Israel supports Sri Lanka
Posted on July 26, 2007 • By Deena Levenstein
Category: Social | Tags: | Leave a Comment
Over the past few years, Israel has been providing assistance to Sri Lanka in the areas of public health and agriculture.
Following the tsunami of December 26, 2004, Israeli medical health teams provided aid to the Sri Lankans. In the years since, Israel has established a few health facilities on the island and donated six intensive care ambulances. The State of Israel also recently organized and financed a delegation of 20 medical professionals who gave a course on emergency medicine and trauma care.
In the field of agriculture, the State of Israel organizes and finances courses in irrigation and other topics. Hundreds of Sri Lankans have already participated in these programs over the last few years both in Sri Lanka and in Israel.
There are also many bilateral agreements being developed and signed by the two countries. In the last four years Israel and Sri Lanka have signed bilateral agreements in economics, commerce and civil aviation (allowing planes to travel between the two countries). Israel has proposed other agreements in education, science and research.
Business delegations from Sri Lanka to Israel are being sent with the goal of boosting trade relations. The main trade sectors between the two states are currently garments, jewelry, chemical items, agrotechnology and irrigation equipment. There is hope for expansion of areas of trade in the future.
Einstein was asked to be President of Israel - and declined
Posted on July 26, 2007 • By Miriam Schwab
Category: Tidbits | Tags: | 1 Comment
Did you know that Albert Einstein was asked to be Israel’s second president after the country’s first president, Chaim Weizmann, died?
Einstein declined the offer, saying: “I am deeply moved by the offer from our State of Israel, and at once saddened and ashamed that I cannot accept it.” (Princeton Online 1995)
Einstein felt a special affinity to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and bequeathed literary rights to his writings to The Hebrew University, where many of his original documents are held in the Albert Einstein Archives (Albert Einstein Archives 2007).
Israeli Ormat and Evogene entering biodiesel market
Posted on July 26, 2007 • By Miriam Schwab
Category: Environment | Tags: | Leave a Comment
Ormat Industries and Evogene, two Israeli companies, have reached an agreement in principle to develop oil-rich crops that can be used to produce cheaper biodiesel fuels.
The two companies will embark on a three-year, $2m research project to identify lower-cost alternatives to soy and canola oil for biodiesel fuel. Read more»
Israel Venture Capital Research Center: local and foreign investment in Israeli companies up
Posted on July 26, 2007 • By Miriam Schwab
Category: Business | Tags: | Leave a Comment
According to IVC, 118 Israeli high-tech companies raised $436 million from both foreign and local venture investors in the second quarter of 2007. This presents a 7% raise since the previous quarter, and an 8% raise from the parallel quarter last year.
Largest solar park in the world to be built by Israeli company
Posted on July 26, 2007 • By Deena Levenstein
Category: Environment | Tags: | 1 Comment
By 2011, the largest solar thermal technology plant in the world will be providing 553 megawatts of solar power, the equivalent of powering 400,000 homes. The Israeli company Solel Solar Systems has just signed a contract with Pacific Gas and Electric Company and will be building the project in the Mojave Desert in California.
When done, the park will cover 6,000 acres of the desert and will include 1.2 million mirrors.
Meanwhile, Solel and Greenpeace in Israel are still working to overcome beaurocratic hurdles in order to begin a similar project in the Negev.
For a really interesting video that explains a little more about the new technology behind this, click here.
Amir Ben David, “Israel company to build largest solar park in world in US”, ynetnews, July 26, 2007
Israeli developed virtual patient records being marketed internationally
Posted on July 26, 2007 • By Deena Levenstein
Category: Technology | Tags: | Leave a Comment
An estimated 44,000-98,000 people die each year in the United States as a result of medical error, says a report by the Institute of Medicine. Information gone missing or that is difficult to read can have lethal consequences in the medical field.
DbMotion, an Israeli company, has developed DbMotion solution which is software that creates virtual patient records available online by the clinics and hospitals connected to the network. Since first developed in 2001, in Israel it is now a network connecting 16 hospitals and 1,300 clinics and 5,000,000 citizens.
During the Lebanon war last summer, Haifa residents could go stay in Tel Aviv and their records were easily accessible to the doctors there. But besides efficiency when patients move around, the software can also help identify possible epidemics by picking up on patterns.
With the product now being marketed internationally, U.S. health-care providers are considering purchasing the software. In the United States, one out of five x-rays is taken because the originals have been misplaced. It is also estimated that 7,000 deaths in the U.S. every year are a result of medication errors alone.
This software will save not only dollars but lives.
Rachel Silverman, “DbMotion now in motion”, Jewish Exponent, July 26, 2007.
600 new French immigrants land in Israel
Posted on July 25, 2007 • By Deena Levenstein
Category: Social | Tags: | Leave a Comment
Two planes carrying 600 new immigrants from France arrived this morning. More than 3000 French Jews are expected to immigrate to Israel by the end of the year, making it a record year for French immigration to Israel.
Yael Branovsky, “‘In France I was worried. In Israel I feel safe.’” ynetnews, July 25, 2007.
Israeli company wins $55 million European defense contract
Posted on July 25, 2007 • By Deena Levenstein
Category: Business | Tags: | Leave a Comment
Elbit Systems just signed a $40 million contract with the Slovenian army and a $15 million contract with the Romanian army. It will be providing them with unmanned turrets, remote control weapon systems and electro-optic systems for armored vehicles.
Avi Shauli, “Elbit Systems wins $55 million European contract”, ynetnews, July 25, 2007
New medical device being developed to find exact location of tumors
Posted on July 25, 2007 • By Deena Levenstein
Category: Science | Tags: | Leave a Comment
A system being developed by Navotek could lead to more efficient and safer treatment of cancer by finding the exact location of tumors.
Gali Weinreb, “Medical device co Navotek raises $5 million”, Globes, July 25, 2007
Simbionix introduces laparascopic training system at European Association for Endoscopic Surgery
Posted on July 24, 2007 • By Miriam Schwab
Category: Science | Tags: | Leave a Comment
Simbionix Ltd., an Israeli manufacturer of virtual reality simulation products and solutions, has introduced its laparoscopic training system, called LAP Mentor Express, at the meeting in Athens, Greece, earlier this month.
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