The muscle wasting caused by Lou Gehrig’s disease – amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – is quick and fatal, with many not surviving five years after diagnosis. Internal organs eventually shut down, leading to respiratory failure. But promising stem cell research from laboratories at Tel Aviv University<http://medicine.tau.ac.il/index.php/departments/pre-clinical-departments/cell/introduction> is the basis of a new drug that could [...]
As reported in Israel21c: Rainstorms wash away what nature can’t clean up, but this often comes at a price. Runoff from agricultural fertilizers, animal waste and human sewage are poisoning wells and aquifers with nitrates. These compounds cause harmful algae blooms and pose health risks for pregnant women and formula-fed newborns. Water companies currently deal [...]
As reported in Port2Port: Taiwan and Israel had reached a consensus over the establishment of a working group to study the feasibility of signing a free-trade agreement (FTA) by 2013. Taiwan’s Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang announced the mutual understanding at the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ year-end press conference held in Taipei. The Minister [...]
As reported in PORT2PORT: Transportation Minister Israel Katz informed the cabinet last week that the Nevatim Air Base, located southeast of the city of Be’er Sheva, has been selected as the most logical site for a new international airport facility. The airport, which is slated to be Israel’s second biggest airfield, will be built in [...]
As reported in Globes: Israel’s unemployment rate fell to 5% of the civilian labor force in October 2011, an all-time low, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported today. The Central Bureau of Statistics also revised its unemployment figures for the preceding months, indicating a steady monthly decline of 0.1-0.2% in the unemployment rate since January. [...]
As reported in Israel21c: Every patient, nurse, doctor and visitor to a hospital knows the drill: hands get a splash of antibacterial fluid found at every bedside, entrance and exit. Keeping hands clean can prevent some infections, but superbugs — those sometimes deadly bacterial strains resistant to antibiotics — can outwit the best hygiene practices. [...]
According to preliminary estimates, Israel’s gross domestic product grew by 4.8% in 2011, following a similar rise in 2010, and a 0.8% rise in 2009, when Israel crawled back out of the recession. GDP per capita is expected to have risen 2.9% to $31,100.
Two high-level American delegations reached out to Israeli business leaders in December as they explored cooperation in renewable energy, aerospace, medicine and other technologies. The American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) brought 25 heads of business representative bodies from American and Canadian cities to Israel, while a separate group of seven elected officials from New [...]
Tourism to Israel in November rose 2% from the corresponding month in 2010 to 316,000 arrivals, and was the highest number of tourists for any November. As part of an initiative to boost the tourism sector, including construction, renovation and conversion of existing buildings into hotels, six new hotels will open in Jerusalem, Haifa, Rosh [...]
Cornell University and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology have been chosen to build a cutting-edge NYC Tech Campus that will serve as a global magnet for tech talent and entrepreneurship. The NYCTech Campus will combine cutting-edge technologies to create one of the most environmentally friendly and energy efficient campuses in the world. Cornell [...]