101226
Doctors at an Israeli hospital are the first to use the iPAD and a new computer system to study patient’s X-rays, ultrasounds and CT scans from any location.
Israeli medical research company BioCancell reported successful pre-clinical trials of its BC-821 drug for treatment of brain cancer.
The opportunities presented by offshore energy production promise to provide Israel with a foundation for unprecedented achievements.
CentraSight™ - a tiny telescope implant developed in Israel improves vision in 75% of patients with end-stage Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). One of many Israeli innovations published in this month’s Popular Science Magazine.
Did you read this article on Israel’s amazing systems for airport security in The Mail On-line last week?
With fewer fish in the sea with each passing year, Israel's Grow Fish Anywhere has found a way to grow them in the desert.
Researchers at Tel Aviv University can hunt down illegal copies of movies by using what they call the original film’s “genetic code.”
Hebrew University of Jerusalem scientists have made a breakthrough in DNA forensic techniques by identifying a single suspect even where the DNA is mixed with the DNA of others.
Israel has passed the acceptance stage for membership of the Centre of European Nuclear Research particle accelerator project (CERN).
Israeli online translation company Babylon Ltd has extended its business with Google, worth nearly £10m in the last 2 years. Babylon’s software is used on over 80 million desktop computers in over 200 countries.
Israel and the Palestinian Authority are working together on a project to clean up sewage in Jordan Valley.
Interesting photo - Check it quickly before Yahoo or Associated Press changes the caption.
PeerTV is the first Israeli company to launch onto the UK stock market for 3 years.
Israeli construction company Solel Boneh has signed a $50 million road repair contract with the Tanzania government. See also website listing huge number of international projects completed over the last 10 years.
Tel Aviv high-tech firm Waves Audio has won the most prestigious prize in the worldwide music industry - the Grammy award for technological achievements and contribution to the field of music.
Israeli art breaks sales records at Sotheby’s New York auction.
Facts published this week revealed that over 10,000 Israelis volunteered to help victims of the Carmel fires.
From Venezuela to Israel: The amazing tale of Mauricio Glucksman. Kidnapped at age eight; witnessed a mass murder when nine. Now he has decided to make Aliyah.
They may not have won any medals at the World Championships in Dubai, but the first appearance of an Israeli swimming team in an Arab country resulted in ten new Israeli records plus reaching one final and four semis.
An historical first - Israel submitted a resolution to the UN that was passed unanimously! Don’t get too excited, as it was to strengthen efforts to curb the trade in “blood” diamonds that finance conflicts in Africa.
101219
Trials of a unique Israeli-made contact-free patient monitoring system have already shown it to save lives, shorten hospital stays, and save money for patient-care facilities.
Israeli eye surgeons visited the Maldives to perform free operations for citizens of the islands where non-Islamic worship is banned. Despite protests, the President thanked the doctors for their humanitarian work.
Two teenagers from Jerusalem’s Torah & Science Yeshiva High School have won the Stockholm Junior Water prize for their invention of a low-cost, real-time system to detect and stop water leaks.
According to IT Security experts, the Stuxnet virus has set back Iran’s nuclear programme by two years. (Of course this may have nothing to do with Israel!).
A Brooklyn Orthodox millionaire donated $13 million directly to the Israeli government to support efforts to repair damage caused by last week’s fire in the Carmel.
Despite the dreadful fire in the Carmel forests, the JNF and the Jerusalem municipality is continuing its annual distribution of free Christmas trees to Christians in Jerusalem.
Do you love your Kindle? The technology for Amazon’s popular e-book was developed in Herzlia, Israel.
Barclays Bank is enthusiastic about Israel’s new energy sector and is recommending investment to customers.
Burberry has opened a flagship store in Tel Aviv.
Get Taxi - a new Israeli application - seeks to make the taxi ride a more pleasant experience by making it possible to order the cab, choose the driver, know what kind of vehicle will pick you up, and how clean it is.
Israeli businessman Eli Papouchado’s hotel, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge has been awarded the Interior Design of the Year accolade for Bedrooms and Bathrooms at the annual European Hotel Design Awards.
Rock legends Deep Purple and Bon Jovi are to visit Israel next year.
Israeli star musician Idan Rachel will perform at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3991533,00.html
Israeli metal band Orphaned Land is popular in the Arab world, and was featured on the cover of an Iranian music magazine.
The latest Arab footballer to join Beitar Ariel’s football team is promoting the city and condemns any boycott.
Israeli actress Sarai Givaty has landed a major role in the new season of NCIS
The recent storms caused much damage, but a cliff collapse in Ashkelon unearthed a 2000 year-old statue.
No room at the Inn? Almost! Bethlehem has seen a record number of tourists this year and its thousands of hotel rooms are fully booked for Christmas week, thanks to steadily declining violence in Judea & Samaria.
101212
Israeli leaders praised the nations that sent teams of international fire-fighters to help extinguish Carmel’s forest fires. The Prime Minister used the bible to describe them as “swifter than eagles and bolder than lions”.
In a miracle of good timing, the new Haifa tunnels opened to traffic just two days prior to the start of the Carmel fires, allowing emergency services to traverse Haifa in 8 minutes instead of the previous 45 minutes.
Now that the Carmel fires have been extinguished, Israel returns to normality, providing aid to other countries.
Colombia floods & mudslides - http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/today/10/12/1202.htm
Albania floods - http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3997018,00.html
The first heavy rains of the year have finally arrived in Israel. The level of the Kinneret rose 2cm during the first three days of the storms (up to 12th December). To follow future progress, please use the following site:-
During the raging storms a Moldovian ship sank off Ashdod. Israeli troops rescued its Ukrainian sailors.
A Tel Aviv woman, with shrapnel in the brain from a 2002 terror attack, is the new mother of a baby girl.
A Zichron Ya’acov woman survived 107 blood transfusions to give birth to healthy premature twins.
Rehovot surgeons saved the life of an Arab construction worker who was impaled for 4 hours on a metal rod.
Research in Africa proves Hebrew University’s new and simple method is effective in eradicating Malaria.
In his first foray into Israeli medical science, Michael received his new Israeli organ donor card.
An Israeli professor has made a revolutionary breakthrough to design a new generation of spectacles. The single lens will allow the whole eye to see both near and far, whatever the deficiency of the wearer. And he has even greater imaging applications in the pipeline. For example, an optical device to improve hearing!
Two Israeli companies are winners of General Electric's Ecomagination Challenge to develop ideas for better power grid and global energy transformation.
The Galilee will be hosting its first annual international ornithological festival on Dec 16th.
Companies from Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Georgia have all responded to the request for tender to build a rail link between Tel Aviv and Eilat. The 217-mile journey will take less than 2.5 hours.
More Wikileaks highlights:
- King Abdullah of Jordan said of Iran “May God prevent us from falling victim to their evil”
- Saudi Arabia proposed plan to destroy Hizbullah
- Prominent Saudis provide the main funding for Sunni terrorists
101205
It’s difficult to report good news when nearly 50% of the Carmel forest has been burnt to the ground. However,
Israel received vital assistance from Bulgaria, Russia, Britain, Cyprus, Switzerland, Romania, Italy, France, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Jordan, plus the Palestinian Authority. USA’s 747 super-tanker started operating Sunday. In a unique operation, Greek and Turkish pilots flew consecutive sorties to extinguish the flames.
Check this unusual website http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/12/20101257932329256.html
Please read this moving account of the activities of the Israeli police delegation in Haiti.
Israel's Itamar Medical has developed a breakthrough device to diagnose sleep apnea, plus a new test for detecting the early onset of arteriosclerosis and heart disease.
An Israeli math professor is receiving international recognition for her VisualMath educational program and Math4mobile system that have students significantly outperforming their peers.
Israel Defence Force and University scientists are testing the use of electricity to stop bleeding from wounds.
Scientists from the UK and Israel are to work together on ten energy conservation and environmental projects, under the Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX).
40,000 cranes are currently resting in the Hula valley during their annual migration to warmer climes. Two tons of corn seed are provided for them each day, in order to protect local farmers’ crops.
Israel and the Philippines signed their first ever agreement to help promote trade between the two countries
Google Earth reveals a giant Star of David on the roof of the Iranian Air HQ in Teheran.
Some juicy Wikileaks highlights:
- Pakistan passed terror intelligence to Israel
- Saudi Arabia requested USA to attack Iran and to “Cut off the head of the snake”
- Egypt, Jordan, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and UAE also called for military action against Iran
- Turkish PM Erdogan has several Swiss bank accounts
- Israel has strong trade with Iraq via unpublicised links through Jordan
- Lebanon Defence minister offered advice to Israel in 2008 on how to defeat Hezbollah
- The Red Crescent smuggled weapons for Iran
Key anti-Israeli UN official resigns from Israel-bashing committee following public pressure.
A global trade union has voted for bridges rather than boycotts in order to achieve peace.
The BBC World Service has been focussing recently on Ghana but appears to be completely bemused as to how it has improved its water supply, agriculture, health and education and thus reduced poverty levels so dramatically. The following sites (from 2006, 2008 & 2009) may provide an insight into some of the reasons.
Quote by a Sudanese official in the Palestinian press “Where is the siege? I don't see it in Gaza. I wish Sudan's residents could live under the conditions of the Gazan siege." (Oxfam, Amnesty and the rest of the 21 Israel-bashing NGOs probably got lost and wrote their recent usual biased report on the wrong place.)
101128
The Israeli clinic in Haiti has been established as a major cholera treatment facility and was praised by the UN.
Blood test developer RapiDx has received authorization of successful registration of its Rapid Ring device with the US Food and Drug Administration.
Further potential natural gas deposits have been discovered off the Israeli coast. Separately, economic analysis of the Meged oil reserve has estimated that the field potentially contains more than 1 billion barrels of oil. Meanwhile, Israel Corp is preparing its power plants to receive the new fuel – and sell any surplus to Egypt!
Israeli physicists find way to predict serious earthquakes after discovering that basic assumptions about quakes are wrong and suggest a new way to replicate how real ones develop.
German president praised Israeli scientific cooperation during his visit to the Hebrew University campus where dozens of projects are being carried out together with research institutions in Germany.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt has invested $1m in Israeli mobile application start-up Any.Do Ltd whose technology analyzes users' intentions to help them carry out daily tasks in real time over their mobile telephones
Elbit Systems will shortly supply a new battlefield simulator to the Royal Dutch Army in a $10 million contract
Israel Aerospace Industries profits rose 62% in the third quarter this year and it now has $9 billion of orders.
Israel’s “Ramzor” (Traffic Light) was rated the best comedy TV production at the International Emmy Awards in New York.
Hapoel Tel Aviv claimed a first Champions League victory in club history on Wednesday night, defeating Benfica 3-0 at Bloomfield Stadium.
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv is now firmly established at the top of the European Basketball Super League following an emphatic 81-70 win over Caja Laboral Vitoria.
A groundbreaking exhibition of selected paintings by 120 Israeli and Palestinian children took place last week in the foyer of the Allsaraya Arabic-Hebrew theatre in Jaffa.
A mysterious belly dancer from Israel has become a recent sensation in the West Bank.
Israeli checkpoint prevents attack on Tel Aviv. Soldiers found a machine gun, ammunition, pipe bombs and other military gear in a Palestinian vehicle trying to enter Israel.
Over the past year, 180,000 Arabs from the Palestinian-controlled territories were treated at Israeli hospitals.
Meanwhile, Gaza terrorists fire phosphorous shells into Israel. No response from the UN – surprise, surprise.
101121
The secretary-general of the OECD stated that the members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development are interested in learning from Israel and sharing information regarding fast economic growth, economic stability and low unemployment.
An Israeli start-up MCS Medical has developed a device that it claims can prevent blood clots so effectively it can replace blood thinner medication.
Israel's BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics will begin clinical trials of its stem cell treatment for the neurological disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) after receiving clearance from Israel's Ministry of Health.
A new plastic from Israel disables micro-organisms. Initially for acne treatment but potentially can keep milk from spoiling, make juice boxes bacteria-free, and reduce infections associated with hospital catheters.
Epidural injections have long been used to relieve the pain of childbirth, but now Israeli pediatric anesthesiologists have declared them safe and effective for children and even babies to relieve pain from burns, fractures, trauma from road accidents, cancer in the lower limbs, or painful surgery.
A new website launched by former IDF soldiers aims to connect discharged Israeli combat troops with the general population. Visitors can ask a soldier of their choice any question regardless of how controversial.
Israeli start-up PrimeSense developed the 3D motion-sensing camera at the heart of Microsoft’s Kinect hands-free gaming device. One million Kinects were sold in just 10 days after this month’s launch.
Scientists will get evidence of 500,000 years of climate change from drilling under the Dead Sea.
Tel Aviv University scientists are able to scan the composition of archaeological finds without damaging them.
The taste buds of the tea drinking UK have been won over by tea infusions, produced right here in Israel. Galilee herb and spice farm Spicy Way sells tons of tea infusions in 23 UK stores.
A new Education Ministry program will have secular and religious high school students studying together for the civics matriculation exam and working on their final papers together, directed by teachers from both sectors.
Israeli documentary "Precious Life" has been short-listed for an Academy award. It tells the story of a baby from Gaza who suffers from a life-threatening genetic disorder, being treated in an Israeli hospital.
The Israeli football team beat Iceland and two Israeli basketball teams won their opening Eurocup games.
Beit Shemesh women raise money for special-needs children at an unprecedented religious fashion show.
An electric appliance chain store in Tiberias offered customers a special deal in honour of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha – A free sheep!
Finally, the new policy on carrying organ donor cards is anticipated to increase the number of Israeli donors massively and could save the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israelis of all religions.
Israelis can register at the following site http://www.kartisadi.org/ (English shortly, or use Google Translate)
101114
After Hurricane Thomas hit the beleaguered population of Haiti, Israeli group IsraAid gave assistance to refugees overwhelmed by flooding and mud slides.
After surgery on his hand, and a new ‘cool’ prosthetic leg, earthquake victim George Exanesuis headed home to Port au Prince.
The Israel National Nanotechnology Initiative is opening its second NanoIsrael Conference and Exhibition at the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv on Monday. Since nanotechnology was declared an Israeli national priority project, 389 cooperation agreements have been established with local and foreign industry.
Israeli nano-technology student presented to his girlfriend the world’s smallest marriage proposal – printed on a one-square centimetre gold-coated silicone chip.
Israel-based mobile chip technology company, Ceva, said on Monday that Intel had licensed its Ceva-XC communication digital signal processor (DSP). Ceva's DSP has been installed in over 100 million devices.
Israeli innovations contributed $2.4 billion in direct revenue last year to the Massachusetts economy. It also generated nearly 6,000 jobs.
Three Israeli Nobel Prize laureates are scheduled to take part in a conference in Beijing this month to present Israel's top achievements in the field of Chemistry.
An Israeli doctor directing a Health Centre at McGill University in Montreal may have stumbled onto a natural, dietary approach to pain-prevention. The soya bean!
An Israeli program that identifies emotional states through voice analysis may transform the worlds of sales and medical diagnosis.
Israeli scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz completed his monumental translation and commentary of the Babylonian Talmud. His 45-volume work makes the Jewish text far more accessible.
Last month 404,000 tourists visited Israel - an all-time record for October.
91 year-old Hans De Leeuw celebrated his barmitzvah at the Wailing Wall – 78 years late!
Israeli women’s tennis star Shahar Pe’er achieved a world ranking of 13 in 2010 – her best position ever. She won over $1.2m of prize money in 2010 and reached the last 16 in two Grand Slam competitions
The steadily rising profile of Israeli wines reached a global crescendo last month when Carmel Winery garnered the 2010 Decanter World Wine Awards trophy.
The Military Rabbinate unveiled a line of electronic devices enabling observant soldiers to perform various duties they are required to do on Shabbat. Among the new developments: Touch screens, light-bulbs, flashlights, water-coolers etc.
Egyptian journalist and political analyst Nabil Sharaf Eldin urged fellow Arabs to visit Israel. “Failing to find a glimpse of hope across the greater Arab world, we must concede that Israel has become the only "safe haven" where one can be sure of his life and dignity.”
Finally, some humorous statements by Efraim Kishon:-
Israel is the only country in the world where patients visiting physicians end up giving the doctor advice.
Israel is the only country in the world where no one has a foreign accent because everyone has a foreign accent.
Israel is the only country in the world where bank robbers kiss the mezuzah as they leave with their loot.
101107
The UN ranked Israel 15th out of 169 countries in its annual assessment of health, education and income.
Travel guide company Lonely Planet released its Top 10 Cities for 2011 on Sunday, listing Tel Aviv at No. 3.
38 Nobel peace prize laureates have signed a declaration condemning international attempts to boycott Israeli academic institutions and research centres. Their statements included "Academic and cultural boycotts, divestments and sanctions are antithetical to principles of academic and scientific freedom."
Jerusalem’s Old City was lit up in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Some 5,000 Israelis - Jews, Christians and Muslims ran the 5km “Race for the Cure” from Sacher Park to the Old City
Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva (the world’s largest generic drug manufacturer) reported a 20% rise in third quarter net sales to $4.25 billion. Net profits increased by 47% to $1.1b, surpassing analyst expectations.
US giant General Electric has bought the Israeli medical imaging company Orbotech Medical Systems for nine million dollars in cash. Orbotech develops and manufactures solid-state gamma radiation detector modules.
Israeli satellite company Orbit won a NIS 2.6 million order from the US Navy for telemetry tracking systems.
An Israeli start-up 3DTV based in Ranaana, has found a way to customize a commercial LCD TV by adding its own layer of optics to create a three-dimensional experience (without the need for special glasses).
The 2010 Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award in the area of physical security will be awarded to the Israel-based BriefCam Company for its innovative solution to quick review images from security cameras.
Israel and Britain signed a cooperation agreement in the field of cinema on Wednesday after 10 years of intense negotiations. According to the agreement, Israel will become a favourite filming location for British films while production companies will get financial incentives and tax benefits from Israel to shoot in the country
A year since its dedication, the Therapeutic Music Garden at Aleh Negev-Nahalat Eran has proven to be a huge success and has earned ringing endorsements from the disabled people who make use of it every day.
Raised as a Catholic, converting to Judaism and making aliya, Brazilian-born violist Myrna Herzog enthrals Israeli audiences with the sounds of early music.
Please sign the Magen David Adom UK petition urging the International Red Cross to visit Gilad Shalit.
Don’t forget to check http://www.gnisrael.org.il/ for further uplifting stories.
101031
New website with many items of good news in addition to those highlighted below. Enjoy!
Israel has sent another aid team to Haiti in the wake of the cholera outbreak that has killed over 200 people.
Two Israelis receive prestigious the US 2010 National Medal of Science. Yakir Aharonov’s quantum physics work includes the Aharonov-Bohm effect. Amnon Yariv’s contributions to photonics and quantum electronics have profoundly impacted lightwave communications and the field of optics.
Scientists from the Haifa Technion have announced a new source of blood-derived biomarkers that can assist the early diagnosis and monitor progress of the treatment of cancer patients.
Work has commenced in Haifa to build the world’s largest underground hospital.
Leading businessman and philanthropist Warren Buffett tells conference “If you’re going to the Middle East to look for oil, you can skip Israel. If you’re looking for brains, look no further.
Israeli high-tech companies raised $918 million of venture capital in January to September, up 8% on 2009.
Korean steel giant has signed a Research & Development agreement with the Israeli government.
A product from Israeli start-up Wise Environment deflects cell phone radiation from your body and claims to reduce electromagnetic exposure for iPhone users by 98 percent.
Haifa Technion researchers have achieved a breakthrough in creating biological energy. By manipulating the photosynthesis process, they have successfully produced electricity from plants.
Israelis, including researchers from the Haifa Technion, have developed a system to weigh trucks in motion. It is a spin-off from the Israeli technology that generates electricity directly from vehicles moving over roads.
Just released – news from 1953 telling of the role that Cuban pilots had in bringing to Israel nearly 150,000 of the 750,000 Jews who fled from Arab countries.
Two-way merchandise trade between Israel and Canada has more than doubled to $1.3 billion since the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement in 1997 between the two countries.
Israel is currently hosting European business leaders and senior trade and industry representatives from 40 countries. The Israel Industry Centre for Research and Development, will provide European industries with unprecedented exposure to Israeli ideas, technology, knowledge and entrepreneurship.
Strauss Water Group has signed a partnership agreement with the Chinese Haier Electronics Group to produce and market home water filters.
Following success in Tokyo, Israel’s electric car company Better Place is expanding its market for electric taxis to include San Francisco, Denmark and Australia. (See also “Start-up Nation” by Saul Singer and Dan Senor.)
Israel is currently hosting the International Homeland Security Conference, showcasing products including a Code Recognition system from an Israeli company that controls half of the international market.
The number of Arab volunteers to National Service in Israel has increased six-fold in the past five years to a current total of 1,473. Of the volunteers, 92% are young women.
There are 325 million Arabs in 22 Middle Eastern countries and other lands, but the first and so far only registry for potential unrelated Arab donors of bone marrow or stem cells – which have the ability to cure cancers and other serious disorders – is at Hadassah University Medical Centre in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem
In an amazing turnaround, a Cambridge University motion that “Israel is a rogue state” was defeated by 74% of the thousands of delegates present. Even pro-Palestinian supporters cheered Israel’s humanitarian activities.
It may be over the “green line” and boycotted by self-hating Israeli artists, but Ariel University is extremely popular with hundreds of Arabs students. Joana Moussa, a 20-year-old behavioral sciences student from Abu Snan, an Arab village in the Galilee region, said "there is no racism here."
Palestinian Authority forces locate missing Labrador and return dog to an Israeli teenager with special needs.
The Israeli Defence Force’s priority is protecting Israeli citizens, but it is also protecting the environment.
In an exciting new project to promote early education literacy, Sifriyat Pijama is sending 360,000 storybooks to children across Israel. Over 40,000 children across all religious affiliations will benefit.
Amazingly, Israel’s national rugby team claimed its 12th consecutive win, defeating Hungary 23-14 at the Wingate Institute in Netanya.
Finally, we are still optimistic that we will be able to see a performance of Porgy & Bess in Tel Aviv next month as the Cape Town Opera company has rejected Desmond Tutu’s call for it to boycott Israel.
101017
Israeli scientists discover mutant gene that causes brain retardation and some forms of epilepsy. Further research may lead to treatments and mechanisms to stop subsequent brain damage.
New York’s commissioner of Mental Health praises Israel’s programme for rehabilitating psychiatric patients in the community.
A three-year-old Iraqi child is lying in his hospital bed in Israel and smiling, after his life was saved thanks to heart surgery performed by Israeli doctors. The child's mother says “We love Israel”.
Nazareth woman receives her brother’s donor kidney by chance. Israel Transplant’s computer selects stroke victim’s sister based on purely suitability reasons.
Israeli entrepreneur Stef Wertheimer is to receive an award for his contribution to ethical business and industry at the 2010 Oslo Summit peace conference.
An Israeli scientist is working to develop a cost-effective self-sustaining nuclear reactor.
A substance that destroys cells infected with deadly HIV has been developed in Israel after a decade of cooperation between chemists and biologists.
An Israeli security device scans your shoes for weapons and explosives without you having to expose your smelly feet!
An Israeli start-up company sells software that saves companies up to 50% on printing costs. The associated reduced ink usage also provides significant environmental benefits.
Yahoo has purchased Israeli start-up Dapper for around $50m. Dapper developed technology for automatic identification of content on websites, allowing developers to build applications that match the content.
Israel’s Ethiopian Community kicks off annual Sigd Festival on the 25th Anniversary of Operation Moses. President Shimon Peres, who was prime minister during Operation Moses, said that he is overjoyed when he sees Ethiopian officers in the IDF.
The kibbutz movement celebrates 100 years since it was founded and has recently experienced an upsurge in popularity.
Hisham Abu Varia is the first Arab-Israeli IDF officer. 'You must give back to the country you live off,' he says
Greece and Israel carry out joint air force drills. Greek-Israeli relations have shown improvement in recent months.
One of today’s most prominent baroque violinists, Kati Debretzeni, returns to Israel to dazzle audiences with her breathtaking technique and deep-rooted musicality.
Great website featuring youtube videos showing Israeli achievements. See selections on right of the page.
101010
Thanks mainly to early detection, cancer deaths among Israelis fell in past decade by 10-15%.
As new superbugs become dangerously resistant to antibiotics, Israeli researchers have found a way to use the bugs' mechanics to knock them dead.
Israeli scientists have developed a revolutionary new nanostructure – derived fully from very simple organic elements, yet strong as steel.
Discovery by Hebrew University team of connection between bone density and fatty acids has led them to begin developing a drug they hope will better treat and even prevent osteoporosis.
IVF Nobel prize-winner Robert Edwards was an anti-Zionist British soldier in 1947 Palestine. He later became pro-Zionist and produced the embryo for Israel’s first test-tube baby in 1981.
Israel Aerospace Industries is set to unveil a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with ground-breaking technology. The Panther UAV combines the flight capabilities of an airplane with helicopter-like hovering, which enable a runway-free takeoff and landing on an unprepared area.
Israeli Broadband wireless systems developer Alvarion has signed a deal estimated at over $75m to help build Canada’s first nationwide 4G network.
Israeli solar power company BrightSource Energy this week received an unexpected endorsement from US President, Barack Obama. “It will turn sunlight into the energy that will power up to 140,000 homes - the largest such plant in the world. Not in China. Not in India. But in California," he said.
In its fifth acquisition in Israel, US Internet giant AOL is buying Israeli start-up 5min Media for an estimated $65 million. It's a platform for instructional videos in a variety of fields that enables people to share their knowledge by uploading videos lasting up to five minutes.
Surpassing his award last week by Global Finance magazine, Bank of Israel Governor Prof Stanley Fischer was this week named as Banker of the Year by the International Monitory Fund during the annual IMF convention.
In contrast to the current political dispute, Israel is sending a ship to Turkey with a cargo of zebras, lemurs, three elephants and a hippo. This shipment is part of a decades-long struggle to save Asian varieties of these animals from extinction.
Two scientists, one from Israel and one from Nablus in the Palestinian Authority are working together to improve water purification for the region and beyond.
Israeli Jews join Arabs to celebrate annual Oktoberfest beer festival in the Christian enclave of the Palestinian Arab village of Taybeh.
Muslim, Jewish, Arab, Israeli and now an IDF soldier. If you want to read a story about someone going through an identity crisis, then this is the one!
101003
New study shows that life expectancy of Jewish Israelis has increased significantly and is longer on average than in the OECD countries. Infant mortality of Israeli Arabs has improved even more dramatically and they now live noticeably longer on average than Americans. The lifespan of Jews and Arabs has increased by seven years since 1980.
A 60-year-old Israeli woman, Rahel Kusilevich, who underwent a heart transplant seventeen years ago, donated her lungs and corneas to others after she died on Sunday.
Governor of the Bank of Israel Prof. Stanley Fischer was named again as one of the world's top ten central bank chiefs in Global Finance magazine.
Two Israelis win European landscape architecture prize for the renovation of the Tel Aviv port.
Two Israeli teenagers were winners in a EU competition for young scientists held this past week in Lisbon, Portugal.
As the industry moves rapidly to revolutionary 4G mobile multimedia innovations, the Israeli company Altair Semiconductor is set to supply the heart of the system: The all-important chipset for the 4G mobile phone.
A new initiative by the Israel National Roads Company, announced Tuesday, aims to have solar-powered digital signs linked to GPS transmitters aboard buses, which notify passengers of the vehicle’s precise location.
Israel Tourism Ministry launches new iPhone application which will find user's location and let them receive fast and updated information on sites, tours and events going on in immediate area.
The annual Jerusalem Parade drew 100,000 people to the city centre.
7,000 Christians were in Israel to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Chinese Ambassador to Israel said last week: "You have created miracles for 62 years.” After 3 years in Israel, he has asked his supervisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing for another extension.
Heavy Metal star Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon touched down in Israel on Sunday, ahead of the "OzzFest" concert in Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park.
The Peres Center for Peace marked the International Day of Peace with events at the Peres Peace House on Jaffa beach. Hundreds of Israeli Jewish and Arab families, children and young people, as well as Palestinian families attended the events, which was open to the general public, free of charge.
An Israeli woman gave birth to a healthy baby boy by caesarean section within hours of a young couple being shot by Palestinian terrorists in an attack on the same road where 4 Israelis were murdered on Aug 31st. The new baby’s father said "This was not how I planned to bring a child into the world".
100926
Eight months after the Haiti earthquake, Israelis are still providing valuable on-site assistance to survivors. Recently, 14 police officers flew out; two even postponed their weddings so they could help.
Israeli doctors were first on the scene after a tragic blaze in a neonatal unit in a Romanian children's hospital killed four babies and severely injured seven others.
The Bank of Israel's composite state-of-the-economy index rose by 0.2 percent in August 2010. The rise, following those in previous months, shows that the increase in economic activity is continuing.
Unemployment in Israel is falling steadily; in the second quarter of 2010 unemployment fell sharply to 6.2% from 7% in the preceding quarter and down from 8% in the same period last year.
3M Corporation announced that they are acquiring Tel Aviv-based Attenti Holdings SA for $230 million in cash. The company develops and manufactures remote electronic tagging devices.
Israeli scientists have produced a nano-particle with many potential uses, from early diabetes detection to the generation of hydrogen from water. Under a microscope, the new molecule resembles a 'Star of David'.
Intel's new microprocessor, the “Sandy Bridge” was developed at its R&D Center in Haifa, Israel.
In a discovery with far-reaching implications for the developing world, Israeli researchers have created organic 'potato batteries' that can power lights, computers and more.
Jerusalem based company Intec Pharma reported that interim results of the clinical trial of its accordion Levodopa pill have found it to significantly reduce motor disturbances in patients with Parkinson's disease.
Israeli scientists at the Technion in Haifa found a novel way to eliminate lens glare distorting still photographs or video images.
International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) have donated $1 million to the Hadasa Ein Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem to help construct a new Trauma Surgical Intensive Care Unit.
In Jerusalem, a team of Israelis and Palestinians are putting aside their differences and teaming up on the sports field to chase a common goal.
Finally, the Gaza water park, so popular with affluent residents, was closed down by Hamas and then burned to the ground.
100919
Excellent new Web site launched to promote Israel’s image. Please check it out!
A new molecular-level (non-invasive) imaging technology from Israel can detect the earliest phase of diseases, such as cancer, in the cells themselves.
Haifa oncologist Amnon Amit spent 3 weeks saving lives and teaching surgery in North-Eastern China.
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon signed an agricultural cooperation agreement in Jerusalem with the governor of Heilongjiang province in northern China.
Some 280,000 tourists visited Israel in August 2010, an increase of seven percent over August last year, and an all-time record for the month. The Tourism Ministry says that since the beginning of 2010, 2.2 million tourists have visited Israel, 30 percent more than the same period last year.
Head teacher Karen Tal, her staff and volunteers have transformed a failing South Tel Aviv school and raised the matriculation rate from 28 percent to 70 percent, which is higher than the national average.
Colonel Richard Kemp (who served for 30 years in British Army) delivered lectures at Israel’s International Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Herzlia. Colonel Kemp defended Israel during its Gaza & flotilla operations.
A royal box built in approximately 15 BCE at King Herod's private theatre at Herodium, south of Jerusalem, has been fully unveiled in recent excavations at the archaeological site.
100912
A team of Israeli researchers has developed a new treatment, which destroys HIV-infected human cells without damaging healthy ones.
An Israeli antibacterial fabric may offer a solution to hospital-associated infections that cause or contribute each year to 99,000 deaths in the USA and 25,000 infection-related deaths in European hospitals.
Israeli professor, Varda Shoshan-Barmatz is one of only a few non-North Americans to win a grant from the Leukemia & Lymphona Society to develop antidotes for blood cancers.
A new sniff-sensing device designed in Israel may help the severely paralyzed to communicate, surf the Net and steer their wheelchairs.
At a recent four-day conference, Israel shared its medical innovations and post-disaster humanitarian aid experience, providing a common denominator for medical students from 25 different countries.
Israel’s bee populations are thriving and honey production rising thanks to a new flowering tree brought over from Australia.
Beginning with the 2010-2011 season, PeacePlayers International - Middle East will enter four integrated Jewish-Arab teams in the prestigious Israeli National Basketball League.
Israel's first NBA player, Omri Casspi, ran a basketball clinic for 100 Israeli and Palestinian children in the annual event of the Twinned Peace Basketball Schools project.
East Jerusalem Arab boy killed in crash gives life to 3 people including an 8 year old Jewish girl and a 7 year old Arab boy.
A 2,000-year-old cameo bearing the image of Cupid is among the newest finds from excavations at the City of David.
Lone Israel flag carrier at May anti-Israel demonstration has just made Aliya. Erad Daniel Pereg became famous on youtube when he proudly stood up to hundreds of abusive protestors.
Here is the original http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS-0F5VSQd8
Whilst Hamas tells the world that all Gazans are suffering, it's elite enjoy a riding club and a water park with chutes and slides. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/06/gaza-riding-club-faisal
Finally, news of a pre Jewish New Year present from our Gaza “friends”. A mortar shell fired from Gaza Strip hit a kibbutz school building just 30 minutes before final lessons prior to the holiday.
100829
A Newsweek study of health, education, economy, and politics ranks Israel 22nd out of 100 best countries to live in. In the second quarter of 2010, Israel’s economy grew more than the EC and the USA.
An Israeli entrepreneur Steve Stein has forged strong ties with Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country.
Researchers at Tel Aviv University have revealed the nature of “separated asteroids” – an understanding that could help the most powerful nations to find a way to divert these small minor planets orbiting around the sun from one day smashing into Earth.
Thirty-one thousand storks flew into Israel to rest in the Negev and around the Dead Sea on Tuesday, before heading to their winter homes in eastern Africa. At the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel’s suggestion, farmers in the Beit She’an area ploughed their fields to uncover the rodents that plague them. The rodents made a tasty dinner for the storks.
14 Israeli police officers are about to leave to join a multinational policing force in Haiti under the command of UN forces. The delegation will become the first Israeli contingent to serve on active duty under UN command.
Two ophthalmologists, from the Rambam hospital in Haifa, returned from a mission to Yaounde, capital of the Republic of Cameroon in Africa, where they restored vision to tens of patients, and instructed local medical teams performing the same procedures.
Two Israeli scientists were presented with the Alec Bangham Lifetime Achievement Award at the Liposome Research Days Conference in Vancouver, Canada. They demonstrated the mechanism by which a single compound in grapefruit controls fat and glucose metabolism, replacing multiple drugs.
Special heart-lung machine saves Beduin newborn. An Arab couple's first son is saved by sophisticated treatment, that included days of being connected to a $200,000 device at Sheba Medical Centre’s children’s hospital.
Researchers at Sheba Medical Centre have produced adult stem cells from a small amount of adipose (fat) tissue around the heart, to generate hormones that have the potential to repair damaged hearts.
Israeli Uri Gotlibovich is the proud owner of a chain of restaurants, in Hungary, called Humus Bar that has found a following among a people known for their love of goulash and pastries.
National Geographic recently named Tel Aviv the world’s 9th best beach city.
During the summer of 2010 a record 2.69 million travellers passed through Ben-Gurion Airport, representing a 4% increase over the summer of 2009.
Arab-Israeli Eco group (Friends of the Earth Middle East) has won the “Intercultural Dialogue for Ecological Sustainability” award. The group consisting of Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli environmentalists, seeks to advance “sustainable regional development and the creation of necessary conditions for lasting peace in our region”.
Three goals from Yossi Benayoun helped Israel to a 3-1 victory over Malta in a Euro 2012 qualifier on Thursday.
Former world title challenger Dmitriy Salita made a triumphant return to the ring on Wednesday night, pounding out an eight-round unanimous decision over Dominican Franklin Gonzalez.
(Lynette with Salita at Ben Gurion airport after his previous fight with Amir Khan)
100822
Israeli economic growth unexpectedly accelerated to an annualized 4.7 percent in the second quarter, its fastest pace in more than two years, as exports and consumer spending increased
The Bank of Israel's composite state-of-the-economy index rose by 0.2 percent in July 2010. The rise, following those in previous months, shows that the increase in economic activity is continuing.
Israel became the first non-European state to head the EUREKA Network, the leading industrial R&D initiative in Europe.
At the end of a two-day visit to Greece, Israeli PM Netanyahu - the highest ranking Israeli to visit the country - said the two nations were "opening a new chapter." Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou told a joint news conference with the Israeli leader on Monday that they were looking at expanding strategic ties.
40-year-old Hebrew University of Jerusalem mathematician Prof. Elon Lindenstrauss was awarded the 2010 Fields Medal - which is considered the "Nobel Prize" in the field. It was the first time an Israeli received the award, granted every four years since 1936 to the world’s leading mathematicians aged 40 and below
Israel aims to increase planned space platform sales to $8b annually. Israel is one of the few countries that can independently develop, manufacture and launch satellites. In the coming months, the country will launch the “Incline,” its first nano satellite, which will weigh a mere 12 kg.
Tel Aviv University researchers have tested the productiveness of innovative polymeric carriers designed to deliver medicines directly to cancer cells. The carriers took siRNA (a small interference RNA molecule gene-suppressant) through the cell walls and silenced target cancer genes, all without causing the poisonous symptoms associated with the usual cancer treatment.
The Israeli start-up company GixOO has launched a new application for the Facebook networking site called “Rounds” that enables free video calls at a click – with no need to install any program.
Israeli-trained doctors in South Africa perform circumcisions to prevent HIV infections.
Wishing the Muslim residents of the capital, across Israel and throughout the world a "Ramadan Kareem", Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat fired-off a cannon heralding the end of the day's fast at the ancient Salah al-Din cemetery in east Jerusalem on Wednesday evening.
100815
Israelis teach martial arts to the Chinese! Former elite IDF soldiers and Israeli martial arts experts are giving security training courses to employees of major Chinese companies operating in danger zones around the world http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3932307,00.html
NASA chief Charles Bolden met with Israel’s Science and Technology minister Daniel Hershkowitz in Washington. The US Space Agency is very interested in Israel’s ability to create light satellites and also hyper-spectral cameras.
Israel's Mellanox Technologies recently announced that its InfiniBand system is helping the University of Colorado at Boulder provide scientists with faster and more detailed climate modelling, as well as the means for emergency response teams to quickly react to dangerous weather phenomena. http://www.israel21c.org/201008128262/briefs/mellanox-supports-us-super-computer
A wonderful supermarket has opened in the West Bank, thrilling both Israeli and Arab shoppers. Palestinian families and Israeli "settlers" mingle in the aisles - one checkout cashier was a Jewish woman from Kiryat Arba of Moroccan descent; on the cash register next to her was a blue-eyed Muslim woman from Halul, and on another register was a member of the Bnei Menashe tribe from India.
The Ramallah construction boom is one of the most obvious signs of West Bank economic growth estimated at an annual rate of 8 percent.
Oil-eating Israeli bacteria for BP spill. A natural "bioremediation" technique developed by biologists at an Israeli university may hold the key to the final, difficult steps of the billion dollar oil spill cleanup in the wake of the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
Israeli technology clears landmines in Angola. Airborne sensors developed in Israel are helping to detect land mines in Angola, one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.
Their leaders may be in conflict with Israel but many Gazans choose to travel to Israeli hospitals for life saving treatments.
Celtic has a new Israeli Arab midfielder – Beram Kayal who has 14 caps for Israel: "What the television shows about Israel is totally different to what happens. The life between the Jews and the Arabs is very good. I'm an Arab and my agent is Jewish but we're like family. The Jews and the Arabs live together in Haifa, which is a mixed city. Maccabi Haifa has seven or eight Arab players and that's normal. The only difference is their religion, but there's no conflict." http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/celtic/celtic-s-new-israeli-midfielder-beram-kayal-will-find-similarities-between-glasgow-and-haifa-1.1045146
SALIM MANSUR: The ease with which I moved — alone and without restrictions — from the inner sanctum of the Muslim sanctuary to Judaism’s holiest site, embracing both, is a testimony to the openness of Israel as a Jewish state and democracy.
For really good news, the book “Start Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle” by Dan Senor and Saul Singer is (IMHO) a must-read! It describes how Israel has become a technological power-house and the producer of the highest number of Start-up companies outside of the USA. It is tremendously heart-warming and is the ultimate antidote to all negative images of Israel. See reviews at these links.
100718
Two weeks after the death of more than 200 people in an oil tanker explosion in Congo, Israeli doctors will be the first specialists sent to treat the dozens of burn victims who survived the blast.
Arab Israeli Dr. Hossam Haick is one of the world's leading scientists & has come up with the idea of detecting cancer via breath tests. "I was born here. I am tied to Israel. I also want to prove to others from the Arab community that nothing is impossible. You hear quite a few prejudices from Arab-Israelis, that Arabs cannot get ahead in Israeli academia. I wanted to prove that this is not true; to prove that if you are talented enough, you get to wherever you want.”
http://www.haaretz.com/magazine/week-s-end/the-israeli-scientist-who-is-sniffing-out-cancer-1.299656
Petach Tikva based ECI Telecom has won its largest ever contract, an $800 million deal with BT's Openreach to help bring a large-scale super-fast broadband network to Britain.
Rami Hariziat Hassan, a 20-year-old Palestinian shepherd was saved by Border Police officers after being bitten by a viper on Sunday night. His friend Raja Talam Va’ada said ‘Suddenly, a snake bit him on the foot. We rushed to a local checkpoint and asked the soldiers for help. They really helped us,’ adding ‘He nearly died. He wasn’t breathing.’ We want to thank everyone – the border policemen and the hospital doctors,’ Va’ada said. ‘Well done to everyone’. Before Hassan was released from the hospital, Border Police officers came to check on his condition and bring him candy (sweets).
Jerusalem came first & Tel Aviv third in a poll by American Express’s Travel magazine for the best cities to visit in Africa & the Middle East:
“Only in Israel!” Opera singers from the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, mingling with the crowd in the Friday morning Food Market at Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Centre, all at once started singing a much-loved chorus piece from Verdi’s Il Trovatore (Anvil Chorus).
Following details of their Roots gourmet restaurant and the new Olympic size swimming pool, Gaza has just opened a luxury shopping mall. (Not much evidence of a shortage of building materials.)
There are still many complaints though – especially from the tunnel smugglers.
Finally, here perhaps are some surprising (although not to Israelis) statistics. Infant mortality in Gaza is 17.7 per thousand whereas in Turkey it is 24.8. Life expectancy figures are also better in Gaza.
(But since when have facts ever been important?)
