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Next week, the band Izabo will represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest, but until then, the promo video of their song ‘Time,’ featuring various sites in Tel Aviv, is getting a lot of attention, due to the special technique in which it was shot.

The video, which shows the group’s faces as paper cut outs on almost every famous corner in Tel Aviv, was not a post-production animation, but actual cut-out faces that were made prior to the shooting. The interesting technique is explained in the “Behind the Scenes” clip that is being posted on YouTube over the weekend.

“I knew i wanted to do somthing with time lapse, shots moving in fast motion over a period of time,” director Eran (Shushu) Spanier tells Abbanibi.com, “but I knew I wanted to do something fresh with it. I thought it would be interesting to combine time lapse with stop motion (making animation by shooting objects in small increments) and together with my two partners- Shirley Eva Bahar & Idan Gilboa we started testing the music video tecnique- taking face cut outs frames made from a shot of a band member singing a line in the song and gluing them in fixed intervals onto interesting objects across the city.”

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Jowan Qupty, who holds best Israeli result in 100m breaststroke, wins Swimming Association appeal demanding he be allowed to compete in EU Swimming Championship

Arab-Israeli swimmer Jowan Qupty will represent Israel in the European Swimming Championship. Qupty, 22, was originally denied a spot on the national team. He won a Swimmer’s Association appeal over the decision on Thursday.

According to the Swimming Association, Qupty’s participation in the competition depends on his achieving a better result in the 100m breaststroke than that of Imri Ganiel, who was chosen to compete in the event.

Qupty was excluded from the 100×4 mixed relay set to take place at the swimming championship in Debrecen, Hungary, in June, despite the fact that his result in the 100m breaststroke was better than Ganiel’s.

“We shouldn’t have had to deal with this situation to begin with, but the (Swimming Association) eventually came to the right decision. Justice was done. I’m going to win the competition which will hopefully bring us closer to the Olympics,” Qupty told Ynet after the ruling.

Attorney Eyal Yaffe who represented Qupty said: “Qupty will represent Israel in the best possible way. Every swimmer on that team deserves their spot and so does Jowan, who earned his place just like any other swimmer did. I’m positive he won’t disappoint the association in the competition.”

The saga came to an end on Thursday after the parties involved took part in a mediation session led by Sarah Frish and Ofir Katz who were asked to bring an end to the conflict ahead of Friday, due to it being the last day for the championship’s registration.

The two parties consisting of the Swimming Association’s legal team, Qupty and his attorney sat for three hours before coming to an agreement.

The association claimed that Qupty did not meet the criteria required in order to participate in the championship.

Qupty’s attorney countered the association’s claims by presenting evidence which showed that in other championships, swimmers who did not meet the required criteria still participated in the competition.

Yaffe further addressed Qupty’s result in the 100m breaststroke which is clearly better than that of Ganiel, who was picked to compete in the event. The evidence shown was intended to prove that the designated spot on the swim team should go to the better swimmer.

Source: Ynetnews.com

Much of the southern city will close on Saturday as athletes swim, bike and run.

The city of Eilat has been busy this week, preparing for the first triathlon European Championship ever to be held in Israel. Athletes, including many of Europe’s best, have been arriving all week, to compete in the event this weekend.

“We’re very primed and excited,” Idan Sandak, secretary general of the national triathlon association, told Haaretz on Thursday. “It’s an exceptional event. We’re closing off most of the city for the entire weekend.”

Over 700 athletes from 35 nations, including 300 Israelis, will compete in the race, which consists of a 1,500 meter swim, a 40-km bike ride and 10-km run.

The men’s event will include competitors from 25 countries; Spaniard Javier Gomez is the favorite. He is ranked first in the world and is the world champion as well as a former European champion. Also competing will be Russia’s Alexander Bryukhankov, number six in the world, and Joao Silva of Portugal.

Israeli triathlon fans will be disappointed by the absence of the Alterman brothers, Ran and Dan. Ran, who failed to qualify for the London Olympics, was injured last year and only returned to the sport recently. Dan is preparing for competitions next month in Mexico and San Diego, where he will have a chance to book his place in the Olympiad.

The brothers told Haaretz they wanted to represent Israel, but that the timing was wrong. After years of sacrificing a lot to prepare for the Olympics, they had to make what they described as a very painful decision and pass up on Eilat.

Sandak said it was a real shame the Altermans won’t be participating. “Ran and Dan are our leading athletes,” he said. “We wanted to see them represent the country.”

In their absence, Israel’s top athlete this weekend will be 19-year-old Ron Dermon, one of the country’s big hopes for the 2016 Rio Games.

‘I’ll give my all until my legs can’t give any more,’ vows Ron Dermon, Israel’s top athlete in the race.

Dermon arrived from Australia this week, so he says he’s a little tired but feels great and is ready. “Because this competition is at home, I want to put on a show, but first of all it’s important to stick to the lead in the race. I’ll give my all until my legs can’t give any more. I feel on top of the swimming and riding, and I want to improve the running.”

On the women’s side, Nicola Spirig of Switzerland and Rachel Klamer of the Netherlands will be the leading participants among athletes from 22 countries. Israel’s female representative in the race will be 20-year-old Fanny Beisaron, who finished in sixth place in the 2010 Youth Olympics. Beisaron was drafted into the IDF Wednesday and was given a temporary release to participate in this weekend’s race.

In addition to the elite races tomorrow, the weekend will include European Championships for various age groups as well as a Paralympic race.

Source: Haaretz.com

Recycling data for 2011 suggest 50% of all plastic bottles in Israel are recycled; 200,000 tons of bottles recycled

A new report by the ELA Beverage Containers Collection Corporation suggests that in 2011 Israelis recycled over 50% of their plastic bottles – more than their American and European counterparts.

The annual plastic bottle recycling rates was 29% in the US and 48% in Europe.

According to the report, some 20,000 tons of bottles were recycled in 2011, and since the prices of recyclable packages in Israel carry a consumer deposit, the public has been able to regain NIS 1.04 billion (roughly $280 million) in deposit fees over the past decade.

ELA’s report noted that, in total, 77% of all beverage containers, both plastic and glass, were collected for recycling, exceeding government targets of 73%, amounting to some 600 million bottles.

The report’s segmentation said that households recycled about 41% of all beverage containers – about 300 million bottles – also surpassing a the government’s 35% goal.

ELA Chairwoman Nehama Ronen said that, “A year since the Packaging Law came into force – we succeeded in surpassing the goals set for us by the Environmental Protection Ministry.”

The cooperation further notes that in the past year 140 municipalities and regional councils nationwide installed 4,400 new recycling bins, bringing the country’s total number of recycling points to 15,000.

ELA said that the most successful recycling cities in 2011 were Kiryat Ono and Givat Shmuel, and the most successful regional councils were Arava Kfar Shmaryahu. Bnei Brak set a municipal record in 2011, going from having only seven recycling bins across the city to exceeding 400.

“As we gear to implement the Waste Separation Law in Israel, this data suggests that the Israeli public is committed to the issue of recycling,” Ronen said.

Source: Ynetnews.com

200 representatives from 50 countries will participate in Interpol conference scheduled for May in Tel Aviv • Israeli police officials will take the opportunity to speak with their French counterparts about extraditing Lee Zeitouni’s killers.

srael was chosen by top European police officials to host the annual International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) conference on May 8-10, marking a historical first for the country.

The three-day conference will take place in Tel Aviv and will include 200 representatives from 50 countries.

The conference seeks to bring police forces from the various member countries together to coordinate their crime fighting strategies.

Attendees will include members of Interpol’s executive committee, Israeli and European ministers, police chiefs, observers and police officers involved in the investigations and extraditions of Israeli criminals who have fled to other countries.

Interpol members like Italy have cooperated with Israeli police in the past. In August 2007, Italian police arrested Boaz Yona, former CEO of the failed Heftsiba construction company, who was accused of embezzlement and fraud. Yona fled to Italy and was found hiding in the resort town of Castelnuovo del Garda when he was arrested. He was then extradited to Israel in 2008 and was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Italian police have also provided Israel with information concerning Israelis abroad who have been involved in criminal activities relating to casinos and prostitution.

A senior Israeli police official told Israel Hayom on Wednesday that the Israeli delegation to the conference intends to raise the case of Lee Zeitouni’s killers with their French counterparts.

Zeitouni, who was 25 at the time of her death, was killed in a hit-and-run accident in September. Claude Issac, 40, was allegedly at the wheel of a black BMW SUV registered to his friend, Eric Rubic, 38, who was in the passenger seat, when they hit Zeitouni in Tel Aviv. Rather than stopping the car or slowing down after hitting her, witnesses reported that the driver of the SUV continued down the road at a high speed. Both suspects, who are French nationals, fled back to France after the incident. The Israel Police subsequently asked Interpol to issue an international warrant for their arrest. After their arrest in France, Israel’s Justice Ministry sought to ask Paris to extradite them to Israel to stand trial. However, the French have so far refused to do so as Israel and France do not have an extradition treaty.

Interpol is considered the second largest international police organization in the world, with 190 member states. The organization enables police and other law enforcement agencies from different countries to transcend borders and share crime-related information. Information transferred between members is secured through advanced encryption methods and the organization maintains operational police databases.

Israel joined Interpol in 1949 and a local branch, known as “Interpol National Central Bureau for Israel,” was set up in the country as part of the Intelligence Branch of the Investigations and Intelligence Department. Similar branches are located in nine European countries

Until 2006, Israel belonged to Interpol’s Asia group, which hampered its ability to cooperate with the organization as most of Israel’s international crime-related operations involved European countries. Israel was then moved to the European group when current Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino served as head of the Investigations and Intelligence Department.

“The Israel Police is proud to host those leading the struggle against crime and terrorism, for the first time since [Interpol] was established and since Israel joined Interpol,” Danino said. “There is no doubt that the European continent faces many challenges today and cooperation is vital to contain crime and maintain public order for the sake of all citizens.”

Source: IsraelHayom

Israel and the European Union have finalized an ‘open skies’ agreement, which will allow all European airlines to operate direct lines to Israel, and allow Israel to do the same across EU-member nations’ skies. (Ynet)

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