Monthly Archives: January 2021

Radar defense for Slovakia

Following the Czech Republic and Hungary, Slovakia is the latest NATO member to purchase the MMR Radar system manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) subsidiary, ELTA systems. The 17 units will cost $182 million. The second link gives some broader … Continue reading

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Israeli CEOs are itching to take off

Three Israeli executives, about to get their second Covid vaccinations, express their excitement about a near future return to international travel and vital face-to-face meetings. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/after-a-year-of-wait-israels-vaccinated-ceos-ready-to-travel-overseas-656210

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Israel’s wealth fund

The Tamar Partnership, extracting natural gas from Israel’s Tamar field, has begun making contributions to Israel’s Sovereign Wealth Fund. The fund ensures that some profits of Israel’s natural gas bonanza are spent on strategic projects for the nation’s benefit and … Continue reading

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The rise of the Shekel

The strength of Israel’s economy is reflected in the high value of its currency. The Bank of Israel has announced that it will purchase $30 billion of foreign currency in 2021 to curb the rise of the Shekel and help … Continue reading

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Still an A+

Fitch Ratings has affirmed Israel’s A+ rating with a stable outlook, citing its “strong external finances,” diversified economy and “solid institutional debt.” https://www.timesofisrael.com/fitch-reiterates-israels-a-rating-citing-diversified-economy-strong-finances/

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5 minutes to charge an electric car

Israel’s StoreDot (reported here previously) has developed the world’s first electric car battery that can be fully charged in 5 minutes. 1,000 of the batteries have been manufactured in China by German firm Eve Systems, for showcasing the technology to … Continue reading

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Breath test is 98% accurate

Israel’s Scentech Medical (reported here previously) has completed trials, on 784 individuals at Israel’s Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, of its 10-second Covid-19 breath test. The results displayed seconds later were 98% accurate – much better and faster than standard PCR-based … Continue reading

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A good feeling about stress

Israel’s Feelit (reported here previously) has now launched its innovative stress-analysis nano ink product RetroFeel. The sensing technology prevents machinery damage and has attracted the attention of Germany’s Henkel Adhesive Technologies. It has just invested $5 million in the Israeli … Continue reading

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Elon Musk promotes Israeli startup

A video featuring Israeli robotics startup BionicHIVE was recommended by none other than Elon Musk to his 42.5 million followers. He wrote “The robot future is coming” and the video “SqUID warehouse logistics robot by Bionic Hive” has since received … Continue reading

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Taking control when things go wrong

Israel’s Phantom Auto has developed a call center for self-driving vehicles, where a remote operator can take control and drive if a problem arises. Uber-owned Postmates uses the Phantom Auto system in California for its meal delivery robots. https://www.israel21c.org/whos-steering-that-forklift-the-phantom-knows/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OFV8rTr6dc

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