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In the 27th Apr 2014 edition of Israel’s good news:
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
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Biodegradable packaging attracts Hong Kong billionaire. Horizon Venture, owned by Hong Kong’s Li Ka-shing is leading a $10 million investment round in Israel’s Tipa. The Israeli start-up has developed beverage packaging that is biodegradable within 180 days.
Amazon Fire TV features Israeli video app. Israel’s Magisto turns home movies into professional quality video. Amazon’s newly announced Amazon Fire TV promotes Magisto as giving customers “access to their favorite video and photo memories right in their living rooms, displayed in a visually stunning way.”
Turkey to buy Israeli gas. Turkey’s Turcas Petrol has notified the Istanbul Stock Exchange that its gas subsidiary has initiated negotiations to buy natural gas from Israel’s Leviathan field, for domestic customers. Israeli gas would be delivered to Turkey via an undersea pipeline.
Trade with Singapore rises 44 percent. Total Singapore-Israel trade in the first quarter of 2014 surged 44.4% year-on-year to S$604.6 million (approx 483 million US dollars). Israel exported approx $300 million worth of goods to Singapore whilst $184 million worth of goods went in the other direction.
$570 million for juvenile diabetes company. Israel’s Andromeda Biotech has been purchased by Hyperion Therapeutics for a total of $570 million. Andromeda’s DiaPep277 is a therapy for Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes. The drug is undergoing a Phase III clinical trial, with results due in the first quarter of 2015.
$200 million for Israeli security company. Palo Alto Networks has bought Israel’s Cyvera for $200million for its end-point security solution. Cyvera prevents the latest (zero-day) attacks on mobile devices (e.g. smartphones and laptops), even if the device is not updated with the relevant anti-virus protection.
Israel’s splendid global integration. Yoram Ettinger’s latest financial report on Israel contains eight key indicators. All positive.
IBM launches Israeli start-up accelerator. IBM Corporation is joining the wave of technology incubator programs with the launch of its first-ever start-up accelerator in Israel. IBM Alpha Zone Accelerator will provide a 24-week program providing free use of IBM’s development tools and services up to a value $24, 000.
Israeli income tax is less than most OECD countries. The average income tax rate in Israel is 21% (and falling) compared to the OECD average of 35.9% (and rising). Only three of the 34 OECD countries levy less income tax on its citizens than Israel.
A whole new world. This Israel Technion video provides a different view of some amazing microscopic objects. The images seen through a diverse range of microscopes are the products of 29 Technion researchers working in the different areas of exact sciences, life sciences, engineering, and medicine.
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The busiest week for Israeli flights. A record 1.3 million passengers passed through Ben-Gurion International Airport on more than 8, 200 flights during the Passover holiday; a 30 percent increase from 2013. The increase was partly due to the implementation of the “Open Skies” agreement signed by Israel with the EU.
Israel to insulate US fridges. In the near future, when you buy a Whirlpool refrigerator, Israeli insulation will be keeping your food cool. Israel’s Hanita Coatings produces advanced thermal insulation technology that is up to seven times more effective than conventional plastic foams or fibrous insulation.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
The world’s top producer of in-cab mobile terminals. Israel’s Micronet supplies half a million terminals for fleet vehicles such as trucks and taxis – more than any other manufacturer. The company’s new A317 model just released now allows users to run apps developed for Android-based tablets.
Belt protects against radiation. Israel’s Stemrad has developed a belt to protect first responders from gamma radiation – for situations such as the disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The belt protects the pelvic area, where most of the body’s renewable bone marrow is concentrated.
Israeli radar to protect South Korea from the North. A team of South Korean military and acquisition officials has been dispatched to Israel to purchase low-altitude surveillance radars capable of detecting small, unmanned drones from North Korea. South Korea recently discovered three UAVs near the border.
An app to make you enjoy music. Weizmann graduate Yuval Karminka found that 85% of non-musicians wish they had learned to play a musical instrument. He then founded JoyTunes that produces popular music learning apps that encourage the novice musician to advance in their practicing.
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The cutting edge of desalination. British trade journal Global Water Intelligence has bestowed its top awards on Israel’s IDE Technologies. Initiatives such as the Soreq plant and the Carlsbad project “will ensure that IDE remains at the cutting edge of the desalination industry for at least another four decades, ”
Israeli scientists spring-clean the planet. To mark Earth Day, Weizmann Institute’s latest e-magazine includes the work of Professor Berkowitz who has transformed toxic chemicals in water into harmless compounds. Also Professor Bayer who designed bacteria that turns waste paper into sugar. And much more.
Technology brings together Jewish & Arab teens. For 10 years, the Middle East Education through Technology (MEET) program has been uniting budding hi-tech Palestinian and Israeli entrepreneurs from Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Mevasseret Zion, Nazareth and Beit Shemesh.
After-school recycling. The ELA Recycling Corporation and the Israel Association of Community Centers are enrolling half a million children in educational programs and activities to collect, sort and recycle beverage bottles. Israel surpassed the US and Europe in meeting its plastic recycling goals this year.
Hypoparathyroidism treatment gets US boost. Israel’s Entera Bio has obtained orphan status from the US FDA for its oral treatment for hypoparathyroidism (decreased function of the parathyroid glands). The condition results in muscle cramping, twitching, or involuntary contraction, and several other symptoms.
