This is courtesy of blogger and friend John Poris. News and information about the latest Good News from Israel.
Clear presentation of Israel defensible borders
The Jordan rift valley and mountain ridge dominating 70% of our population, Major cities, airport, control ofAir space, transportation arteries,
Israel is a small country surrounded by Arab countries 650 times in size. The global threat of jihad activity. Impossible to defend a narrow 9 miles waist-line. The uncertainty of Arab regimes future.
Curtsey of Col.(res) Asher Dar
Magic Wand – mid range defense system
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced that Magic Wand – mid-range anti-missile system – is to become operational sooner than expected. Magic Wand is set to become Iron Dome’s complementary defense system, and along with the Hetz and Patriot defense systems, to protect Israel in its entirety from the threat of missile attacks. The purpose is to be able to target all range missiles, as well as cruise-missiles and targets the Hetz Missile System opts to defer. The system will also give the military the option to change a missile’s course in mid-flight. See this live > http://quitenormal.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/idfs-new-magic-wand-anti-missile-system-entering-test-runs/
Jerusalem day – the heart of the Jewish people
Thousands of members of the 400 Moshavim (Agricultural communities) and agricultural schools from all over Israel, took part on Monday in the annual march to Jerusalem in honor of Jerusalem Day, which celebrates the anniversary of Jerusalem liberation and reunification by the IDF during the Six Day War 44 years ago. Another event in the capital on Wednesday was the traditional Rikudgalim – Flag Dance March – to wards the Old City. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/144620
Israeli innovations in Medicine, Healthcare:
Chinese want Israeli epilepsy drug
Chinese giant Jiangsu NHWA Pharmaceutical signed agreement with D Farm for its epilepsy drug DP-VPA to commercialize in China, Hong Kong and Macao.
http://www.dpharm.com/news.asp?year=2011&type=0&mode=1&id=122
HIV treatment by TEVA approved
US FDA approved the generic treatment for HIV made by TEVA. Since Teva is the first company to file an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with the FDA for generic ‘Combivir’ tablets, Teva will be eligible for 180 days of marketing exclusivity. Shipment is expected to commence during the fourth quarter 2011. Teva employs approximately 40,000 people around the world and reached $16.1 billion in net sales in 2010. Headquartered in Petach-Tikva, Teva is the world’s largest generic drug maker, with a global product portfolio of more than 1,450 molecules and a direct presence in about 60 countries. http://www.tevapharm.com/pr/2011/pr_1014.asp
Economy & infrastructure;
Solution for water shortage
The answer to Israel’s age-old problem of a lack of water appears one step closer to being solved with the announcement that financing has been secured for a $400 million desalination plant in Sorek in the center of the country. The plant, which will be built by SDL, slated for completion in 2013, will be one the world’s second largest plant of its kind, expected to produce 150 million cubic meters of water a year.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4075028,00.html
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Unemployment rate down to 6%
Another record is broken in the Israeli economy – an all time low unemployment rate. According to Central Bureau of Statistics figures, the unemployment rate in Israel has dropped since November 2010 by 0.4%, which is 12,000 fewer unemployed. In July 2009, the unemployment rate in Israel was still 7.7%, which is about 50,000 fewer unemployed than in February 2011. The Bank of Israel today raised its 2011 GDP growth forecast to 5.2% from 4.5%, and it lowered its unemployment rate forecast to 5.8% – an all-time low. The OECD forecast of 5.4%, announced earlier this week.
Solar Power Project Lights up Arava
On Sunday, June 5th; the first commercial solar panel field in the Middle East is set to light up the Arava at Kibutz Ketura 50 kilometers north of Eilat. The Arava Power Company starts 5-megawatt power source at Ketura will beconnected to the country’s national electricity grid. The solar panel field is comprised of 18,500 Suntech photovoltaic solar panels that produce a total of 9 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year. Arava Power Company plans to provide 10% of the country’s electricity with alliances throughout Israel’s southern region. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/144668
sport
Judo; Arik ZeEvie strikes Gold medal
. Moscow Grand Slam; Judoka Arik Ze’Evie won a second medal for Israel in Moscow’s Judo Grand Slam on Sunday, after Yarden Gerbi won a bronze medal on Saturday. Arik has already an Olympic medal and Tokio grans slam, now prepares to bring us another at London Olympics 2012.
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Rhythmic gymnastic; Neta Rivkin won the silver medal at Euro Championship
Neta Rivkin, 20, from Petach-Tikva performs with clubs during her final apparatus program at the 27th European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship in Minsk, Belarus, May 29, 2011. Rivkin won the second place.
Technology;
Israeli technology to build World Cup stadium
‘Ziggurat’ has signed an agreement with a Brazilian engineering company planning the stadium where the World Cup’s opening ceremony will be held in 2014. Ziggurat will supply the Brazilian company with a technological system for building the stadium. Ziggurat provides coordination, clash detection and space management service for the Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. >http://www.zigguratsystems.com/
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Water from air
Dr Arkadi Levin, cooling systems engineer from Kibutz Einat invented an instrument to produce water by condensing the humidity in the air – without the need of any energy source. He tucks a probe in the ground and uses the difference in temperatures between the earth and the air to condense the humidity and get fresh water.
Levin: ”creating systems that need electricity is easy, my interest is to develop applications for human welfare that can be useful in military units and third-world countries without needing electric power”. Yediot Ahronot 30 May, 2011
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Motorola inaugurates new R&D center
Motorola president Greg Brown inaugurated the brand-new Israeli headquarters and R&D center at Airport City.
More than NIS 100 million was invested in the internal construction of the five-story, 30,000- square-meter building, which includes natural lighting and furniture approved by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The new headquarters will host 1,300 Motorola employees, including 800 engineers working at the R&D center.
AMD to establish R&D center in Israel
AMD has a 10% share of the global PC processor market. The Israeli R&D center will develop next-generation parallel computing platforms. ; “The creation of this new R&D center in Israel with the talent we have on site greatly contributes to AMD worldwide innovation ability. With this recent investment in Israel we are also continuing to promote and enhance the developers’ heterogeneous ecosystem for the AMD Fusion accelerated processing unit.” > http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000651071&fid=1725
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Cherries – a very good crop this year
Cherry picking season started this week.
Abundance of fruit this year, most cherry orchards are in the Golan and Galilee.
