Business Briefs

After rejecting the use of dry cooling methods and delaying the operation of systems for intake of treated waste water, the Israel Electric Corporation will apparently be using 2.7 million cubic meters of potable water for cooling at the Gezer power plant, instead of using treated waste water. The company thinks it can start using treated waste water in July, but until then it will use drinkable water, which it will be buying from Mekorot at an estimated cost of NIS 9 million. (Avi Bar-Eli)

The Jewish Agency has recently acquired a three-story building in Budapest, Hungary. The 1,400-square-meter building, which was purchased for $500,000, will be used to found a cultural-education center aimed at deepening Jewish identity in the Budapest area. The Jewish Agency has been active in Budapest for more than a decade. (Raz Smolsky)

Starting July 1 and through the end of 2010, the government will charge NIS 20 for every excess cubic meter of water used - according to an article of the budget law that was approved yesterday. The 'drought tax' raises the price of class 'C' water rates, which is the rate that applies to consumption exceeding 15 cubic meters per family of 4, or 4 cubic meters per person. The new class 'C' rate will be NIS 28 per cubic meter instead of NIS 7.8 per cubic meter. The move is part of a policy to implement a rates model that will encourage economic use of water. (Avi Bar-Eli)

The well baby clinic fee of more than NIS 546 per child will be canceled from January 2010. Tipat Halav clinics provide preventive medical care for infants and expectant mothers, including regular checkups, vaccinations, education and medical supervision as well as other services not included in the basket of subsidized medicines and services. Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman, of United Torah Judaism, is personally responsible for the achievement. His constituency has a very high birthrate, lower than average incomes and below-average rate of compliance with the childhood vaccination schedule. (Ronny Linder-Ganz)

The leading lights of Israel's business and science community convened at the National Museum of Science in Haifa Tuesday night to see flayed cadavers and, also, the renowned high-tech and biotechnology entrepreneur Alfred Mann. The meeting between Israel's luminaries and the billionaire was organized by Avi Kerbs, chief executive of the venture capital fund Teuza, in which Mann is invested. Attendees were treated to vegetarian hors d'oeuvres and a tour of Body Worlds. You may have guessed what the exhibition was about. Among the guests were Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav, businessman Leon Recanati, who praised Mann for his contribution to Israel, former defense ministers Yitzhak Mordechai and Moshe Arens, Given Imaging leader Homi Shamir and Israel Makov, former head of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. (Shmuel Shuster)