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☆ 2,300-year-old tomb found in Israel may contain remains of Greek courtesan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Archaeologists in Israel have discovered what they believe to be the remains of an Ancient Greek courtesan. Stiebel told CNN that he and his team believe the woman would have been among the first Greeks to arrive in the region. Liat Oz, the director of the excavation on behalf of the IAA, described the mirror found in the tomb alongside the remains. Researchers say the mirror is incredibly rare, with just 63 discovered in the Hellenistic world. Stiebel told CNN that the team are continuing with further research in order to “zoom in” on the finer details of the mirror.

Persons: Guy Stiebel, Emil Aladjem, ”, Alexander the Great, Stiebel, Oz, “, Alexandra the Great, ” Stiebel Organizations: CNN, Archaeologists, Tel Aviv University, Israel Antiquities Authority, Israel Antiquities Authority “, IAA Locations: Israel, Kibbutz, Jerusalem, East, Ancient Greece, Egypt, Rome, Greece

She refers to the overhaul as a “judicial coup,” saying it risks facilitating the “de facto annexation of the West Bank without any critique or any review” from the Supreme Court. The cabinet includes a number of West Bank settlers in powerful positions, and the agreement that brought together the government calls for extending Israel’s sovereignty in the West Bank, effectively a call for annexation. Under Netanyahu’s far-right government, Israel has approved a record number of housing units in West Bank settlements, Peace Now said in a July report. “Did the Supreme Court protect Palestinian rights in the West Bank? More recently in 2017, Israeli security forces bulldozed nine homes built on private Palestinian land in the West Bank settlement of Ofra.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, West Bank haven’t, Sawsan, Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s, Israel, Israel doesn’t, ” Zaher, Eliav, ” Lieblich, Zaher, Ahmed Tibi, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir, Tibi, ” Tibi, ” Gershon Baskin, Bond, ” Baskin, “ Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Legal Center, Arab, Rights, United Nations, Israel Democracy Institute, Tel Aviv University, Palestinian Authority, Supreme Court, Court of Justice, Israel’s, Israeli, Court Locations: Palestinian, Israel, West Bank, East Jerusalem, Jerusalem, West, The Hague, Dura, Qara, Ofra

Omar Abbosh, chief strategy officer at Accenture, speaks during the annual Cyberweek conference at Tel Aviv University, Israel June 20, 2016. Abbosh, 57, will take over the reins early in 2024 from Bird, 59, whose strategy of selling directly to consumers helped Pearson out of a tumultuous few years during the pandemic. Shares in Pearson were down 5.2% at 838 pence in morning trading in London. Bird sought to sharpen Pearson's focus to selling directly to consumers and away from traditional educational outlets as the pandemic boosted demand for online learning. Pearson would compensate Abbosh for leaving Microsoft, including cash and an award of restricted shares equivalent to a maximum of 50,813 Microsoft shares or about 13 million pounds ($16.06 million) at the current price and foreign exchange rates, it said.

Persons: Omar Abbosh, Amir Cohen, Bird, Pearson, Andy Bird, Abbosh, it’s, Hargreaves, Sophie Lund, Yates, Yadarisa Shabong, Eva Mathews, Janane Venkatraman, Jason Neely, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Accenture, Tel Aviv University, Israel, REUTERS, Microsoft, Pearson, Apollo, Microsoft's Industry Solutions, Walt Disney Co, British, Thomson Locations: Abbosh, Bird, London, Bengaluru

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his economic agenda at Prince George's Community College in Largo, Maryland, U.S. September 14, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden told top American rabbis on Thursday that he felt antisemitism has "risen to record levels" and was a big challenge for the entire country, while also taking a dig at Republican former President Donald Trump over the issue. "Antisemitism has risen to record levels," Biden said in a call with U.S. rabbis to commemorate the Jewish High Holidays. The rally followed months of protests over the city's plan to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. More than 3,600 antisemitic incidents were recorded in the United States in 2022, more than in any year since ADL began tracking the issue in 1979.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jonathan Ernst, Donald Trump, Biden, Confederate, Robert E, Lee ., Trump, Trump's, Kanishka Singh, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Prince George's Community College, REUTERS, Rights, Republican, Democratic, University of Virginia, Defamation League, Tel Aviv University, ADL, Thomson Locations: Largo , Maryland, U.S, Charlottesville , Virginia, Lee, Charlottesville, United States

JERUSALEM (AP) — Four Roman-era swords, their wooden and leather hilts and scabbards and steel blades exquisitely preserved after 1,900 years in a desert cave, surfaced in a recent excavation by Israeli archaeologists near the Dead Sea, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Wednesday. The cache of exceptionally intact artifacts was found about two months ago and tells a story of empire and rebellion, of long-distance conquest and local insurrection. The swords were dated based on their typology, and have not yet undergone radiocarbon dating. Political Cartoons View All 1145 ImagesThe cool, arid and stable climate of the desert caves has allowed exceptional preservation of organic remains, including hundreds of ancient parchment fragments known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Archaeologists returned to this particular cave near the desert oasis of Ein Gedi to document an inscription found decades earlier.

Persons: Gedi, ”, Asaf Gayer, Guy Stiebel, —, “ Organizations: JERUSALEM, Israel Antiquities Authority, Survey, Scrolls, Ariel University, Tel, Tel Aviv University, Jewish Locations: Israel, Roman, Judaea, Tel Aviv, “

☆ Archaeologists find 'mystery' ducts near biblical Jerusalem relics
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The knee-deep channels, dating back 2,800 years, are located outside Jerusalem's walled Old City. "We looked at the installation and realised that we had stumbled on something unique," said archaeologist Yiftah Shalev in a joint statement, dubbing the discovery a "mystery". The channels may have been used to prepare a commodity "connected to the economy of the temple or palace", said archaeologist Yuval Gadot in the statement. "The production of linen, for example, requires soaking the flax for a long time to soften it. The find, part of Israel's City of David National Park, will go on public display next week, the statement said.

Persons: Yiftah Shalev, Yuval Gadot, Gadot, Dan Williams, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Israel Antiquities Authority, Tel Aviv University, David, Thomson Locations: Israel, Jerusalem, JERUSALEM, Old City, Israel's City

☆ Christopher Rufo: University DEI Programs Work Against Liberal Education - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Christopher F. Rufo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Today, many universities have consciously or unconsciously abandoned that mission and replaced it with the pursuit of diversity, equity and inclusion. The criticism of such programs might begin with a simple question: Even on its own terms, does D.E.I. Researchers at Harvard and Tel Aviv University studied 30 years of diversity training data from more than 800 U.S. companies and concluded that mandatory diversity training programs had practically no effect on employee attitudes — and sometimes activated bias and feelings of racial hostility. There is no reason to believe that similar programs on university campuses have better outcomes. These programs have become commonplace not only in official “diversity and inclusion” programs, but also throughout administrative and academic departments.

Persons: Anonymous, — Organizations: Harvard, Tel Aviv University, City Journal, Manhattan Institute, The University of Florida, The University of Central, University’s, Social Justice Locations: U.S, United States, The University of Central Florida, Florida

☆ The Once and Future Climate Emergency
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Amanda Taub | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One key insight from the PEPFAR results was that efficiency isn’t enough on its own; leaders need political support to carry out policies, too. Often, the most dollar-for-dollar efficient policies aren’t the ones that excite people — especially when leaders need political momentum for quick action (and funding). But combining efficient policies and those that have strong political appeal can have a powerful effect. Treatment drew greater political support and unlocked additional funding, allowing PEPFAR to ultimately save far more lives than if it were focused only on prevention. One paper, for instance, found that voters reward politicians for delivering emergency relief for natural disasters, but not for investing in natural-disaster preparedness — even though $1 spent on preparedness was worth approximately $15 in emergency response.

Persons: PEPFAR, you’re, ”, Yotam Margalit Organizations: Tel Aviv University

☆ How the Internet Made Flying, Flight Delays, Hidden Airline Fees Worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Gad Allon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Comparing airline prices, fees, and schedules on your own has become standard procedure. And they've introduced a complex system of additional fees, often hidden, for services that used to be included in the ticket price. In order to give that flight the appearance of being on-time, the airline might list the flight duration as three hours. This practice allows airlines to improve their on-time performance and reduce the risk of delays while ultimately boosting cost efficiency. Since everyone became their own travel agent and airlines began fiercely competing over price and on-time performance, airlines have shifted their focus.

Persons: They've, Itai, Eugene Orlov, it's, Orlov, Vinayak Deshpande, Mazhar Arıkan, Jan, Van Mieghem, Yuval Salant, Dennis J, Zhang, Louis, Gad Allon, Jerome Fisher Organizations: Google, Airline Industry, Tel Aviv University, Spirit Airlines, Ryanair, University of North, University of Kansas, Northwestern University, Washington University, Jerome Fisher Program, Management, Technology, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Locations: Ater, US, Ireland, University of North Carolina, St

☆ Israel's Shin Bet spy service uses generative AI to thwart threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TEL AVIV, June 27 (Reuters) - Israel's Shin Bet security service has incorporated artificial intelligence into its tradecraft and used the technology to foil substantial threats, its director said on Tuesday, highlighting generative AI's potential for law-enforcement. Among measures taken by the Shin Bet - the Israeli counterpart of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations or Britain's MI5 - has been the creation of its own generative AI platform, akin to ChatGPT or Bard, director Ronen Bar said. "AI technology has been incorporated quite naturally into the Shin Bet's interdiction machine," Bar said in a speech to the Cyber Week conference hosted by Tel Aviv University. Acknowledging the public-domain backbone of the fast-emerging technology, Bar urged cooperation between commercial hi-tech and government agencies such as his "to ensure AI leads to evolution and not to revolution". With Israel still pondering its AI policies, Bar called for the expected regulations to include a review of Shin Bet-related laws as well as a redefinition of official secrecy.

Persons: Shin, Bard, Ronen Bar, Bar, Israel, Shin Bet, Dan Williams, Conor Humphries Organizations: U.S . Federal Bureau of Investigations, Tel Aviv University, Shin, Thomson Locations: TEL AVIV, Israel

☆ OpenAI CEO sees 'huge' Israeli role in reducing risks from the technology
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A view shows banners on the Tel Aviv University campus as Sam Altman, CEO of Microsoft-backed OpenAI and ChatGPT creator is due to speak in Tel Aviv, Israel June 5, 2023. REUTERS/Amir CohenTEL AVIV, June 5 (Reuters) - OpenAI CEO Sam Altman predicted on Monday a "huge role" for Israel in reducing risks from artificial intelligence and eyed investment opportunities in the country even as it debates whether and how to regulate the technology behind ChatGPT. "The energy on making use of the technology and its positive benefits is fantastic to see, and I am sure Israel will play a huge role." Visiting Microsoft Corp's R&D centre in Israel, Altman was asked whether his company might also open a local office. Israel published a 115-page draft AI policy in October and is collating public feedback ahead of a final decision.

Persons: Sam Altman, Amir Cohen TEL, Altman, Isaac Herzog, OpenAI, ChatGPT, Ziv Katzir, Benjamin Netanyahu, Dan Williams, Emelia Sithole, Alex Richardson Organizations: Tel Aviv University, Microsoft, REUTERS, ChatGPT, crisscrossing, Stanford University, European, Israel Innovation Authority, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Amir Cohen TEL AVIV, crisscrossing Europe, Jordan, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, India, South Korea, United States, Britain, Canada, U.S

☆ Black Sea urchins have disappeared from the Gulf of Aqaba. Their loss could kill off an entire coral reef
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Hadas Gold | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Black sea urchins. The epidemic only affects the black sea urchins, and was even killing them in the research lab's tanks, and Eilat's aquarium -- which all use freshly circulating seawater. Black sea urchins feed on the algae that grows on the reef. The first step, needed in the coming weeks, is to establish "broodstock populations" that will eventually help repopulate and reintroduce the black sea urchins into the region. But the surviving sea urchins that could be used to do so are themselves under threat.

Persons: Omri Bronstein, Bronstein, we've, Bornstein, they're, " Bronstein, Omri Omesi, Omesi, he's Organizations: CNN, Tel, Tel Aviv University, Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences, Israel Nature, Parks Authority Locations: Eilat, Israel, Aqaba, Tel Aviv, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Turkey, Caribbean, Syria, Lebanon

☆ A new long Covid treatment shows promise, but insurance won't cover it and some doctors are skeptical: Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Some long Covid patients swear by the treatment, with one describing it to CNBC Make It as a "total game changer." That's a huge stumbling block for many medical experts, who caution against viewing it as a universal remedy for long Covid. Most of the ones who do get treated have reported improved long Covid symptoms, the clinic adds. That's because a variety of underlying physiological conditions — like chronic lung issues, for example — can "drive different manifestations of long Covid," says Dr. Lucy Horton, an infectious disease physician who founded the long Covid clinic at UC San Diego Health. "For many [Covid] long haulers, including myself, financial freedom is gone because we can't work full-time."

☆ Plants let out an ultrasonic scream when their leaves are cut or they don't get enough water
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

They may be filling your house with deafening clicks, but these are too high for you to hear, scientists have found. Plants that aren't stressed are almost quietTomato plants are being recorded in a greenhouse in this picture from Tel Aviv University. For instance, tomato plants emit sounds of stress before they started looking dehydrated, Hadany said. Animals — and perhaps even plants — may be able to hear the soundsA fruit bat might be one of the animals who can hear noises from plants. It's also possible plants themselves could react to these sounds, Hadany said.

TEL AVIV, Israel, March 1 (Reuters) - Israeli police fired stun grenades and scuffles broke out in Tel Aviv on Wednesday during a nationwide "day of disruption", raising the intensity of weeks of protests against a contentious government plan to shake up the judiciary. In images not seen in Tel Aviv demonstrations in years, police on horseback tried to stop demonstrators breaching barricades as traffic piled up. [1/6] Israelis demonstrate as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist coalition government presses on with its contentious judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, Israel, March 1, 2023. Ambassador Tom Nides said at Tel Aviv University's conference of the Institute for National Security Studies on Tuesday. Reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem; Rami Amichay and Amir Cohen in Tel Aviv; Editing by Sharon Singleton, Nick Macfie and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Israeli protesters block highway as government presses on with judicial overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, March 1 (Reuters) - Israeli protesters blocked the main highway from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Wednesday, as lawmakers were set to plough ahead with a contentious judicial overhaul that opponents see as a threat to democracy. "Israel is not a dictatorship, Israel is not Hungary," the protesters called, waving blue and white Israeli flags. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would not allow a "mutiny", or "anarchists" to block roads. In parliament on Wednesday, the Knesset's Constitution, Justice and Law Committee was set to give initial approval to more proposals in the plan. Ambassador Tom Nides said at Tel Aviv University's conference of the Institute for National Security Studies late on Tuesday.

☆ Israel arrests suspects in settler rampage described by general as 'pogrom'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, March 1 (Reuters) - Police have arrested six suspects over a settler rampage in the occupied West Bank earlier this week that an Israeli general described as a "pogrom" and which followed a deadly Palestinian gun attack. Israeli police said on Wednesday they expected to make more arrests during their ongoing investigation into the settler violence in and around Huwara, a Palestinian village where the two Israeli brothers from a nearby settlement were shot dead. "The incident in Huwara was a pogrom carried out by outlaws," he told N12 News late on Tuesday. A 'pogrom' is a mob attack, often approved by authorities, against a religious, racial, or national minority. POLITICAL TENSIONSFuchs' comments came amid increased tensions within the nationalist-religious government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which includes hard-line settlers demanding tough action against Palestinian attacks.

☆ Al Qaeda's new leader Adel has $10 million bounty on his head
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Michael Georgy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Zawahiri's death piled pressure on the group to choose a strategic leader who can carefully plan deadly operations and run a jihadi network, experts on al Qaeda say. The department’s Rewards for Justice programme is offering up to $10 million for information on Adel, whom it says is a member of "al Qaeda’s leadership council” and heads the organisation’s military committee. He and other Al Qaeda leaders were placed under house arrest in April 2003 by Iran, which released him and four others in exchange for an Iranian diplomat who was kidnapped in Yemen. OPERATIVE TO LEADERAdel, one of the few remaining al Qaeda old guard, has been close to the central command for decades, experts say. Adel gained more jihadi credentials after he joined other Arab militants fighting Soviet occupation troops in Afghanistan, where he eventually headed a training camp before becoming a senior figure in al Qaeda.

☆ Salary Transparency Is Coming — so I Decided to Tell Everyone What I Make
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Aki Ito | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +37 min

But there's a glaring catch to my support for pay transparency: I haven't actually practiced it in my own life. To find out why, I decided to commemorate the dawning age of salary transparency by telling pretty much everyone in my life what I earn. Norway responded to pay transparency with yet another level of transparency, and that brought down the level of snooping.. Thanks to its nationwide experiment, Norway has been fertile ground for scholars trying to measure the consequences of extreme pay transparency. But I do believe that as more states implement pay-disclosure laws — and as Gen Z increasingly comes to dominate the workforce — salary transparency is going to become the new norm.

☆ Elon Musk asked Twitter users whether he should stay on as CEO, but he'd already made up his mind to go
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk ran a poll asking Twitter users if he should step down as CEO and the majority said yes. Musk said that he'd abide by the results of the poll, though he's so far not commented on the outcome. By posing the stay-or-go question in an online poll, Musk is able to to portray himself as a magnanimous chief who listens to his constituents. In resigning his post by virtue of a vote, Musk can boost his personal wealth and return to his beloved car company under the guise of democratic leadership. Shares of Tesla rose on Monday after the Twitter poll results, though they ended the day largely unchanged, trading at just below $150.

☆ Streaming TV shows are 21st-century 'cathedrals', screenwriting guru McKee says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Screenwriting mentor Robert McKee speaks at Tel Aviv University on the final leg of the farewell tour for his lecture series in Tel Aviv, Israel November 24, 2022. "I see the future as rather brilliant, but it's not in the cinema," McKee told Reuters during a visit to Israel, the final leg for the farewell tour of his lecture series. "And great television does exactly that," added McKee, the author of five books who has, for decades, delivered what the New York Times dubbed "the most popular screenwriting seminar in the country" to tens of thousands of students. "I don't care," about the changing economics, said McKee, who plans to develop a new seminar which he will deliver online. "My quest is: How can I make these irreducible components of story clearer so that people will get it faster and better?"

☆ Scientists reconstruct epic biblical battles in groundbreaking new study
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Using readings of ancient geomagnetic fields which have been preserved over time in mud bricks from sites destroyed by fire and in two collections of ceramic objects, scientists from the Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University have dated these remnants more accurately. The method has been used in the past but never to this extent. [1/5] An aerial view shows visitors at Tel Lachish archaeological site in southern Israel, October 25, 2022. The study's findings indicate, for example, that the army of Hazael, King of Aram-Damascus first mentioned in the Book of Kings, was responsible for the destruction of several cities including Tel Rehov, Tel Zayit and Horvat Tevet. Reporting by Emily Rose Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

A view shows the border wall between Lebanon and Israel as pictured from Kfar Kila village, southern Lebanon, October 11, 2022. The agreement is meant to resolve a territorial dispute in the eastern Mediterranean sea in an area where Lebanon aims to explore for natural gas. It was also endorsed by the heavily armed, Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, which until recently has threatened to attack Israeli gas facilities, according to two officials. While Israel has moved ahead with production and export of natural gas, Lebanon's efforts have been hamstrung by political dysfunction. An Israeli official said final approval was expected within the next three weeks.

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