Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., July 14, 2008 Tamuz 11, 5768 | | Israel Time: 01:00 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Business in Brief The dollar continued its climb on Friday by another almost 2%, less than 24 hours after Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer said the central bank would buy $100 million a day. Friday's representative rate reached NIS 3.38. The large banks were not overly impressed by Fischer's move. Bank Leumi analysts said the step would strengthen the dollar only in the short run, as Israeli interest rates are still higher than in the U.S, the Israeli economy is still relatively strong and stable, and the dollar is still showing weakness around the world. At Bank Hapoalim they are counting on the growing interest-rate gap between here and the U.S. to keep the shekel strong. (Tal Levy) Guests at an Israeli wedding hall can now insert a credit card into a machine at its entrance, tap in a sum and leave a gift for the bride and groom. "It's new in Israel and the world," Aya Alon Kaufman of the Gan Oranim hall in Tel Aviv told Channel 10. "It's very convenient ... guests can give a gift even if they forget their checkbooks." She said couples pay NIS 500 to rent the device, which resembles an automated teller machine, and the recorded funds are transferred into their bank account the next day. The machine, shown being used in the television report, prints out a "deposit" slip with the guest's name, which can be put into an envelope along with a congratulatory note and inserted into a slot in the device for the couple to retrieve. Rather than bring boxed gifts, guests at Israeli weddings often leave cash or checks in envelopes they slip into a safe placed near the entrance for this purpose. (Reuters) Advertisement The Knesset last Thursday approved reducing the waiting period for full health-insurance coverage for Israeli citizens who return from overseas. MKs approved an amendment to the national health-insurance law, so now returning Israelis will have to wait only six months before receiving full coverage. Until now the law demanded at least two years, which prevented many from returning. Now the waiting period will be limited to one month per year of overseas residence - but it will be limited to at most six months in total. In addition, returning residents can pay to reduce the waiting period and receive full insurance immediately, except for certain services such as fertility treatments. The Knesset did not completely cancel the waiting period for fear that former Israelis would return just to receive medical treatment and then leave again. (Ronny Linder-Ganz) "Why should a NIS 200-300-a-month payment just to watch television be a noose around the neck of consumers?" asked Anat Shen Zur, the CEO of Blockbuster's digital operations. She is certainly aware she is starting a war. Blockbuster has come up with an ambitious plan, and already spent millions of dollars on it, to provide services to compete with the cable and satellite television broadcasters. Blockbuster's new offering is named Movie Box, and development of the grandiose scheme is expected to finish within a year. It is based on the reforms planned for opening up broadcasting channels, expected to take effect between March and May 2009. According to the planned reforms, a new digital broadcasting network will be built all over Israel, and channels 1, 2, 10, 33 and 99 will be provided for free. Viewers will need to buy a special box to receive the free broadcasts, but they will also be able to order paid services of movies and TV series on demand. Blockbuster says that 80% of the time 70% of viewers watch channels 2 or 10, and the company is calling on them to leave yes and HOT, save money and pay only for what they want to see. (Amitai Ziv and Maayan Cohen) Ness Technologies has signed an agreement with German software giant SAP to sell its Israeli SAP sales and support division for NIS 100 million. SAP will buy all the division's operations from Ness, its current Israeli distributor, including support, maintenance, sales and distribution. SAP recently notified Ness that it was ending its exclusive role as SAP's Israeli distributor. Ness will continue to be a senior technological partner, SAP said. The division's 100 employees are expected to be transferred to SAP. (Or Hirshauga and Nir Zalik) It took only two weeks for the Transportation Ministry to reverse its decision to cancel the southern rail line from Ashkelon to Be'er Sheva. Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz met with Finance Minister Roni Bar-On last Thursday and the two agreed that the route would be restored to Israel Railways' development plan - if an alternative budget cut can be found. The two also agreed that the new high-speed route from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which had also been postponed, would be re-examined from an economic standpoint. Israel Railways has an estimated NIS 4 billion budget overrun for its NIS 29.5 billion development plan, and the treasury is demanding big cuts before turning over any more money. The postponement of the new southern route brought heavy criticism from southern politicians, saying Bar-On is a hypocrite when he talks of the need to strengthen the periphery while leaving projects in the center of the country untouched. (Avi Bar-Eli) Bookmark to del.icio.us   History undersea Israeli lifeguard stumbles upon ancient relic during morning swim. Elections, Hebrew style U.S. presidential hopefuls use Hebrew to woo the Jewish community.

Read & React Tehran slams McCain for saying cigarettes could be used to kill Iranians Responses: 107 Report: U.S. official says Israel has 'amber light' for Iran strike Responses: 192 Yossi Verter: However we look at 'Olmert Tours' affair, woe to us Responses: 52 Muslim charities targeted by Israel do more than fund terror Responses: 57 Zvi Bar'el: France is a friend of the Arabs because U.S. is a friend of Israel Responses: 32 More Headlines 00:28 Syrian officials: Assad won't give up on preconditions for talks 00:12 Obama: I used 'poor phrasing' in undivided Jerusalem remark 23:14 Ron Arad's family gets previously unseen photos of missing IAF navigator 22:48 Attorney General: It is not my job to oust prime ministers 23:32 PM aide: Israel has no intention of giving Hezbollah Shaba 21:36 Jewish leaders in Germany slam Holocaust omission from citizenship test 21:06 Olmert vows to free Palestinian prisoners regardless of swap deals 22:27 IDF colonel seriously injured in parachuting accident 20:21 Israeli lifeguard stumbles upon ancient relic during morning swim 15:11 Settler arrested in failed rocket attack on Palestinian town 22:17 Gaza militants fire 2 mortar shells at Israel in further truce violation Previous Editions Select Day 13 jul 11 jul 10 jul 09 jul 08 jul 07 jul 06 jul 04 jul 03 jul 02 jul 01 jul 30 jun

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