Holon putting out bins for electronics waste
The city of Holon is distributing 20 containers for the collection of electronics waste. The discarded machines will be dismantled as part of the Ecology for the Sheltered Community initiative, which provides work for the disabled. The electronics include computers, DVD players and televisions. The workers extract both the dangerous materials that can harm the environment and the precious metals that can be recycled. Bank Hapoalim is helping sponsor the project. (Itai Trilnick)
PM heads to Cyprus for talks on natural gas
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara are flying to Cyprus tomorrow morning for a one-day visit. This first visit by an Israeli prime minister to the island nation will be devoted to the crucial matter of cooperation in extracting natural gas from the Mediterranean seabed. Netanyahu will meet with Cypriot Prime Minister Dimitris Christofias, Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Markoulli and opposition leader Nicos Anastasiades, freshly back from a visit to Israel. Both Turkey and Lebanon have warned that they believe some of the gas in the deep sea belongs to them. Tomorrow's talks will also focus on securing the deep-sea drilling endeavors. (Moti Bassok)
AppWaze’s GPS glitches getting drivers lost
Upgrades to Waze, a free GPS application for smartphones, has caused many drivers a lot of trouble. Problems with the app have sent drivers into traffic jams instead of finding them the fastest route. Waze admitted there were problems and said they will be solved quickly. Some 1.8 million Israelis use the application, so every problem affects lots of drivers. Waze has 12 million users around the world, and 50,000 more join every day. The company recently launched its 3.0 version for Android phones. (Guy Grimland)
Apple seeking hires for R&D center in Haifa
Revamp your resume, dear reader: Apple is recruiting for its new research and development center in Haifa and has published its first wanted ad. It’s for a “world-class” human resources manager, who will be responsible for hiring the roughly 50 people Apple needs, at least to begin with. Candidates must have the appropriate academic background, experience in hiring for technology jobs (software and hardware − advantage to hiring for the semiconductor industry), and management experience. The hiring manager will be working with Apple hardware-engineer hirers in the United States to assure that the company’s standards are maintained. (Guy Grimland)
Steinitz kills haircut bill
Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz went to bat for Israel’s tycoons yesterday, if not in so many words: He shot down the so-called haircut bill, which failed to muster a majority in the Knesset. The bill, sponsored by MK Meir Sheetrit (Kadima), would have prevented business owners who defaulted on debt from raising more money on the markets until they first paid back their debts in full. Sheetrit had hoped to turn the screws on Israeli tycoons who may be sitting on personal fortunes but allow their public companies to default; for instance, Yitzhak Tshuva with Delek Real Estate and Ilan Ben-Dov with Tao Tsuot. The outcome of yesterday’s vote was predictable, though, after the government announced its opposition to the proposal. (Shelly Appelberg)
