Good News Israel Archive from the week of August 30, 2015: Israel-India relations have grown closer; Israeli Agro-tech for the Philippines and much more.

By: Michael Ordman

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Treatment slows onset of Alzheimer’s

Israel’s Avraham Pharmaceuticals announced successful interim results in a Phase 2b clinical trial of ladostigil, for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Fewer MCI patients using ladostigil for 2 years progressed to Alzheimer’s than those using the placebo.
http://www.avphar.com/avraham-pharmaceuticals-announces-successful-second-interim-results-in-phase-2b-study-of-ladostigil-for-the-treatment-of-mild-cognitive-impairment/

Detecting lung cancer mutations in the genes

Israel’s Rosetta Genomics has just had approval from the New Jersey Department of Health, for its OncoGxSelect diagnostic test for lung cancer. The test detects genetic mutations responsible for the tumors and help clinicians make relevant treatment decisions.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/rosetta-genomics-expands-high-value-120000987.html

A device to treat Peripheral Artery Disease

Eximo has developed a patented hybrid catheter, which is connected to a pulsed laser system, for the treatment of blocked arteries associated with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). PAD affects 8-12 million Americans. Eximo has just received $1.6 million of funding.
http://www.eximomedical.com/technology

Restoring eyesight in Kyrgyzstan

A group of Israeli doctors restored the eyesight of 90 adults and children in Kyrgyzstan thanks to Israeli-Jewish Eye from Zion volunteer organization. The doctors performed cornea surgery, plastic surgery and removed tumors and cataracts. Many patients had been blind for years.
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=27859

How to check if your baby is healthy

Israel Technion Professor Eli Ben-Sasson and his wife Ayelet have developed an online community (CROINC (CROwd-based INteractive Clustering)) where parents can share information about their child’s development – and compare it to actual scientific and medical facts.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/is-your-baby-healthy-israeli-profs-site-has-answers-based-on-fact-not-rumor/

https://baby.croinc.org/landing.html#/

HIV is six times lower in Israel

Due to circumcision, the annual incidence of HIV infection in Israeli men is on average six times lower than that of the Netherlands and France and for women it is ten times lower. The Health Ministry study was published in the Israel Journal of Health Policy Research.
http://www.jpost.com/Business-and-Innovation/Health-and-Science/Israeli-study-shows-circumcision-reduces-risk-of-HIV-infection-412743

http://www.ijhpr.org/content/4/1/40

ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL

Women in Wireless in Israel

The writer of this article, Stefanie Amini, founded Women In Wireless Israel to help empower women. She concludes that the Start-up Nation encapsulates the innovative spirit typical of Israelis, inspiring and helping women incorporate Israeli culture into their work life.
http://theculturetrip.com/middle-east/israel/articles/women-in-wireless-females-of-the-start-up-nation/

Haredi woman on El Al pilot course

Nehama (full name withheld) is the first haredi woman to be accepted into El Al’s elite pilot training course. She earned her pilot’s license in the US and had to travel back to America in order to accumulate sufficient flying hours to take the course, which begins in November.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/199700#.VeA9B5fn-YA

One of the best places to raise your kids

Israel has been ranked fourth in the world for expat families to bring up their children, according to the Family Life Index carried out by the Inter Nations institute. The index ranks countries in categories such as quality, cost and availability of childcare and education.
http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/83338-150825-israel-ranked-fourth-best-place-to-raise-children-in-global-index

20,000 tons of goods for Gaza – as usual

I don’t report it every week, but every day over 600 trucks bring over 20,000 tons of goods into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing. The items include medical supplies, food, construction materials and electronic devices. Each truck is inspected to prevent smuggling terrorist supplies.
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/648-packed-supply-trucks-enter-gaza-from-israel/2015/08/26/

The IDF’s humanitarian missions

This new video shows that beyond protecting Israel’s citizens, its soldiers embrace another role: serving a source of relief for people all over the world. From Japan to Haiti, from Nepal to the Philippines, Israel’s soldiers have worked miracles and saved lives.

Italian and Israeli bio-meds collaborate

Dozens of Israeli bio-medical companies are to meet with their Italian counterparts in Milan next fall. Collaboration between the two countries in the life sciences has been strong since Israel helped many Italian companies rebuild their R&D facilities after the 2012 earthquakes.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-biotech-firms-to-seek-deals-in-italy/

Why Israel-India relations have grown closer

Efraim Inbar gives reasons for the improved ties between Israel and India. They include the return to power of the BJP party; bilateral interaction in defense, intelligence, agriculture, health, science, and technology; increased Indian economic power and less global Arab influence.
http://www.meforum.org/5425/israel-india-relations

Water summits in the USA

The JNF is holding water summits in ten US cities to share Israel’s technological advancements and amazing accomplishments in water resources. Israeli experts will speak in Albany, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego and Washington DC.
http://www.jnf.org/about-jnf/events/2015/water-summit/index.html=

Israel’s contributions to the world

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the Israeli pavilion at Expo 2015 in Milan that millions around the world have personally benefited from Israel’s advances. Israel shared its water and agricultural technology, benefiting millions in India, China, Latin America and Africa.
http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy-defense/83614-150827-netanyahu-at-milan-expo-israel-s-contributions-to-world-overshadow-efforts-to-isolate-it

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The 2015 World Science Conference in Israel

The WSCI 2015 World Science Conference Israel in Jerusalem not only had 15 Nobel Prize winners under one roof, it also featured Magic, Science, Technology and lots of inspiration.
http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/InnovativeIsrael/Conferences/Pages/The-World-Science-Conference-Israel-WSCI.aspx

Israeli medical startup wins global competition

Israel’s DiACardio has won the 2015 Shengjing Global Innovation Award in Beijing China. DiACardio has developed revolutionary software to decode echocardiograms. Another Israeli startup, Wayerz, came fifth. All 5 finalists receive $200,000 prize money.
http://www.israel21c.org/diacardio-wins-shengjing-global-innovation-awards/

Net Zero Energy communities

Ben Gurion University of the Negev has received an EU Horizon 2020 grant to develop a “Zero Plus” system that preserves energy in buildings. BGU will then implement four projects across Europe to turn Net Zero Energy (NZE) buildings into NZE communities.
http://aabgu.org/bgu-to-develop-system-to-lower-community-energy-use/

Genes that are natural insecticides

Israel’s Evogene has used its BiomeMiner computational discovery platform to identify microbial genes with insecticidal properties. EvoGene will now validate the genes’ insect control properties against some of the world’s worst agricultural pests.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/new-genes-could-beat-old-pest-foes-says-gene-research-firm/

Missile protection for the world’s aircraft

Many readers will have seen the video of the C-MUSIC directed infra-red countermeasures (DIRCM) system from Israel’s Elbit that repels terrorist missiles launched at commercial airliners. Recent international demand for the system is simply phenomenal.
http://ir.elbitsystems.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=61849&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2074701

Israel and US sign space collision prevention pact

Israel’s Defense Ministry and US Strategic Command (USSTATCOM) have signed a new cooperation arrangement to prevent satellites and other objects colliding in space. The Space Situational Awareness (SSA) agreement will ensure safe spaceflight operations.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-israel-and-us-sign-space-collision-prevention-pact-1001062034

Preventing evaporation and much more

I featured the Israeli “Top-up” water-saving spheres previously in Sep 2014. The company that makes them has just renamed itself from “Top-It-Up” to “NeoTop” and is launching its 2nd generation of product, preventing algae, and even deterring birds from fish farms and airports.
http://www.israel21c.org/could-neotops-water-spheres-save-california/

5 minutes to recharge an electric car

Israel’s StoreDot has promised that by May 2016 it will be able to recharge an electric vehicle from zero to 100% in 5 minutes. StoreDot is famous for its 30-second cellphone recharging technology, which the company says will be on the market in mid-2016.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/samsung-others-wooed-by-5-minute-electric-car-recharge-dream/
http://fortune.com/2015/08/19/electric-car-battery-charges-minutes/

Agro-tech for the Philippines

Davao City, the 4th largest city in the Philippines, is planning a greenhouse model using Israeli technology to increase food production. A 1,000sqm greenhouse using Israeli technology can produce 25,000 kilos of tomatoes compared to 4,000 kilos on the same size of open land.
http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2015/08/18/davao-city-eyes-israeli-greenhouse-technology-to-spur-food-production/

Making fashion shopping less frustrating

Israel’s Liat Zakay has developed Donde – an app that uses artificial intelligence to trawl over 6,000 major retailers, classifying fashion images into color, length, neckline etc. Users select an item and filter by anything from hemline and pattern to brands and price ranges.
http://money.cnn.com/2015/08/20/technology/donde-fashion-app/

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

High-speed Jerusalem-Tel Aviv link gets on track

Israel Railways has begun laying the tracks of the high-speed railway line between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv – the first in Israel to run on electricity. The 56km link will have five tunnels, eight bridges and cost around NIS 7 billion (about $1.85 billion).
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-israel-railways-begins-laying-jerusalem-tel-aviv-tracks-1001057803

Work starts on Tel Aviv light railway

Construction of the Tel Aviv light rail system has officially begun. Workers started excavations near the Allenby Street-Yehuda Halevi Street intersection, where one of the light rail stations will be located. The project is expected to take six years to complete.
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=27315

Water for 131 Indian villages

Israel’s TAHAL Group signed a $74 million agreement with the Government of Karnataka State in India, for the design, construction and operation of a water supply system for 131 villages in the state. It includes 600km of pipeline, a treatment plant and eight reservoirs.
http://tahal.com/event/tahal-will-build-and-operate-a-water-supply-system-in-india-for-us-74-million/

Israeli firm to open start-up center in Korea

Israeli venture capital firm Yozma is opening a campus for startups in Pangyo Valley, Gyeonggi, Korea. It is also forming a 200 billion won ($169.3 million) start-up fund called Korea Yozma Fund.
http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3008060&cloc=etc|jad|googlenews

India to emulate Israeli VC fund

The Indian government has launched a venture capital (VC) fund. Dubbed the India Aspiration Fund, the 20 billion rupee ($306 million) fund hopes to emulate Israel’s Yozma program. Today Israel has a thriving VC ecosystem.
http://www.smallbusinessinsight.org/blog/india-to-follow-israels-yozma-with-new-vc-fund

Why China and Israel are doing great trade

Here are some of the reasons why China is likes Israel. They include China’s ambitious expansion plans and the Israeli technology to help achieve them.
http://www.viola-notes.com/china-and-israels-high-tech-industry-the-story-just-keeps-getting-better/

Hi-tech dental implants get US partner

Evolution Dental Science in Buffalo Ohio is to house the U.S. sales and distribution headquarters of Noris Medical, one of Israel’s largest manufacturers of implants and dental devices. Noris already has operations in China, India, Russia and Italy.
http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2015/08/19/israeli-dental-firm-partners-with-noris-medical-on.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M9GoQR7dws

Multimillion dollar projects in Georgia

Tbilisi Mayor Davit Narmania promoted Georgia to 101 businessmen at the Georgia-Israel business forum. President of the Israel-Georgia Chamber of Business Itsik Moshe confirmed several multimillion dollar projects will be implemented in Georgia in the coming months.

http://agenda.ge/news/40955/eng

http://agenda.ge/news/41130/eng

Israeli start-up competition goes global

Startups have been competing in 21 countries to win one of the 21 available places on “Start Tel Aviv” – a 5-day intensive boot camp in Israel in September. Here is the Danish winning entry.
http://www.visiblebanking.com/saxobank-starttelaviv-startup-competition-16539

Changing unwanted foreign currency

More about Israel’s TravelersBox – developers of the handy machines installed at airports that stop you wasting your spare change. Redeem it from brands such as Starbucks, H&M, Skype, Paypal, iTunes, Google Play, GAP, and countless others. Or donate it to charity.
https://www.techinasia.com/this-startup-solving-worst-thing-about-pesky-foreign-currency/

US-Iranian support for Israel Bonds

The Iranian Jewish community in Los Angeles and New York has been encouraging friends and family to invest in Israel Bonds. Iranian Jews typically give $100 Israel Bonds for weddings, bar mitzvahs, births and other happy occasions. http://www.jewishjournal.com/iranianamericanjews/item/l.a.s_young_iranian_jewish_professionals_hot_for_israel_bonds

CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT

Music to our ears

The 18th Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival takes place Sep 3 – 12 2015. Musicians from all over the world will perform new compositions, rarely performed works, as well as popular chamber music works.

http://www.midnighteast.com/mag/?p=32181

Classic cars in a young state

Israeli members of the 5 Club, Israel’s largest antique car club, met in a parking lot in Ness Ziona, south of Tel Aviv to show off their restored motor-vehicle marvels. They included Jaguars, Corvettes, Oldsmobiles and a 1967 Ford Anglia, first produced when the UK declared war on Hitler in 1939.
http://www.jta.org/2015/08/25/news-opinion/israel-middle-east/israel-where-old-cars-go-to-retire

Israeli cycling team joins USA Pro Challenge

“Cycling Academy” is the first Israeli team to enter America’s top cycling event – the USA Pro Challenge – America’s equivalent of the Tour de France. In its first year, Cycling Academy has won stages of the Tour d’Azerbaijan, the Tour de Berlin and the Visegrad 4.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/start-up-sabra-cycling-team-premieres-in-americas-top-bike-race/

Maccabi Tel Aviv reach Euro Champions League

Israeli soccer champions Maccabi Tel Aviv have won through to the Champion League group stage where they meet Chelsea, Porto and Dynamo Kiev. Tel Aviv beat Swiss champions FC Basle in the 3rd qualifying round; Eran Zahavi scored his 7th goal of the competition.
http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2016/matches/round=2000633/match=2015663/index.html
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Sports/Maccabi-Tel-Aviv-dealt-daunting-yet-fair-draw-413546

Israeli triple jumper wins silver in World Championships

Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko became the first-ever Israeli woman (and the second Israeli) to win a World Championships athletics silver medal when she came second in the triple jump in China. Her second round jump of 14.78 meters broke the Israeli record.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-triple-jumper-wins-silver-in-world-championships/

Israeli wins world judoka bronze

Israel’s Golan Pollack won the bronze medal in the under 66kg category at the World Judo Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan. The 23-year-old (23rd in the world) beat Davaadorj of Mongolia by landing a yuko with just 5 seconds. See the video for Pollack’s patriotic reaction at 6:15 mins.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/199901

THE JEWISH STATE

108 Ukrainian Jews fly to freedom

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews brought 108 Jews from war-torn Ukraine to make a new start in the land of their spiritual forefathers. They were welcomed at Ben-Gurion Airport by members of the IDF, with Israeli flags, balloons, and warm greetings.
http://blog.ifcj.org/post/finally-free-holy-land
https://www.flickr.com/photos/the-fellowship/sets/72157651109410459

Free summer camps for children of French Olim

Bnei Akiva, aided by the Immigrant Absorption Ministry and the AMI association for French Olim, are holding free summer camps for the many recently arrived French children. Funds were raised by the camp counselors through public events, car washing and other initiatives.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/199910#.Vd1v7Zfn-YA

A safe and fun place to visit

Julie Bort recently spent a week in Israel and wants everyone to know that it is extremely easy and safe to travel there, even if you’re an American non-Jewish woman traveling alone who doesn’t speak or read Hebrew.

http://www.businessinsider.com/israel-travel-for-americans-2015-8

Dolphin rescued at Acre beach

An exhausted dolphin surprised swimmers at an Acre beach when it was found on the rocks. Lifeguards, the district veterinarian, naval police and the Shavei Zion diving club all helped rescue the dolphin and transport it for medical treatment by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4695123,00.html

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