera.com/#Valley-irrigation
Plant research for a healthier planet. Scientists
at Israel’s Weizmann Institute are improving global food security e.g. by figuring
out how plants can better resist drought and provide higher-quality nutrition. They
have also devised a method of killing a parasitic weed that was destroying corn
crops in sub-Saharan Africa.
Preserve those photos. (TY Atid/EDI) Israel’s Photomyne won the Top 100 award at the Red Herring Top
100 Europe conference. Photomyne aims to
use its photo scanning app, with Machine Learning / AI technology, to produce the
largest indexed photo collection of the pre-digital era. https://photomyne.com/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Global demand for Israeli startups. (TY Janglo)
Investors have been keen to back Israeli startups in Feb. Here is a summary of
the top financing deals worth a total of $445 million in one month for just 11
Israeli companies. Also, see Ambassador Yoram Ettinger’s article “Growing
global interest in Israel’s high-tech”.
Turkish Airlines to connect Tel Aviv and
Izmir. Turkey’s President Erdogan may not like
Israel, but his national airline wants Israeli customers. Turkish Airlines is
launching a new four-flights-per-week service between Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International
and Izmir’s Adnan Menderes airport, commencing 29th May.
Jerusalem
Expo. The
“Jerusalem Expo and Conference,” hosted by the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of
Commerce – Israel Division, will take place on 15th May. It is aimed at Israeli
residents from North America, Europe, South Africa and other English-speaking
countries who want to manage their businesses from Israel.
Elbit’s $3.68 billion
revenue. Total
2018 earnings for Israeli hi-tech giant Elbit were a massive $3.68 billion - 9%
higher than in 2017. Elbit also revealed that it has $9.4 billion worth of
orders in the pipeline.
OurCrowd has raised $1 billion. Global investment platform and Israel’s leading venture investor,
OurCrowd has raised a total of $1 billion for 170 companies and 18 funds in its
six years of existence. The OurCrowd network consists of 30,000 registered
investors from over 150 countries. See
also highlights from its summit.
https://blog.ourcrowd.com/sixyears/
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3757841,00.html
Warren
Buffet’s company partners Israeli startup. , A subsidiary of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire
Hathaway, Guard Insurance, has partnered with Israeli startup Planck Resolution
to develop a full digital underwriting offering. Planck develops software that
helps insurance companies analyze and risk-assess businesses.
SAP launches Tel Aviv accelerator. I’ve reported previously (see here) on the close ties
that German software giant SAP has with the Jewish State. SAP has now announced
its first Israeli accelerator in Tel Aviv. SAP.IO Foundry will support up to 10
early stage Israeli business-to-business (B2B) startups.
BMW to
open Israel Tech Center. (TY Atid-EDI)
I reported previously (see here) on
the links that German carmaker BMW has with Israel. Now, BMW is opening a Tel
Aviv tech center to tap into the talent in Israel's startup scene. It will also
set up joint research projects with Israeli universities,
Keeping Italian police from danger. I reported previously (see
here) on Israel’s Roboteam and its tactical robots. Roboteam has just won a
$10 million order to supply 40 TIGR ground robotic systems to Italy’s Carabinieri
(police). They are designed to handle suspicious packages and hazardous materials.
How to get VAT refunded. Itai Green writes how
Israeli startups can save tourists and businesses a fortune. I reported
previously (10th
Feb) that Israel’s Refundit won the UN’s World Tourism Organization
competition. Here is how Refundit could return VAT charges of up to 23 billion
Euros to the pockets of tourists.
How businesses reclaim VAT on expenses. There are also at least two Israeli solutions for companies who get
lost in the nightmare of extracting the VAT they are entitled to on business expenses.
VATBox is one automated solution for VAT recovery. Alternatively use Israel’s
Way2VAT and its Artificial Intelligence.
Kibbutzim
to share electric cars. Meshek Energy, an agricultural cooperative society owned by Israeli kibbutzim,
has acquired dozens of electric cars. They will be stationed in several dozen
kibbutzim and will be used as shared vehicles. Meshek Energy will set up and
operate car charging stations at various kibbutzim.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Happy
Purim. The fancy dress outfits for the Purim festival
in Israel keep getting more sophisticated every year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do79YEYcwJs
Jerusalem marathon’s 40,000 runners. (TY Sharon
& Jacques)
The annual Jerusalem Marathon attracted a record 40,000 participants including
some 4,600 from 80 countries. The route passed the Old City walls, Sultan’s
Pool, Mount Zion, the German Colony, Ammunition Hill, Mount Scopus and the Mount
of Olives.
Gold Judokas in Russia. Israeli judokas won two gold medals and a bronze at the Grand Slam
in Ekaterinburg, Russia. Gili Cohen won the women’s under-52kg category. Meanwhile,
Sagi Muki won the men’s under-81kg category, beating former world champion
Nagase Takanori of Japan. Overall, Israel
finished second to Russia.
Special winners in Abu
Dhabi. Israel’s
25-member team won 22 medals at the 2019 Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi. They
won 4 Gold medals: in the women’s
100-meter individual medley; women’s 25-meter backstroke, men’s 1,500-meter
Open Water Swimming and doubles bowling (Unified) competition
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Sports/Israeli-Special-Olympics-athletes-return-home-from-Dubai-with-22-medal-haul-584220
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fe1XV1QnMI
THE JEWISH STATE
National Cleanup Day. (TY Janglo)
Israel’s National Cleanup Day promotes the importance of protecting Israel’s environment.
This year, the Ministries of Education and Environmental Protection are providing
NIS 13 million to fund activities and trips for around 1,200 schools that will participate
on 2nd April.
Pro-Israel
blogger conference. Israel’s Strategic Affairs Ministry has organized #DigiTell, bringing 100
global pro-Israel bloggers and social network managers to Jerusalem. Senior director
Ido Daniel said “We are opening our doors to the influencers and social media
activists for Israel who are fighting our fight every day.
Highway
through history.
(TY IsraPundit)
I reported previously (see
here) on excavations that have revealed a 3000-year-old Biblical city from
King David’s Kingdom, near the modern Israeli city of Beit Shemesh. This article gives more details of the
discoveries and how the site will be preserved alongside a new highway.
More discoveries. Latest archaeological excavations in Israel
have revealed a wine press and mosaic floor from the Talmudic period. And in
Jerusalem, pottery was found from the time that the Persians ruled Judea – which
was when the Purim story took place. https://www.jewishpress.com/news/archaeology-news/winepress-mosaic-floor-from-talmudic-period-discovered-in-korazim-national-park/2019/03/18/
US Secretary
of State visits Kotel. (TY WIN)
Mike Pompeo was the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit the Western Wall
(Kotel) in Jerusalem. Accompanied by Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman,
Secretary Pompeo placed a note in between the ancient stones.
Supermoon
on Purim. On 20th
March, Israel’s Beresheet spacecraft blasted into its maximum orbit around the
Earth. It coincided with the Spring Equinox, a Supermoon (full Moon close to the
Earth) and of course, Purim!
