Israel Active

Shabour, the new restaurant by Israeli chef Assaf Granit, which launched just three months ago in Paris, was named as the French capital’s “Best restaurant of the Year” by Le Figaroscope, the Parisian cultural and gastronomical guide published by the French daily Le Figaro.

The rock group Red Hot Chili Peppers are returning to Tel Aviv for the first time since 2012 . They will be the top group at the Funkyard Tel Aviv Festival at Hayarkon Park on June 10.

30-year-old Israeli speed skater Vladislav Bykanov won a bronze medal in the 1,500 meters race at the European Short Track Speed Skating Championship in Hungary. He is now looking to qualify for Tokyo, which would be his third Olympic Games.

Jerusalem Botanical Gardens’ Tropical Conservatory has reopened to the public after an 18-month, $2 million transformation. Its rainforest and desert regions contain some 300 kinds of plants, including endangered species, exotic banana trees, coffee plants, orchids and cacti.

150 wildlife photographers submitted some 500 photos to judges at the Planet Arava 2 festival and competition in Eilat. The aim of the festival was “to promote the Arava’s landscape and animals through photography by people who feel an affinity for the region and its beauty”.

Israeli entrepreneur Inbal Arieli is also the author of “Chutzpah: Why Israel Is a Hub of Innovation and Entrepreneurship”. She explains how Israel’s unique culture generates “disruptors” who want to change the world. Factors include parenting and uncertainty that encourage pushing the boundaries.

Food giant McDonalds in Israel is giving away free reading books to children when they or their parents buy Happy Meals. “The Everforest Twins: Adventures in the Wild World”, are written by the children's author Cressida Cowell and have been translated into Hebrew and Arabic.

Israeli judokas Ori Sasson and Peter Paltchik took home two gold medals at the Tel Aviv Grand Prix, winning the over-100kg and under-100kg categories, respectively.  They spoke afterwards about how their success inspires Israeli children.

Israel has approved seven new nature reserves in Judea & Samaria - the first since the 1990s. In addition, 12 existing reserves will be expanded. The new sites are at the Ariel Cave, Wadi Og, Wadi Malha, the Southern Jordan River, Bitronot Creek, Nahal Tirza, and Rotem-Maskiot.

Israel Cycling Academy (now re-named Israel Start-Up Nation) will use computer vision and AI technologies from Israel’s Physimax to create personalized training programs for the 2020 Tour de France. The cyclists will also wear the vital signs monitoring device from Israel’s Biobeat.