LEADIN

Israel's first whisky (also spelt whiskey) distillery is preparing to release the country's first Single Malt whisky.

100 bottles are set to be released by auction from The Milk and Honey distillery later this month.

STORYLINE

Smooth, honey-brown whisky (also spelt whiskey) is not the first thing that pops to mind when you think of Israel. But at The Milk and Honey Distillery, rows of casks proudly stamped "Tel Aviv" hold litres of the stuff.

The country's first whisky distillery is preparing to release Israel's first Single Malt whisky.

Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO, describes it as a young whisky with a lot of woodiness and fruitiness:

"It's complex for its age, as I told you the taste feels like more than three years, more like seven or eight and again the story is much more important in this case. This is the first ever single malt whisky that any distillery released from Israel."

While wine has been produced in the Holy Land for centuries with modern day Israeli wines recently gaining international renown, whisky production is new to the country.

Milk and Honey was created in 2012 and began distilling whisky in 2015. One hundred bottles of the Single Malt are set to be released at an online auction starting 11 August 2017, while the remaining 291 will be sold at a later date.

The drink is also "ultra-kosher" according to Attir.

"Kosher is one thing that we do here differently. We are like the ultra-kosher distillery you can find I guess in the world. Because whisky by definition is kosher but here it is much more. We don't work on Saturdays, we don't work on Yom Kippur or Passover and we want to symbolise our being Jewish or Israeli and then we called it the Milk and Honey Distillery," he says.

The Single Malt was made in Israel from start to finish, according to the company's website. The climate in Israel allows for a speedier aging process than for whisky made in colder climes, according to Ran Latowicz, an Israeli whisky connoisseur and bar owner.

"This whisky is unique because of where it comes from. It comes from a warm climate country which is a place that's a lot harder to make whisky. In colder climates like Scotland or Ireland, whisky usually ages for about seven to ten to twelve years before it's even bottled because this is just the way, you know, it gets to its full potential, at least to the beginning of its full potential. The warm climate thing in Israel speeds up the process and actually makes a three year old whisky feel a lot older," he says.

The distillery believes it is well positioned to ride a wave of international interest in new world whiskies and hopes this initial offering whets the appetites of aficionados everywhere.

"There's a huge demand nowadays for whisky from other places around the world, a new world whisky. There's more than 70 countries now with a minimum of one distillery and one of them is Israel. So the demand now is for new things, new stories, new markets, new tastes and I think we're going to be a part of this amazing wave," says Attir.

Israel may have long been known as the land of milk and honey, but now the company which uses that phrase as its name hopes to make it the land of Single Malt whisky.

Tel Aviv - 10 August 2017

1. Whisky (whiskey) being removed from cask and poured into glasses

2. Tilt up of whisky casks

3. More of casks

4. The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO Eitan Attir walking through warehouse

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO

"It's a young whisky, let's be honest, it's only three years of 3.2 actually but it's a very unique combination between two and a half years in a new American virgin oak, and seven months in an ex-bourbon one so it has a lot of woodiness and a lot of fruitiness inside as well. It's complex for its age, as I told you the taste feels like more than three years, more like seven or eight and again the story is much more important in this case. This is the first ever single malt whisky that any distillery released from Israel."

6. Pan left of casks

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO

"The Milk and Honey is the first whisky distillery here in Israel and we already set the first ever whisky single malt whisky and we're going to sell it in an auction, numbers 1 up to 100 out of 391 bottles from the single cask series are going for auction in whiskyauctioneer.com."

8. Various of barley and malt on production line

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO

"Milk and Honey is the name of the distillery actually and also of the whisky that was released because Israel is well known as the milk and honey land. So we are very, very proud of being Israeli. We are very proud of being Jewish. We want to shout it to the world about the Milk and Honey Distillery. Kosher is one thing that we do here differently. We are like the ultra-kosher distillery you can find I guess in the world. Because whisky by definition is kosher but here it is much more. We don't work on Saturdays, we don't work on Yom Kippur or Passover and we want to symbolise our being Jewish or Israeli and then we called it the Milk and Honey Distillery."

10. Various of signs showing production details in English and Hebrew

11. Pan left of warehouse

12. Establishing shot of Ran Latovicz, whisky expert

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Ran Latovicz, whisky expert

"This spirit is very complex, very…I call it an intelligent whisky. It's a whisky that develops. A whisky that you can keep it in the glass for 25 minutes and it develops again and I'm very excited, a lot of people all around the world are very excited to see where this spirit and where this whisky is going to be in about three or four, five years from now."

14. Close of whisky in glass

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Ran Latovicz, whiskey expert

"This whisky is unique because of where it comes from. It comes from a warm climate country which is a place that's a lot harder to make whisky. In colder climates like Scotland or Ireland, whisky usually ages for about seven to ten to twelve years before it's even bottled because this is just the way, you know, it gets to its full potential, at least to the beginning of its full potential. The warm climate thing in Israel speeds up the process and actually makes a three year old whisky feel a lot older."

16. Various of whisky production facility

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO

"There's a huge demand nowadays for whisky from other places around the world, a new world whisky. There's more than 70 countries now with a minimum of one distillery and one of them is Israel. So the demand now is for new things, new stories, new markets, new tastes and I think we're going to be a part of this amazing wave."

18. Whisky being poured from cask to glass

LEADIN

Israel's first whisky (also spelt whiskey) distillery is preparing to release the country's first Single Malt whisky.

100 bottles are set to be released by auction from The Milk and Honey distillery later this month.

STORYLINE

Smooth, honey-brown whisky (also spelt whiskey) is not the first thing that pops to mind when you think of Israel. But at The Milk and Honey Distillery, rows of casks proudly stamped "Tel Aviv" hold litres of the stuff.

The country's first whisky distillery is preparing to release Israel's first Single Malt whisky.

Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO, describes it as a young whisky with a lot of woodiness and fruitiness:

"It's complex for its age, as I told you the taste feels like more than three years, more like seven or eight and again the story is much more important in this case. This is the first ever single malt whisky that any distillery released from Israel."

While wine has been produced in the Holy Land for centuries with modern day Israeli wines recently gaining international renown, whisky production is new to the country.

Milk and Honey was created in 2012 and began distilling whisky in 2015. One hundred bottles of the Single Malt are set to be released at an online auction starting 11 August 2017, while the remaining 291 will be sold at a later date.

The drink is also "ultra-kosher" according to Attir.

"Kosher is one thing that we do here differently. We are like the ultra-kosher distillery you can find I guess in the world. Because whisky by definition is kosher but here it is much more. We don't work on Saturdays, we don't work on Yom Kippur or Passover and we want to symbolise our being Jewish or Israeli and then we called it the Milk and Honey Distillery," he says.

The Single Malt was made in Israel from start to finish, according to the company's website. The climate in Israel allows for a speedier aging process than for whisky made in colder climes, according to Ran Latowicz, an Israeli whisky connoisseur and bar owner.

"This whisky is unique because of where it comes from. It comes from a warm climate country which is a place that's a lot harder to make whisky. In colder climates like Scotland or Ireland, whisky usually ages for about seven to ten to twelve years before it's even bottled because this is just the way, you know, it gets to its full potential, at least to the beginning of its full potential. The warm climate thing in Israel speeds up the process and actually makes a three year old whisky feel a lot older," he says.

The distillery believes it is well positioned to ride a wave of international interest in new world whiskies and hopes this initial offering whets the appetites of aficionados everywhere.

"There's a huge demand nowadays for whisky from other places around the world, a new world whisky. There's more than 70 countries now with a minimum of one distillery and one of them is Israel. So the demand now is for new things, new stories, new markets, new tastes and I think we're going to be a part of this amazing wave," says Attir.

Israel may have long been known as the land of milk and honey, but now the company which uses that phrase as its name hopes to make it the land of Single Malt whisky.

Tel Aviv - 10 August 2017

1. Whisky (whiskey) being removed from cask and poured into glasses

2. Tilt up of whisky casks

3. More of casks

4. The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO Eitan Attir walking through warehouse

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO

"It's a young whisky, let's be honest, it's only three years of 3.2 actually but it's a very unique combination between two and a half years in a new American virgin oak, and seven months in an ex-bourbon one so it has a lot of woodiness and a lot of fruitiness inside as well. It's complex for its age, as I told you the taste feels like more than three years, more like seven or eight and again the story is much more important in this case. This is the first ever single malt whisky that any distillery released from Israel."

6. Pan left of casks

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO

"The Milk and Honey is the first whisky distillery here in Israel and we already set the first ever whisky single malt whisky and we're going to sell it in an auction, numbers 1 up to 100 out of 391 bottles from the single cask series are going for auction in whiskyauctioneer.com."

8. Various of barley and malt on production line

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO

"Milk and Honey is the name of the distillery actually and also of the whisky that was released because Israel is well known as the milk and honey land. So we are very, very proud of being Israeli. We are very proud of being Jewish. We want to shout it to the world about the Milk and Honey Distillery. Kosher is one thing that we do here differently. We are like the ultra-kosher distillery you can find I guess in the world. Because whisky by definition is kosher but here it is much more. We don't work on Saturdays, we don't work on Yom Kippur or Passover and we want to symbolise our being Jewish or Israeli and then we called it the Milk and Honey Distillery."

10. Various of signs showing production details in English and Hebrew

11. Pan left of warehouse

12. Establishing shot of Ran Latovicz, whisky expert

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Ran Latovicz, whisky expert

"This spirit is very complex, very…I call it an intelligent whisky. It's a whisky that develops. A whisky that you can keep it in the glass for 25 minutes and it develops again and I'm very excited, a lot of people all around the world are very excited to see where this spirit and where this whisky is going to be in about three or four, five years from now."

14. Close of whisky in glass

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Ran Latovicz, whiskey expert

"This whisky is unique because of where it comes from. It comes from a warm climate country which is a place that's a lot harder to make whisky. In colder climates like Scotland or Ireland, whisky usually ages for about seven to ten to twelve years before it's even bottled because this is just the way, you know, it gets to its full potential, at least to the beginning of its full potential. The warm climate thing in Israel speeds up the process and actually makes a three year old whisky feel a lot older."

16. Various of whisky production facility

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Eitan Attir, The Milk and Honey Distillery CEO

"There's a huge demand nowadays for whisky from other places around the world, a new world whisky. There's more than 70 countries now with a minimum of one distillery and one of them is Israel. So the demand now is for new things, new stories, new markets, new tastes and I think we're going to be a part of this amazing wave."

18. Whisky being poured from cask to glass

Computer chip maker Intel will buy Israel's Mobileye in a deal valued at more than 15 (b) billion US dollars, instantly propelling the computer chip and technology giant to the forefront of autonomous vehicle technology.

The deal combines Mobileye's market-leading software that processes information from cameras and other sensors with Intel's hardware, data centres and its own software, giving automakers a one-stop place to shop for fully autonomous car systems.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal was the largest in the country's history and cemented Israel's reputation as a "centre of innovation".

The combination, expected to close by year's end, will allow the companies to bring components to market faster at a lower cost, solidifying Mobileye's leadership position, officials from the companies said.

Automakers and some technology companies are testing autonomous vehicles in California, Michigan and a few other states.

Nearly all use Mobileye's software, which reads inputs from cameras, radar, and laser sensors and makes decisions on what an autonomous car should do.

Jerusalem-based Mobileye says it has contracts with 27 different automakers.

It also makes software that runs automatic emergency braking and semi-autonomous cruise control systems that are in cars and trucks on the road today.

The combined global autonomous driving company, which includes Mobileye and Intel's autonomous driving group, will be based in Israel, supporting both companies' existing production programmes and building on relationships with automakers.

Jerusalem - 14 March 2017

1. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shaking hands with officials

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel:

"The significance of what is happening, to us in Israel, is obvious. This opens up avenues for the Israeli economy, for the growth that we seek for all our collective and individual purposes. But I think for the world it's something else. The world has, sees here, in Israel a centre of innovation that is unique. I think outside the United States this is the place where you have, the other place, the other place, where you see this cross-fertilisation of great minds that are producing new conceptual products that are indeed changing the world, changing the world for the better."

3. Wide of news conference

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Krzanich, CEO of Intel:

"We're really excited about this joining. I just want to say we'll be centred here in Jerusalem led by Amnon (Amnon Shashua, co-founder of Mobileye). He will lead Intel's overall autonomous vehicle efforts across the whole company, not just here in Israel. We'll be folding in operations in the US, underneath the operation here with Amnon and Ziv (Ziv Aviram, Mobileye CEO). And we are really looking at this as a way to accelerate this industry and have it to be driven from a technical and innovation standpoint out of here (Israel)."

Jerusalem - 13 March 2017

5. Various extriors of Intel offices

6. Various exteriors of Mobileye offices

7. Workers being checked before driving into garage of Mobileye building

Jerusalem - 14 March 2017

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Amnon Shashua, co-founder of Mobileye:

"But it's not about money, it is about extending our possibilities. If you look at Mobileye in the past two years what happened since our IPO (initial public offering), we spread our wings into areas that require a lot of resources and lots of know-how that will takes us time to build, to build up. We spanned our wings towards mapping, we spanned our wings towards system building, towards intelligence of driving. All of these things take time to build, take time to get the resources. And Intel already has those resources. Intel has mapping-ingestion resources, Intel has data centres, Intel has systems-building people, Intel has of course Silicon (Valley) know how and communications and many things that we do not have."

9. Cutaway of media

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Krzanich, CEO of Intel:

"The car industry moves at a different pace, unfortunately. And you're talking to car manufacturers today about 2019 and 2020 models, so if you really want to get ahead in this in the next decade you've got to make these kinds of moves now."

11. Cutaway of media

12. Officials leaving

+REPLAY+

ISRAEL SEAWEED PLASTIC

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTIONS: AP Clients Only

LENGTH: 6:52

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Gaza city, Gaza Strip, 9 March 2019

1. Wide of plastic waste near sea

2. Close up plastic cups

3. Wide of plastic waste near sea

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Tel Aviv, Israel - 20 February 2019

4. Lab where seaweed is grown

5. Various of seaweed being grown in the lab - shows fermentation of micro-organisms  that will turn into bioplastics polymer which feed on seaweed

6. Dr Alexander Golberg tending to seaweed

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Alexander Golberg, Tel Aviv's University Porter School of Environmental and Earth Sciences

"Our solution for the growing plastic consumption is to produce polymers which are used in plastics inside the single-cell marine organisms. So since the organisms produce it, the polymers are biodegradable, which means that they will not take a lot of time in the sea and they will be decomposed very fast. That's a major difference from the regular plastic. But to make these polymers micro organisms need food. And the food, in our case comes from seaweeds. Seaweeds are marine organisms which we can grow in the sea without any use of arable land and drinking water. And that's why our process is very different from all others proposed today. All our production process is built on organisms which grow in the seawater."

8. Various of seaweed being grown in the lab - shows fermentation of micro organisms that will turn into bioplastics polymer which feed on seaweed

9. Prof. Michael Gozin, Tel Aviv's University School of Chemistry talking to researchers who work on the project

10. Close up of bioplastic polymer made from seaweed in Prof. Michael Gozin's hand

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Gozin, Professor at Tel Aviv's University School of Chemistry:

"We have a marine manufactured bio-plastic which is biodegradable. This is, this could be a revolutionary product with a really low cost, with a target price of about one dollar per kilogram. This is polyester, polyesters are usually made from oil but here it's manufactured by organisms. These plastics could be used for production of clothing, of food packaging, for containers and many other applications."

12. Various of scientists working on the fermentation of micro-organisms that will turn into bioplastics polymer which feed on seaweed

13. Dr Alexander Golberg tending to seaweed

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Gozin, Professor at Tel Aviv's University School of Chemistry:

"The biological organisms are collected, are removed from water and then they are dried, crushed and the polymer is extracted out of these materials. And then the polymer could be further processed and purified to reach specifications demanded by the industry."

15. Various of bio-plastic polymer made of seaweed in bottle

16. Exterior of Porter School of Environmental and Earth Sciences at Tel Aviv University

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Tel Aviv - 21 February 2019

17. Plastic waste piled up

18. Maya Jacobs, CEO of Zalul picking up a plastic bag from the ground

19. Various plastic waste

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Maya Jacobs, CEO of Zalul:

"The best thing that happened to the world is that China declared that it won't receive any more international garbage and therefore suddenly everybody is piling up with their own garbage and they understand that they need to find a solution. And suddenly we find that there is a lot of new ideas. We see seaweed becoming into new kinds of materials and hemp which is made out of cannabis and there are new kinds of germs that are developed that eat the plastic and can create a solution. And others know how to make it go back into oil and to do the basic material. There needs to be a lot more money invested into this in order to have research, also to understand the impacts of these new materials and also in order to have real markets develop, and it's all an issue of supply and demand. And once you see that there is more demand the prices will come down, because right now the prices are still quite high but governments need to invest in this it needs to be a high priority for governments all over."

21. Bird pecking at plastic

22. Zoom in on plastic waste

LEAD IN:

From bags to bottles, some 13 million tons of plastic flows into our oceans every year, according to a UN report (published 2018).

It's claimed that if the present trend continues, our oceans could contain more plastic than fish by 2050.

Now researchers at Tel Aviv University have found a way to make biodegradable plastic that derives from micro-organisms that feed on seaweed.

STORYLINE:

Plastic waste lies strewn on beaches around the world from the Gaza Strip to the Galapagos.

Washed in by the tide, it mixes with seaweed and is often mistaken by birds and animals as food.

Marine species ingest or become entangled by plastic debris, sometimes causing injury or even death. The UN says 100,000 marine animals die each year due to plastic related causes.

Now researchers have devised a possible solution for durable plastic waste, inspired by the ocean.

Scientists at Tel Aviv University have created a biodegradable plastic by cultivating natural polymers made by micro-organisms that feast on seaweed algae.

A polymer is a substance that has a molecular structure composed of many similar units fused together.  They can be man made or natural.

It was the brain child of Dr Alexander Golberg who explains the concept:

"Our solution for the growing plastic consumption is to produce polymers which are used in plastics inside the single cell marine organisms. So since the organisms produce it, the polymers are biodegradable, which means that they will not take a lot of time in the sea and they will be decomposed very fast, that's a major difference from the regular plastic. But to make these polymers micro-organisms need food and the food, in our case comes from seaweeds. Seaweeds are marine organisms which we can grow in the sea without any use of arable land and drinking water and that's why our process is very different from all others proposed today. All our production process is built on organisms which grow in the seawater"

The bioplastic could have a range of uses in everyday life says Professor Michael Gozin of the University's school of Chemistry:

"We have a marine manufactured bio-plastic which is biodegradable, this is, this could be a revolutionary product with a really low cost with a target price of about one dollar per kilogram. This is polyester, polyesters are usually made from oil but here it's manufactured by organisms. These plastics could be used for production of clothing of food packaging for containers and many other applications."

"The biological organisms are collected, are removed from water and then they are dried crushed and the polymer is extracted out of these materials and then the polymer could be further processed and purified to reach specifications demanded by the industry," explains Gozin.

The team are now conducting preliminary research to find the best bacteria and algae to produce polymers for bio-plastics with different properties.

Maya Jacobs, CEO of the Israeli environmental advocacy group (NGO) Zalul ("clear" in Hebrew) says it is a step in the right direction.

China's decision to stop accepting plastic waste from other countries is causing other countries to confront the problem she says.

"The best thing that happened to the world is that China declared that it won't receive any more international garbage and therefore suddenly everybody is piling up with their own garbage and they understand that they need to find a solution."

This has encouraged new research developments in the area of biodegradable plastics she adds

"Suddenly we find that there is a lot of new ideas. We see seaweed becoming into new kinds of materials and hemp which is made out of cannabis and there are new kinds of germs that are developed that eat the plastic and can create a solution."

However Jacobs says there is still a lot more research that needs to be carried out.

"There needs to be a lot more money invested into this in order to have research, also to understand the impacts of these new materials and also in order to have real markets develop and it's all an issue of supply and demand. And once you see that there is more demand the prices will come down because right now the prices are still quite high but governments need to invest in this it needs to be a high priority for governments all over. "

Scientists in Tel Aviv and elsewhere hope the development bioplastics could help reduce the world's plastic dependency.

====

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LEAD IN:

From bags to bottles, some 13 million tons of plastic flows into our oceans every year, according to a UN report (published 2018).

It's claimed that if the present trend continues, our oceans could contain more plastic than fish by 2050.

Now researchers at Tel Aviv University have found a way to make biodegradable plastic that derives from micro-organisms that feed on seaweed.

STORYLINE:

Plastic waste lies strewn on beaches around the world from the Gaza Strip to the Galapagos.

Washed in by the tide, it mixes with seaweed and is often mistaken by birds and animals as food.

Marine species ingest or become entangled by plastic debris, sometimes causing injury or even death. The UN says 100,000 marine animals die each year due to plastic related causes.

Now researchers have devised a possible solution for durable plastic waste, inspired by the ocean.

Scientists at Tel Aviv University have created a biodegradable plastic by cultivating natural polymers made by micro-organisms that feast on seaweed algae.

A polymer is a substance that has a molecular structure composed of many similar units fused together.  They can be man made or natural.

It was the brain child of Dr Alexander Golberg who explains the concept:  

"Our solution for the growing plastic consumption is to produce polymers which are used in plastics inside the single cell marine organisms. So since the organisms produce it, the polymers are biodegradable, which means that they will not take a lot of time in the sea and they will be decomposed very fast, that's a major difference from the regular plastic. But to make these polymers micro-organisms need food and the food, in our case comes from seaweeds. Seaweeds are marine organisms which we can grow in the sea without any use of arable land and drinking water and that's why our process is very different from all others proposed today. All our production process is built on organisms which grow in the seawater"

The bioplastic could have a range of uses in everyday life says Professor Michael Gozin of the University's school of Chemistry:

"We have a marine manufactured bio-plastic which is biodegradable, this is, this could be a revolutionary product with a really low cost with a target price of about one dollar per kilogram. This is polyester, polyesters are usually made from oil but here it's manufactured by organisms. These plastics could be used for production of clothing of food packaging for containers and many other applications."

"The biological organisms are collected, are removed from water and then they are dried crushed and the polymer is extracted out of these materials and then the polymer could be further processed and purified to reach specifications demanded by the industry," explains Gozin.

The team are now conducting preliminary research to find the best bacteria and algae to produce polymers for bio-plastics with different properties.

Maya Jacobs, CEO of the Israeli environmental advocacy group (NGO) Zalul ("clear" in Hebrew) says it is a step in the right direction.

China's decision to stop accepting plastic waste from other countries is causing other countries to confront the problem she says.

"The best thing that happened to the world is that China declared that it won't receive any more international garbage and therefore suddenly everybody is piling up with their own garbage and they understand that they need to find a solution."

This has encouraged new research developments in the area of biodegradable plastics she adds

"Suddenly we find that there is a lot of new ideas. We see seaweed becoming into new kinds of materials and hemp which is made out of cannabis and there are new kinds of germs that are developed that eat the plastic and can create a solution."

However Jacobs says there is still a lot more research that needs to be carried out.

"There needs to be a lot more money invested into this in order to have research, also to understand the impacts of these new materials and also in order to have real markets develop and it's all an issue of supply and demand. And once you see that there is more demand the prices will come down because right now the prices are still quite high but governments need to invest in this it needs to be a high priority for governments all over. "

Scientists in Tel Aviv and elsewhere hope the development bioplastics could help reduce the world's plastic dependency.

Gaza city, Gaza Strip, 9 March 2019

1. Wide of plastic waste near sea

2. Close up plastic cups

3. Wide of plastic waste near sea

Tel Aviv, Israel - 20 February 2019

4. Lab where seaweed is grown

5. Various of seaweed being grown in the lab - shows fermentation of micro-organisms that will turn into bioplastics polymer which feed on seaweed

6. Dr Alexander Golberg tending to seaweed

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Alexander Golberg, Tel Aviv's University Porter School of Environmental and Earth Sciences

"Our solution for the growing plastic consumption is to produce polymers which are used in plastics inside the single-cell marine organisms. So since the organisms produce it, the polymers are biodegradable, which means that they will not take a lot of time in the sea and they will be decomposed very fast. That's a major difference from the regular plastic. But to make these polymers micro organisms need food. And the food, in our case comes from seaweeds. Seaweeds are marine organisms which we can grow in the sea without any use of arable land and drinking water. And that's why our process is very different from all others proposed today. All our production process is built on organisms which grow in the seawater."

8. Various of seaweed being grown in the lab - shows fermentation of micro organisms that will turn into bioplastics polymer which feed on seaweed

9. Prof. Michael Gozin, Tel Aviv's University School of Chemistry talking to researchers who work on the project

10. Close up of bioplastic polymer made from seaweed in Prof. Michael Gozin's hand

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Gozin, Professor at Tel Aviv's University School of Chemistry:

"We have a marine manufactured bio-plastic which is biodegradable. This is, this could be a revolutionary product with a really low cost, with a target price of about one dollar per kilogram. This is polyester, polyesters are usually made from oil but here it's manufactured by organisms. These plastics could be used for production of clothing, of food packaging, for containers and many other applications."

12. Various of scientists working on the fermentation of micro-organisms that will turn into bioplastics polymer which feed on seaweed

13. Dr Alexander Golberg tending to seaweed

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Gozin, Professor at Tel Aviv's University School of Chemistry:

"The biological organisms are collected, are removed from water and then they are dried, crushed and the polymer is extracted out of these materials. And then the polymer could be further processed and purified to reach specifications demanded by the industry."

15. Various of bio-plastic polymer made of seaweed in bottle

16. Exterior of Porter School of Environmental and Earth Sciences at Tel Aviv University

Tel Aviv - 21 February 2019

17. Plastic waste piled up

18. Maya Jacobs, CEO of Zalul picking up a plastic bag from the ground

19. Various plastic waste

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Maya Jacobs, CEO of Zalul:

"The best thing that happened to the world is that China declared that it won't receive any more international garbage and therefore suddenly everybody is piling up with their own garbage and they understand that they need to find a solution. And suddenly we find that there is a lot of new ideas. We see seaweed becoming into new kinds of materials and hemp which is made out of cannabis and there are new kinds of germs that are developed that eat the plastic and can create a solution. And others know how to make it go back into oil and to do the basic material. There needs to be a lot more money invested into this in order to have research, also to understand the impacts of these new materials and also in order to have real markets develop, and it's all an issue of supply and demand. And once you see that there is more demand the prices will come down, because right now the prices are still quite high but governments need to invest in this it needs to be a high priority for governments all over."

21. Bird pecking at plastic

22. Zoom in on plastic waste

LEAD IN:

From bags to bottles, some 13 million tons of plastic flows into our oceans every year, according to a UN report (published 2018).

It's claimed that if the present trend continues, our oceans could contain more plastic than fish by 2050.

Now researchers at Tel Aviv University have found a way to make biodegradable plastic that derives from micro-organisms that feed on seaweed.

STORYLINE:

Plastic waste lies strewn on beaches around the world from the Gaza Strip to the Galapagos.

Washed in by the tide, it mixes with seaweed and is often mistaken by birds and animals as food.

Marine species ingest or become entangled by plastic debris, sometimes causing injury or even death. The UN says 100,000 marine animals die each year due to plastic related causes.

Now researchers have devised a possible solution for durable plastic waste, inspired by the ocean.

Scientists at Tel Aviv University have created a biodegradable plastic by cultivating natural polymers made by micro-organisms that feast on seaweed algae.

A polymer is a substance that has a molecular structure composed of many similar units fused together.  They can be man made or natural.

It was the brain child of Dr Alexander Golberg who explains the concept:  

"Our solution for the growing plastic consumption is to produce polymers which are used in plastics inside the single cell marine organisms. So since the organisms produce it, the polymers are biodegradable, which means that they will not take a lot of time in the sea and they will be decomposed very fast, that's a major difference from the regular plastic. But to make these polymers micro-organisms need food and the food, in our case comes from seaweeds. Seaweeds are marine organisms which we can grow in the sea without any use of arable land and drinking water and that's why our process is very different from all others proposed today. All our production process is built on organisms which grow in the seawater"

The bioplastic could have a range of uses in everyday life says Professor Michael Gozin of the University's school of Chemistry:

"We have a marine manufactured bio-plastic which is biodegradable, this is, this could be a revolutionary product with a really low cost with a target price of about one dollar per kilogram. This is polyester, polyesters are usually made from oil but here it's manufactured by organisms. These plastics could be used for production of clothing of food packaging for containers and many other applications."

"The biological organisms are collected, are removed from water and then they are dried crushed and the polymer is extracted out of these materials and then the polymer could be further processed and purified to reach specifications demanded by the industry," explains Gozin.

The team are now conducting preliminary research to find the best bacteria and algae to produce polymers for bio-plastics with different properties.

Maya Jacobs, CEO of the Israeli environmental advocacy group (NGO) Zalul ("clear" in Hebrew) says it is a step in the right direction.

China's decision to stop accepting plastic waste from other countries is causing other countries to confront the problem she says.

"The best thing that happened to the world is that China declared that it won't receive any more international garbage and therefore suddenly everybody is piling up with their own garbage and they understand that they need to find a solution."

This has encouraged new research developments in the area of biodegradable plastics she adds

"Suddenly we find that there is a lot of new ideas. We see seaweed becoming into new kinds of materials and hemp which is made out of cannabis and there are new kinds of germs that are developed that eat the plastic and can create a solution."

However Jacobs says there is still a lot more research that needs to be carried out.

"There needs to be a lot more money invested into this in order to have research, also to understand the impacts of these new materials and also in order to have real markets develop and it's all an issue of supply and demand. And once you see that there is more demand the prices will come down because right now the prices are still quite high but governments need to invest in this it needs to be a high priority for governments all over. "

Scientists in Tel Aviv and elsewhere hope the development bioplastics could help reduce the world's plastic dependency.

Gaza city, Gaza Strip, 9 March 2019

1. Wide of plastic waste near sea

2. Close up plastic cups

3. Wide of plastic waste near sea

Tel Aviv, Israel - 20 February 2019

4. Lab where seaweed is grown

5. Various of seaweed being grown in the lab - shows fermentation of micro-organisms  that will turn into bioplastics polymer which feed on seaweed

6. Dr Alexander Golberg tending to seaweed

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Alexander Golberg, Tel Aviv's University Porter School of Environmental and Earth Sciences

"Our solution for the growing plastic consumption is to produce polymers which are used in plastics inside the single-cell marine organisms. So since the organisms produce it, the polymers are biodegradable, which means that they will not take a lot of time in the sea and they will be decomposed very fast. That's a major difference from the regular plastic. But to make these polymers micro organisms need food. And the food, in our case comes from seaweeds. Seaweeds are marine organisms which we can grow in the sea without any use of arable land and drinking water. And that's why our process is very different from all others proposed today. All our production process is built on organisms which grow in the seawater."

8. Various of seaweed being grown in the lab - shows fermentation of micro organisms that will turn into bioplastics polymer which feed on seaweed

9. Prof. Michael Gozin, Tel Aviv's University School of Chemistry talking to researchers who work on the project

10. Close up of bioplastic polymer made from seaweed in Prof. Michael Gozin's hand

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Gozin, Professor at Tel Aviv's University School of Chemistry:

"We have a marine manufactured bio-plastic which is biodegradable. This is, this could be a revolutionary product with a really low cost, with a target price of about one dollar per kilogram. This is polyester, polyesters are usually made from oil but here it's manufactured by organisms. These plastics could be used for production of clothing, of food packaging, for containers and many other applications."

12. Various of scientists working on the fermentation of micro-organisms that will turn into bioplastics polymer which feed on seaweed

13. Dr Alexander Golberg tending to seaweed

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Gozin, Professor at Tel Aviv's University School of Chemistry:

"The biological organisms are collected, are removed from water and then they are dried, crushed and the polymer is extracted out of these materials. And then the polymer could be further processed and purified to reach specifications demanded by the industry."

15. Various of bio-plastic polymer made of seaweed in bottle

16. Exterior of Porter School of Environmental and Earth Sciences at Tel Aviv University

Tel Aviv - 21 February 2019

17. Plastic waste piled up

18. Maya Jacobs, CEO of Zalul picking up a plastic bag from the ground

19. Various plastic waste

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Maya Jacobs, CEO of Zalul:

"The best thing that happened to the world is that China declared that it won't receive any more international garbage and therefore suddenly everybody is piling up with their own garbage and they understand that they need to find a solution. And suddenly we find that there is a lot of new ideas. We see seaweed becoming into new kinds of materials and hemp which is made out of cannabis and there are new kinds of germs that are developed that eat the plastic and can create a solution. And others know how to make it go back into oil and to do the basic material. There needs to be a lot more money invested into this in order to have research, also to understand the impacts of these new materials and also in order to have real markets develop, and it's all an issue of supply and demand. And once you see that there is more demand the prices will come down, because right now the prices are still quite high but governments need to invest in this it needs to be a high priority for governments all over."

21. Bird pecking at plastic

22. Zoom in on plastic waste

LEAD IN:

From bags to bottles, some 13 million tons of plastic flows into our oceans every year, according to a UN report (published 2018).

It's claimed that if the present trend continues, our oceans could contain more plastic than fish by 2050.

Now researchers at Tel Aviv University have found a way to make biodegradable plastic that derives from micro-organisms that feed on seaweed.

STORY-LINE:

Plastic waste lies strewn on beaches around the world from the Gaza Strip to the Galapagos.

Washed in by the tide, it mixes with seaweed and is often mistaken by birds and animals as food.

Marine species ingest or become entangled by plastic debris, sometimes causing injury or even death. The UN says 100,000 marine animals die each year due to plastic related causes.

Now researchers have devised a possible solution for durable plastic waste, inspired by the ocean.

Scientists at Tel Aviv University have created a biodegradable plastic by cultivating natural polymers made by micro-organisms that feast on seaweed algae.

A polymer is a substance that has a molecular structure composed of many similar units fused together.  They can be man made or natural.

It was the brain child of Dr Alexander Golberg who explains the concept:

"Our solution for the growing plastic consumption is to produce polymers which are used in plastics inside the single cell marine organisms. So since the organisms produce it, the polymers are biodegradable, which means that they will not take a lot of time in the sea and they will be decomposed very fast, that's a major difference from the regular plastic. But to make these polymers micro-organisms need food and the food, in our case comes from seaweeds. Seaweeds are marine organisms which we can grow in the sea without any use of arable land and drinking water and that's why our process is very different from all others proposed today. All our production process is built on organisms which grow in the seawater"

The bioplastic could have a range of uses in everyday life says Professor Michael Gozin of the University's school of Chemistry:

"We have a marine manufactured bio-plastic which is biodegradable, this is, this could be a revolutionary product with a really low cost with a target price of about one dollar per kilogram. This is polyester, polyesters are usually made from oil but here it's manufactured by organisms. These plastics could be used for production of clothing of food packaging for containers and many other applications."

"The biological organisms are collected, are removed from water and then they are dried crushed and the polymer is extracted out of these materials and then the polymer could be further processed and purified to reach specifications demanded by the industry," explains Gozin.

The team are now conducting preliminary research to find the best bacteria and algae to produce polymers for bio-plastics with different properties.

Maya Jacobs, CEO of the Israeli environmental advocacy group (NGO) Zalul ("clear" in Hebrew) says it is a step in the right direction.

China's decision to stop accepting plastic waste from other countries is causing other countries to confront the problem she says.

"The best thing that happened to the world is that China declared that it won't receive any more international garbage and therefore suddenly everybody is piling up with their own garbage and they understand that they need to find a solution."

This has encouraged new research developments in the area of biodegradable plastics she adds

"Suddenly we find that there is a lot of new ideas. We see seaweed becoming into new kinds of materials and hemp which is made out of cannabis and there are new kinds of germs that are developed that eat the plastic and can create a solution."

However Jacobs says there is still a lot more research that needs to be carried out.

"There needs to be a lot more money invested into this in order to have research, also to understand the impacts of these new materials and also in order to have real markets develop and it's all an issue of supply and demand. And once you see that there is more demand the prices will come down because right now the prices are still quite high but governments need to invest in this it needs to be a high priority for governments all over. "

Scientists in Tel Aviv and elsewhere hope the development bioplastics could help reduce the world's plastic dependency.

Gaza city, Gaza Strip, 9 March 2019

1. Wide of plastic waste near sea

2. Close up plastic cups

3. Wide of plastic waste near sea

Tel Aviv, Israel - 20 February 2019

4. Lab where seaweed is grown

5. Various of seaweed being grown in the lab - shows fermentation of micro-organisms  that will turn into bioplastics polymer which feed on seaweed

6. Dr Alexander Golberg tending to seaweed

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Alexander Golberg, Tel Aviv's University Porter School of Environmental and Earth Sciences

"Our solution for the growing plastic consumption is to produce polymers which are used in plastics inside the single-cell marine organisms. So since the organisms produce it, the polymers are biodegradable, which means that they will not take a lot of time in the sea and they will be decomposed very fast. That's a major difference from the regular plastic. But to make these polymers micro organisms need food. And the food, in our case comes from seaweeds. Seaweeds are marine organisms which we can grow in the sea without any use of arable land and drinking water. And that's why our process is very different from all others proposed today. All our production process is built on organisms which grow in the seawater."

8. Various of seaweed being grown in the lab - shows fermentation of micro organisms that will turn into bioplastics polymer which feed on seaweed

9. Prof. Michael Gozin, Tel Aviv's University School of Chemistry talking to researchers who work on the project

10. Close up of bioplastic polymer made from seaweed in Prof. Michael Gozin's hand

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Gozin, Professor at Tel Aviv's University School of Chemistry:

"We have a marine manufactured bio-plastic which is biodegradable. This is, this could be a revolutionary product with a really low cost, with a target price of about one dollar per kilogram. This is polyester, polyesters are usually made from oil but here it's manufactured by organisms. These plastics could be used for production of clothing, of food packaging, for containers and many other applications."

12. Various of scientists working on the fermentation of micro-organisms that will turn into bioplastics polymer which feed on seaweed

13. Dr Alexander Golberg tending to seaweed

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Gozin, Professor at Tel Aviv's University School of Chemistry:

"The biological organisms are collected, are removed from water and then they are dried, crushed and the polymer is extracted out of these materials. And then the polymer could be further processed and purified to reach specifications demanded by the industry."

15. Various of bio-plastic polymer made of seaweed in bottle

16. Exterior of Porter School of Environmental and Earth Sciences at Tel Aviv University

Tel Aviv - 21 February 2019

17. Plastic waste piled up

18. Maya Jacobs, CEO of Zalul picking up a plastic bag from the ground

19. Various plastic waste

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Maya Jacobs, CEO of Zalul:

"The best thing that happened to the world is that China declared that it won't receive any more international garbage and therefore suddenly everybody is piling up with their own garbage and they understand that they need to find a solution. And suddenly we find that there is a lot of new ideas. We see seaweed becoming into new kinds of materials and hemp which is made out of cannabis and there are new kinds of germs that are developed that eat the plastic and can create a solution. And others know how to make it go back into oil and to do the basic material. There needs to be a lot more money invested into this in order to have research, also to understand the impacts of these new materials and also in order to have real markets develop, and it's all an issue of supply and demand. And once you see that there is more demand the prices will come down, because right now the prices are still quite high but governments need to invest in this it needs to be a high priority for governments all over."

21. Bird pecking at plastic

22. Zoom in on plastic waste

LEADIN:

'Pure Desert Magic' is what Israel's tourism board is hoping will entice visitors to the Negev.

On offer - luxury tents, soft beds and a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

STORYLINE:

The Negev Desert makes up most of Israel's geographical territory.

About 60 percent of the country is barren landscape.

But, most tourists head for the night-life and beach parties of Tel Aviv or religious pilgrimages in Jerusalem.

Some 3.6 million tourists visited Israel in 2017 and the Ministry of Tourism hopes that the numbers will continue to grow in 2018.

Currently about 5 percent of visitors venture into the desert. Authorities are looking to increase that number to 20 percent by 2021 and have invested in a new airport in the region.

To boost their country's appeal Israel's Tourism Ministry launched a social media competition in which winners from Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Finland spend a hosted vacation in the Negev desert in southern Israel.

The winners were selected after sharing and commenting on an Israeli Tourism Ministry post. The lucky ones were brought to the country for a one night stay in a luxury tent in the Ramon Crater - a unique crater some 42 kilometers (26 miles) in diameter created by erosion.

Arriving just before sunset, two winners from Germany, Charline Wolff and Kassandra Thones are visibly impressed as they are ushered into the tent set up in the typically barren landscape.

Equipped with lush beds and lounging areas the two quickly brush off the dust and settle down in the desert-landscape.

"I feel like a little princess," says Wolff.

"Feels exciting because I've never done this before and I think it will be a lifetime experience to sleep under the stars and with no one around," says Thones.

Omer Seltzer, of the Happy Glamper company, explains how the mobile catering unit that accompanies the tent works.

"What we have here it's on wheels. So, it comes to anywhere in the desert. We have solar panels on the top that gives us clean energy for the whole camp. All the lights are from these solar panels. We have flowing water. We have 250 litres in the bottom, of water, so we can have water for all the night. We have a full kitchen with all you need to do to make any type of meal. We have a working fridge. We have a USB panel to charge your phone, we have wine, we have everything you need to do a perfect supper in the evening in the desert."

Itay Kadish Katz, is the manager of Happy Glamper company.

"This tent is a unique project because it's a pop-up. It's here for 14 days. Each night we host a couple from a different place in the world and we have really nice visitors here already. Each night the guests are coming something around sunset, they enjoy beers and then they have an amazing meal that we cook on a fire. Later on they have a bonfire we brought stargazing activities and a professional telescope. Then they have time to enjoy the tent and the facility and the luxurious design here."

Beyond the luxury tent the region's attractions include abseiling, trekking, visits to Bedouin tents and even a stroll around in the company of llamas.

Felix Kiel, and Anastasia Andric, who are also from Germany, chose to visit the desert region to experience first hand the lifestyle of people living far from the glowing lights of the cities.

"For us it's interesting to learn about how the people are living in this area and not in the city," Kiel says.

Tour guide, Avinoam Ashlag, echoes the appeal of an escape from the city.

He says more and more people visit wanting to put their daily lives on hold to "enjoy the emptiness of the desert".

Now the government wants more visitors to look beyond the man-made attractions of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and discover the stillness of the Negev desert.

"We launched a campaign during the merger with the ITB (International Tourism Bourse) to promote the Negev (desert.) We decided the Negev is the sub-brand that the Israeli Ministry of Tourism was gonna promote. The sub-brand is called "Pure Desert Magic" and we're putting a lot of effort in order to promote this area. The Negev consists of 60 percent of Israel's geographical area and it's an important area to bring tourists" says Uri Sharon, of the Israel Tourism Ministry.  

In 2017 tourism brought some $5.6 billion to the country's economy with the bulk of tourists coming from the United States followed by visitors from Russia and France.

Mitzpe Ramon, southern Israel – April 21 2018

1. Wide of Ramon crater

2. Wide of cliffs overlooking crater

3. Close of ibex

Ramon Crater, southern Israel – April 21 2018

4. Wide of tent put up in the Ramon crater

5. Wide of Itay Kadish Katz fixing bed sheets inside the tent

6. Wide of bed

7. Close of towel and soap

8. Pan left from entrance of tent to table

Ramon Crater, southern Israel – April 22 2018

9. Various of Charline Wolff and Kassandra Thones, winners of Israeli Tourism Ministry promotional competition, arriving at tent

10. Various of Wolff and Thones reacting on arrival

UPSOUND (English) Omer Seltzer, Happy Glamper company: "Beds. We have towels and soaps from us. I will show you the toilet for a second, just so that we're clear about everything."

11. Mid of Omer Seltzer wrapping desert scarf around head of tourist

UPSOUND (English) Omer Seltzer, Happy Glamper company: "It's the desert scarf and you have to put it on now it's part of everything."

12. Various, Charline Wolff, German tourist, with desert scarf wrapped around her head

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Charline Wolff, winner of trip to Israel:

"I feel like a little princess. Yes, we talked about what the tent might be because we had no clue and we were somewhere in between a little tee-pee and like in Harry Potter with this big tent. And yeah it's amazing and beautiful and I think we will have a very good time over here, all this decoration."

14. Mid of German tourists inside tent

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Kassandra Thones, winner of trip to Israel:

"Feels exciting because I've never done this before and I think it will be a lifetime experience to sleep under the stars and with no one around."

16. Wide of tourists exiting tent

17. Mid of tourist with Omer

Ramon Crater, southern Israel – April 21 2018

18. Pan left from sunset to tent

19. SOUNDBITE (English), Omer Seltzer, Logistics manager, Happy Glamper company:

"What we have here it's on wheels. So, it comes to anywhere in the desert. We have solar panels on the top that gives us clean energy for the whole camp. All the lights are from these small solar panels. We have flowing water. We have 250 litres in the bottom, of water, so we can have water for all the night. We have a full kitchen with all you need to do to make any type of meal. We have a working fridge. We have a USB panel to charge your phone, we have wine, we have everything you need to do a perfect supper in the evening in the desert."

20. Various of food brought into tent

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Itay Kadish Katz, Manager of Happy Glamper company:

"This tent is a unique project because it's a pop-up. It's here for 14 days. Each night we host a couple from a different place in the world and we have really nice visitors here already. Each night the guests are coming something around sunset, they enjoy beers and then they have an amazing meal that we cook on a fire. Later on they have a bonfire, we brought stargazing activities and a professional telescope. Then they have time to enjoy the tent and the facility and the luxurious design here."

++NIGHTSHOTS++

22. Close of fire and tent

Ramon Crater, southern Israel – April 22 2018

++TIME LAPSE++

23. Wide of sunrise

Ramon Crater, southern Israel – April 22 2018

24. Various of jeep

25. Interior Felix Kiel and Anastasia Andric, tourists from Germany

26. Wide of the two tourists

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Felix Kiel, tourist from Germany:

"I think it's instead of the cities it's a good thing to relax. It's quiet and not so busy and here you can enjoy that it's quiet and stuff like that and I don't know. For us it's interesting to learn about how the people are living in this area and not in the city. So, stuff like that."

26. Set up of Avinoam Ashlag, Deep Desert tour guide

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Avinoam Ashlag, tour guide:

"More and more people want to come and to enjoy and to feel the emptiness and the peace and the silence of the desert and to just take their lives and just put it away for a few days and enjoy the emptiness of the desert."

28. Various of tourist Anastasia Andric abseiling

Ein Avdat, southern Israel – April 22 2018

29. Various of tourists in Bedouin tent

30. Various of Bedouin in tent talking to tourists

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Uri Sharon, Israel Tourism Ministry:

"We launched a campaign during the merger with the ITB (International Tourism Bourse) to promote the Negev (desert.) We decided the Negev is the sub-brand that the Israeli Ministry of Tourism was gonna promote. The sub-brand is called "Pure Desert Magic" and we're putting a lot of effort in order to promote this area. The Negev consists of 60 percent of Israel's geographical area and it's an important area to bring tourists."

Mitzpe Ramon, southern Israel – April 22, 2018

31. Birds in flight

32. Various of Kiel and Andric walking llamas

LEADIN:

'Pure Desert Magic' is what Israel's tourism board is hoping will entice visitors to the Negev.

On offer - luxury tents, soft beds and a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

STORYLINE:

The Negev Desert makes up most of Israel's geographical territory.

About 60 percent of the country is barren landscape.

But, most tourists head for the night-life and beach parties of Tel Aviv or religious pilgrimages in Jerusalem.

Some 3.6 million tourists visited Israel in 2017 and the Ministry of Tourism hopes that the numbers will continue to grow in 2018.

Currently about 5 percent of visitors venture into the desert. Authorities are looking to increase that number to 20 percent by 2021 and have invested in a new airport in the region.

To boost their country's appeal Israel's Tourism Ministry launched a social media competition in which winners from Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Finland spend a hosted vacation in the Negev desert in southern Israel.

The winners were selected after sharing and commenting on an Israeli Tourism Ministry post. The lucky ones were brought to the country for a one night stay in a luxury tent in the Ramon Crater - a unique crater some 42 kilometers (26 miles) in diameter created by erosion.

Arriving just before sunset, two winners from Germany, Charline Wolff and Kassandra Thones are visibly impressed as they are ushered into the tent set up in the typically barren landscape.

Equipped with lush beds and lounging areas the two quickly brush off the dust and settle down in the desert-landscape.

"I feel like a little princess," says Wolff.

"Feels exciting because I've never done this before and I think it will be a lifetime experience to sleep under the stars and with no one around," says Thones.

Omer Seltzer, of the Happy Glamper company, explains how the mobile catering unit that accompanies the tent works.

"What we have here it's on wheels. So, it comes to anywhere in the desert. We have solar panels on the top that gives us clean energy for the whole camp. All the lights are from these solar panels. We have flowing water. We have 250 litres in the bottom, of water, so we can have water for all the night. We have a full kitchen with all you need to do to make any type of meal. We have a working fridge. We have a USB panel to charge your phone, we have wine, we have everything you need to do a perfect supper in the evening in the desert."

Itay Kadish Katz, is the manager of Happy Glamper company.

"This tent is a unique project because it's a pop-up. It's here for 14 days. Each night we host a couple from a different place in the world and we have really nice visitors here already. Each night the guests are coming something around sunset, they enjoy beers and then they have an amazing meal that we cook on a fire. Later on they have a bonfire we brought stargazing activities and a professional telescope. Then they have time to enjoy the tent and the facility and the luxurious design here."

Beyond the luxury tent the region's attractions include abseiling, trekking, visits to Bedouin tents and even a stroll around in the company of llamas.

Felix Kiel, and Anastasia Andric, who are also from Germany, chose to visit the desert region to experience first hand the lifestyle of people living far from the glowing lights of the cities.

"For us it's interesting to learn about how the people are living in this area and not in the city," Kiel says.

Tour guide, Avinoam Ashlag, echoes the appeal of an escape from the city.

He says more and more people visit wanting to put their daily lives on hold to "enjoy the emptiness of the desert".

Now the government wants more visitors to look beyond the man-made attractions of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and discover the stillness of the Negev desert.

"We launched a campaign during the merger with the ITB (International Tourism Bourse) to promote the Negev (desert.) We decided the Negev is the sub-brand that the Israeli Ministry of Tourism was gonna promote. The sub-brand is called "Pure Desert Magic" and we're putting a lot of effort in order to promote this area. The Negev consists of 60 percent of Israel's geographical area and it's an important area to bring tourists" says Uri Sharon, of the Israel Tourism Ministry.  

In 2017 tourism brought some $5.6 billion to the country's economy with the bulk of tourists coming from the United States followed by visitors from Russia and France.

Mitzpe Ramon, southern Israel – April 21 2018

1. Wide of Ramon crater

2. Wide of cliffs overlooking crater

3. Close of ibex

Ramon Crater, southern Israel – April 21 2018

4. Wide of tent put up in the Ramon crater

5. Wide of Itay Kadish Katz fixing bed sheets inside the tent

6. Wide of bed

7. Close of towel and soap

8. Pan left from entrance of tent to table

Ramon Crater, southern Israel – April 22 2018

9. Various of Charline Wolff and Kassandra Thones, winners of Israeli Tourism Ministry promotional competition, arriving at tent

10. Various of Wolff and Thones reacting on arrival

UPSOUND (English) Omer Seltzer, Happy Glamper company: "Beds. We have towels and soaps from us. I will show you the toilet for a second, just so that we're clear about everything."

11. Mid of Omer Seltzer wrapping desert scarf around head of tourist

UPSOUND (English) Omer Seltzer, Happy Glamper company: "It's the desert scarf and you have to put it on now it's part of everything."

12. Various, Charline Wolff, German tourist, with desert scarf wrapped around her head

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Charline Wolff, winner of trip to Israel:

"I feel like a little princess. Yes, we talked about what the tent might be because we had no clue and we were somewhere in between a little tee-pee and like in Harry Potter with this big tent. And yeah it's amazing and beautiful and I think we will have a very good time over here, all this decoration."

14. Mid of German tourists inside tent

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Kassandra Thones, winner of trip to Israel:

"Feels exciting because I've never done this before and I think it will be a lifetime experience to sleep under the stars and with no one around."

16. Wide of tourists exiting tent

17. Mid of tourist with Omer

Ramon Crater, southern Israel – April 21 2018

18. Pan left from sunset to tent

19. SOUNDBITE (English), Omer Seltzer, Logistics manager, Happy Glamper company:

"What we have here it's on wheels. So, it comes to anywhere in the desert. We have solar panels on the top that gives us clean energy for the whole camp. All the lights are from these small solar panels. We have flowing water. We have 250 litres in the bottom, of water, so we can have water for all the night. We have a full kitchen with all you need to do to make any type of meal. We have a working fridge. We have a USB panel to charge your phone, we have wine, we have everything you need to do a perfect supper in the evening in the desert."

20. Various of food brought into tent

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Itay Kadish Katz, Manager of Happy Glamper company:

"This tent is a unique project because it's a pop-up. It's here for 14 days. Each night we host a couple from a different place in the world and we have really nice visitors here already. Each night the guests are coming something around sunset, they enjoy beers and then they have an amazing meal that we cook on a fire. Later on they have a bonfire, we brought stargazing activities and a professional telescope. Then they have time to enjoy the tent and the facility and the luxurious design here."

++NIGHTSHOTS++

22. Close of fire and tent

Ramon Crater, southern Israel – April 22 2018

++TIME LAPSE++

23. Wide of sunrise

Ramon Crater, southern Israel – April 22 2018

24. Various of jeep

25. Interior Felix Kiel and Anastasia Andric, tourists from Germany

26. Wide of the two tourists

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Felix Kiel, tourist from Germany:

"I think it's instead of the cities it's a good thing to relax. It's quiet and not so busy and here you can enjoy that it's quiet and stuff like that and I don't know. For us it's interesting to learn about how the people are living in this area and not in the city. So, stuff like that."

26. Set up of Avinoam Ashlag, Deep Desert tour guide

27. SOUNDBITE (English) Avinoam Ashlag, tour guide:

"More and more people want to come and to enjoy and to feel the emptiness and the peace and the silence of the desert and to just take their lives and just put it away for a few days and enjoy the emptiness of the desert."

28. Various of tourist Anastasia Andric abseiling

Associated Press, AP Clients Only

Ein Avdat, southern Israel – April 22 2018

29. Various of tourists in Bedouin tent

30. Various of Bedouin in tent talking to tourists

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Uri Sharon, Israel Tourism Ministry:

"We launched a campaign during the merger with the ITB (International Tourism Bourse) to promote the Negev (desert.) We decided the Negev is the sub-brand that the Israeli Ministry of Tourism was gonna promote. The sub-brand is called "Pure Desert Magic" and we're putting a lot of effort in order to promote this area. The Negev consists of 60 percent of Israel's geographical area and it's an important area to bring tourists."

Mitzpe Ramon, southern Israel – April 22, 2018

31. Birds in flight

32. Various of Kiel and Andric walking llamas

LEAD IN:

Wine makers in Israel say they will have to change the types of grapes they're growing, because their current varieties will not survive climate change which is warming temperatures.

They say warmer winters are making their vines bud too early, affecting the quality of their product.

STORY-LINE

Again the harvest has come too early for winemakers here in Moshav Segula, but the farmers are making the best out of what they say is another year of very low yields.

Mechanical harvesting takes place at night to ensure the grapes don't ferment under the scorching middle eastern sun.

High temperatures are at the core of a low yield, says Eran Alkavi an agricultural agronomist specialising in grape growing.

Alkavi turned to growing grapes himself in his retirement.

He says an additional problem to the higher summer temperatures, is the warmer winters.

The vines need a period of cold in the winter to enable a timely bud-break in the vineyards, this when vines wake up from their winter dormancy.

Warm winters mean an early bud-break and for the varieties grown in Israel it means a lower yield and a lower quality of wine.

"The most (biggest) problem that we have is that we don't have too much chilling hours in the winter. The winter becomes warm and so the wine (vines) do not wake up so well. Bud-break is very weak and continues sometimes for two long weeks of bud-break and it's not good for the yield. It's not good for the quality and dealing with it, we don't really know what to do," says Alkavi.

Bud-break normally starts early to mid-March and vines flower by the middle of April.

Now warm winters and the warm winds that come from the Arabian Desert in the south east drive temperatures higher, often forcing the vines to close down to survive.

Alkavi now wonders whether he and other can continue to keep producing grapes.

"We are still growing grapes and if it continues like this for five, six years in this city and like the situation, the situation that was this year, I think most of the farmers will close and they're looking for other things to grow, really because this year, the year was very, very low (yield). Most of the farmers I don't know if they'll balance with the with the economic situation. And I think they are not going to do it for a long time if it's going to be like this, yes," he says.

Ofer Torgeman, a grape farmer or viticulturist, in Israel's north says the changes in the weather are obvious.

When Torgeman began tending a vineyard almost 15 years ago he recorded the temperatures and the harvest times for the varieties he grows, which are Cabernet and Syrah (Shiraz).

"The last five years I saw some change that the Cabernet  it's harvested before the Syrah," says Torgeman.

He says the Cabernet was normally harvested in the middle of September until October. But now he says the cabernet is being harvested at least two weeks earlier than normally.

He says the climate is affecting the quality of the wines he and others are able to produce.

Torgeman explains: "But we see that your wines it's not very it's not balanced and you don't have a good quality in your wine and you must to make, fix the must and the wine after you bring the grapes to your winery. As usual, I want that the the maturing will be excellent in the vineyard. And if I want that the maturity the meaning of it is that  that the level of the sugar, the level of the acidity and the aroma and taste of the wine will be balanced and will be at a good time. Now I see that (the) I must to fix my my must (young wine) in the winery. The meaning that the grapes it's not come into full quality."

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981.

There are over 300 wineries in Israel.

The industry is worth over US $ 40 million with a harvest of 60,000 tons of grapes, producing over 40 million bottles of wine, according to figures provided by the Ministry of Agriculture.

The vineyards stretch from the coastal plains to mountains in central Israel, and from the Golan Heights down to the Negev desert.

Over 55 percent of the exports are bound for North America, 35 percent goes to Europe and the rest to the Far East, according to official data.

The winemaking areas also include the occupied West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 war, territories the Palestinians want for their future state.

In November 2019, the European Court of Justice ruled that European countries must label products originating in the settlements.

Growing vines is not an easy task, Israel has a chronic lack of water, worsened by drought in the last five years.

The normally rainy season is now dry and many farmers compensate the lack of water with drip feed irrigation.

The most frequent grape varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Merlot, Shiraz also known as Syrah, Colombard and Muscat of Alexandria.

But, both Alkavi and Torgeman agree if warmer winters persist viticulturists may need to look to other varieties or completely change their produce to match the new weather conditions.

"If the temperature will be more high, I must to change my work in the vineyard, The meaning it is to take species that they have a good quality in the warm, warm weather. For example, maybe in more 10 years from today, maybe I can't to grow Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, and then I must take a species that is give you a good quality in the warm, warm weather, for example Grenache or Carignan or some species like this. So, I must to change it, I must to take the Cabernet out and put a new variety in my place, Okay? And this is a meaning for the future of the warm weather," says Torgeman.

++NIGHTSHOTS++

Moshav Segula, south-central Israel - 21 August, 2021

1. Various of machinery harvesting grapes at night-time

2. Various of Eran Alkavi with friends and family inspecting grapes and tasting wine

++DAYSHOTS++

Moshav Segula, south-central Israel – 30 August, 2021

3. Mid of Eran Alkavi, retired Agriculture Ministry agronomist, Grape farmer

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eran Alkavi, retired Agriculture Ministry agronomist:

"The most (biggest) problem that we have is that we don't have too much chilling hours in the winter. The winter becomes warm and so the wine (vines) do not wake up so well. Bud-break is very weak and continues sometimes for two long weeks of bud-break and it's not good for the yield. It's not good for the quality and dealing with it, we don't really know what to do."

Moshav Kanaf, Golan Heights – 25 August

5. Wide of vineyard

Moshav Segula, south-central Israel – 30 August, 2021

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Eran Alkavi, former Agriculture Ministry agronomist, Grape farmer (viticulturist)

"We are still growing grapes and if it continues like this for five, six years in this city and like the situation, the situation that was this year, I think most of the farmers will close and they're looking for other things to grow, really because this year, the year was very, very low (yield). Most of the farmers I don't know if they'll balance with the with the economic situation. And I think they are not going to do it for a long time if it's going to be like this, yes."

Moshav Kanaf, Golan Heights – 25 August

7. Various of vineyard and grapes ready for harvesting

8. Close set up of Ofer Torgeman owner of vineyard in the Golan Heights

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Ofer Torgeman, Grape farmer (viticulturist)

"When they begin to harvest my vineyard, for the first time is the Syrah, for example, was harvested before the Cabernet, and at the last five years I saw some change that the Cabernet  it's harvested before the Syrah, the meaning that some something it's influenced of my Cabernet and my Syrah. The cabernet was harvested in the middle of September until October. And at the last year I saw that the Cabernet is harvest at the beginning of September. The meaning is that it's a harvested two weeks before which was in the past."

10. Cutaway of tasting grapes

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Ofer Torgeman, Grape farmer (viticulturist)

"But we see that your wines it's not very it's not balanced and you don't have a good quality in your wine and you must to make, fix the must and the wine after you bring the grapes to your winery. As usual, I want that the the maturing will be excellent in the vineyard. And if I want that the maturity the meaning of it is that that the level of the sugar, the level of the acidity and the aroma and taste of the wine will be balanced and will be at a good time. Now I see that (the) I must to fix my must (young wine) in the winery. The meaning that the grapes it's not come into full quality."

12. Various of harvested grapes placed in carton on truck

13. Various of machinery mashing grapes

14. Zoom into jug filled for quality testing

15. Various of machinery processing grapes

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Ofer Torgeman, Grape farmer (viticulturist)

"If the temperature will be more high, I must to change my work in the vineyard, The meaning it is to take species that they have a good quality in the warm, warm weather. For example, maybe in more 10 years from today, maybe I can't to grow Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, and then I must take a species that is give you a good quality in the warm, warm weather, for example Grenache or Carignan or some species like this. So, I must to change it, I must to take the Cabernet out and put a new variety in my place, Okay? And this is a meaning for the future of the warm weather."

17. Close of grapes

18. Close of meteorological station

LEAD IN:

Workers at a Gaza plant are making the masks and gowns that are helping Israel in its fight against the coronavirus.

The clothing plant already had the sewing machines it needed to shift its line of work to personal protective equipment.

STORY-LINE:

A factory in Gaza is buzzing with workers operating at machine-like precision to sew masks, that eventually get shipped to Israel and the West Bank.

The workers are also making overalls and hospital gowns on sewing machines that were already there at the clothing factory.

But instead of making apparel, the plant switched to personal protective equipment, as demand for it surges to unprecedented levels.

The Unipal 2000 plant dusted off its machines and shifted its line of work as a response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Most of the plant's output gets shipped to Israel and the West Bank.

Once it leaves the seaside Palestinian enclave, merchants either supply it to local markets or sell it overseas.

"All the products made in Gaza are in high demand," says factory owner Bashir Bawab.

The Unipal 2000 plant had previously shut down due to import restrictions.

But it was not too difficult to restart operations with some 400 workers because of Gaza's high unemployment rate.

The plant works with raw materials brought in from from Israel.

Factory workers are pulling double shifts to make the masks and overalls.

"We export these masks and protective clothes to the whole world without exception and we feel we are doing a humanitarian duty," he adds.

While the rest of the world is locked down to fight the virus, Gaza has been besieged for more than a decade.

Israel and Egypt have imposed a blockade on Gaza since the 2007 Hamas takeover of the strip.

Israel has controlled Gaza's airspace and coastline, and restricted the flow of goods and people in and out of the territory.

The blockade is believed have slowed down the virus in the strip.

In the Gaza Strip, where 2 million Palestinians lived squeezed into 140 square miles, only 13 cases of the virus have been detected.

All of the cases were returnees from abroad who have been placed inside quarantine centers.

Since March 15, Hamas implemented a mandatory quarantine for anyone returning home through Israel or Egypt.

Another project in the Gaza strip is helping in the fight against the coronavirus.

A Palestinian-Canadian startup is producing medical face shields using 3D printers.

The project was established by Palestinian emergency doctor Tarek Loubani, who lives in Canada.

The idea stemmed out of the difficulty in bringing in medical equipment to the enclave.

"We produce 30 pieces a day for the medical teams in the field," says Hanan Abu Qassim, a project officer at the startup.  

Once the project provides a sufficient number of shields to the Gaza market, it will start exporting the product.

Gaza - 15 April 2020

1. Pan of workers inside a sewing factory, producing personal protective equipment

2. Various of Workers sewing overalls

3. Workers ironing clothes

4. Tilt of a worker sewing an overall

5. Various of workers sewing overalls

6. Establishing shot of Bashir Bawab, owner of Unipal 2000 factory, checking an overall

7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Bashir Bawab, owner of Unipal 2000 factory:

"When the coronavirus spread, we added a production line for masks and protective overalls. We export hundreds of thousands from our company to the nearby countries, Israel and then to the outside world, Europe and America. All the products made in Gaza are in high demand."

8. Various of worker folding overalls

9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Bashir Bawab, owner of Unipal 2000 factory:

"Despite the siege on Gaza, and the whole world being on lockdown amid the coronavirus situation, and despite the curfew in these countries that are economically and politically powerful, these countries are now locked down, and (people are staying) in their homes. Despite the siege in Gaza, we export these masks and protective clothes to the whole world without exception and we feel we are doing a humanitarian duty."

10. Workers sewing face masks

11. Close of worker sewing fabric mask

12. Bawab checking a mask after being sewed

13. Various of women finalising and backing masks

14. Packed masks in a box

Gaza - 15 April 2020   

15. Various of a Palestinian engineer producing medical face shields using 3D printers

16. Various of machine printing product  

17. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hanan Abu Qassim, project officer at Glia, a start up for medical supplies:

"The reason behind manufacturing this product is that there is a global shortage of personal protective equipment, PPE, let alone that Gaza Strip has been under a blockade for years and where medical equipment is difficult to bring in. So, we had an idea to produce this (equipment) locally and try to achieve a self-sufficiency. We produce 30 pieces a day for the medical teams in the field. When self-sufficiency is reached, we expect that we would export to the outside world and nearby countries if requested."

18. Various of an engineer finalising face shield products

LEAD IN:

Ahead of the Jewish Passover holiday, a bakery in Israel's Kfar Habad village makes matza unleavened flatbread as "food for faith".

STORY-LINE:

With the Jewish Passover festival around the corner, workers at the Chabad matza bakery in Kfar Chabad, in central Israel, are busy making matza crackers.

According to Jewish tradition, this is a time for clearing their homes of all the leavened bread for the holiday which begins on Saturday, March 27.

"This is food for faith," says Rabbi Menachem Mendel Gluckowsky, a religious scholar from Kfar Chabad.

The unleavened cracker is what Jews eat to remember the flight from slavery during biblical times, when the families escaped their homes before the bread had time to rise.

"Just like then, (when) Jewish people went out of bondage, today also, we free ourselves from all the bondage that we're in right now with tremendous faith and with humility. And together with that, we are able to free our spirit and our soul," Gluckowsky says.

Kfar Chabad - 18 March 2021

1. Tilt down of worker kneading a dough

2. Workers compressing dough

3. Close of dough being compressed

4. Workers compressing dough

5. Workers putting circle shaped doughs on stick

6. Establisher shot of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Gluckowsky, religious scholar, encouraging workers

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rabbi Menachem Mendel Gluckowsky:

"We're here in the matza bakery, this is where matza is baked for the holiday of Passover. This is food for faith. This is what our nation, the Jewish nation, when we went out of Egypt, we took the unleavened bread, the matza with us into the dessert. We had a lot of faith at the time. We went into the desert and there is where we received the Bible at Mount Sinai. So every year we celebrate Passover with the food of faith. It's a time of freedom. Our Jewish nation went out of Egypt, out of the bondage, especially in our day and age today as we're in a time of we're trying to get out of the pandemic, the coronavirus. It's a time of freedom. It's a freedom of the soul."

8. Various of workers working with dough

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rabbi Menachem Mendel Gluckowsky:

"Through faith, humility, the unleavened bread stays very tiny, doesn't rise, it's humility. With humility and with faith, we can overcome all of our difficulties, just like then, (when) Jewish people went out of bondage, today also, we free ourselves from all the bondage that we're in right now with tremendous faith and with humility. And together with that, we are able to free our spirit and our soul and the receiving of the Bible at Mount Sinai and the next holy Jewish holiday."

10. Children watching work through window

11. Close of worker cutting dough

12. Worker putting circle shaped doughs in oven

13. Various of workers working with dough

14. Various of worker putting circle shaped doughs in oven

15. Worker taking bread out of oven

LEADIN:

Scientists in Israel are growing their own steaks in the hope that laboratory grown meat could one day help to solve the problem of food production and climate change.

Cattle rearing is a major source of greenhouse gases and researchers across the world are looking at alternative ways to produce meat and chicken.

STORYLINE:

Sizzling in the pan this beef looks like a piece of steak, but it's had little to do with a cow.

Just a few millimetres thick and the size of a credit card, it's taken scientists three weeks in the laboratory to get this meat to reach its full size.

With a price tag of fifty US dollars, it costs a lot more than your traditional fillet, or ribeye, but it's manufacturer Aleph Farms believes cultured meat like this could one day help reduce the environmental damage caused by livestock.

The company has hired this kitchen in Jaffa to show Associated Press its latest lab grown steak.

Aleph Farms is just one of several Israeli start-ups vying with companies around the globe to create a cultured meat has a competitive price tag, as well as looking, tasting and smelling like the real thing.

Future Meat Technologies, a spin out from Jerusalem's Hebrew University, and SmartMeat are also working to develop lab-grown chicken and beef products.

Each of the companies has already raised several million dollars in initial investments.

Each of Aleph Farms' steak strips is grown from cells extracted from a living animal, fed by a nutrient-rich liquid, and kept at a temperature that imitates the inside of a cow.

The company's chief scientist is Professor Shulamit Levenberg from Technion University.

She developed the idea of growing bovine cells on a scaffold from developing methods of growing human tissue implants.

"In skeletal muscle tissue you take muscles and then you grow them on a scaffold with the hope to get a piece of muscle that you can later implant and with this technology in mind we decided to now move to edible scaffold and using bovine cells, cells from cows, to make this piece of tissue edible, so it's a kind of meat that you can really eat," says Levenberg.

Aleph Farms CEO Didier Toubia admits there is a long way to go before the production costs of this cultured meat drop and the meat strips, now about three millimetres thick, are comparable with traditionally reared beef.

However Toubia says the alternative is will cost everyone much more.

"We would like to restore balance in nature. We believe that by saving huge amount of lands, of water, by reducing emission of greenhouse gases we can give back to the Earth, to our planet, enough resources to continue and sustain itself. On the other hand, industrial farming has broken the relationship between us and the animals, looking at animals as mere machines to produce meat, to produce proteins," he says.

Professor Yaakov Nahmias a bioengineer from the Hebrew University agrees.

"Producing meat is very inefficient. It costs a lot in terms of water resources, land that we simply don't have. It also produces, essentially, fecal emissions actually produce about 16% of CO2 equivalents that we have today. So if we want to make sure that our kids eat the same thing that we eat today, then we need to dramatically change the way we manufacture it. If we imagine a process where we grow animal cells and use that as a food source, then that process is a lot more efficient. We are talking about ten times less water, less land, less energy than the current meat production," says Nahmias.

Livestock alone generate nearly two thirds of greenhouse gases produced by farming, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization.

Nahmias believes cost is the biggest obstacle: "One of the biggest challenges that I am seeing right now is the cost of cultured meat production. What started about six years ago with a $2.3 million (USD) per kilogram burger today has been brought down to anywhere around $20,000 to $40000 (USD) per kilogram, either hamburger or chicken or steak. The problem is that this is still very far away from the market. If you want to go into the market, you are trying to get into the $5 (USD) range."

The first lab-grown burger was made by a Dutch company in 2013 at a cost of over $300,000. That first petri-dish burger has set off an international race to bring cultured meat products to market.

Various companies have started producing what they call "clean meats" for increasingly lower prices. Last year American company Memphis Meats' ground beef alternative was reported to cost about $2,400 (USD) per pound.

"Today it takes between two and three weeks to grow a steak, a meat slice, in our lab. When we move to commercial facilities we call (them) bio farms, it will take a similar amount of time. And that's to be compared to two to two-and-a-half years to produce a steak with the industrial farming methods of today," says Toubia.

For the time being, synthetic sirloins appear to remain out of reach for years to come, but researchers and environmentalists say the need for sustainable, lab-grown alternatives to industrial farming is essential.

This woman hires out the kitchen Aleph Farms is using to prepare its lab grown steak and she's agreed to have a taste for APs cameras.

She finds the result pleasing, but it will be a long time before this steak is available for everyone else to try.

Jaffa, Israel - 16 January, 2019

1. Close zoom out of a chef putting fried slices of lab-grown steak onto a plate

2. Close pan of lab-grown steak on plate

Nes Ziona, Israel - 14 January, 2019

3. Various of scientist looking into microscope at lab

4. Sample of cow cells on microscope plate

5. Close of computer screen showing cow muscle cells under microscope

6. Set up of Professor Shulamit Levenberg, Technion University

7. SOUNDBITE (English): Professor Shulamit Levenberg, Technion University

"In skeletal muscle tissue you take muscles and then you grow them on a scaffold with the hope to get a piece of muscle that you can later implant and with this technology in mind we decided to now move to edible scaffold and using bovine cells, cells from cows, to make this piece of tissue edible, so it's a kind of meat that you can really eat."

Jaffa, Israel - 16 January, 2019

8. Various of lab-grown steak being marinated

9. Mid of lab-grown steak being cooked on frying pan

Nes Ziona, Israel - 14 January, 2019

10. Close of researcher working with test tubes in a lab

11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Didier Toubia, CEO, Aleph Farms

"We would like to restore balance in nature. We believe that by saving huge amount of lands, of water, by reducing emission of greenhouse gases we can give back to the Earth, to our planet, enough resources to continue and sustain itself. On the other hand, industrial farming has broken the relationship between us and the animals, looking at animals as mere machines to produce meat, to produce proteins."

Associated Press

Jerusalem - 16 January, 2019

12. Set up shot of Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, Hebrew University

13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, Hebrew University

"Producing meat is very inefficient. It costs a lot in terms of water resources, land that we simply don't have. It also produces, essentially, fecal emissions actually produce about 16% of CO2 equivalents that we have today. So if we want to make sure that our kids eat the same thing that we eat today, then we need to dramatically change the way we manufacture it. If we imagine a process where we grow animal cells and use that as a food source, then that process is a lot more efficient. We are talking about ten times less water, less land, less energy than the current meat production."

Jaffa, Israel - 16 January, 2019

14. Mid zoom in of cook frying lab-grown steak

Associated Press

Jerusalem - 16 January, 2019

15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, Hebrew University

"One of the biggest challenges that I am seeing right now is the cost of cultured meat production. What started about six years ago with a $2.3 million (USD) per kilogram burger today has been brought down to anywhere around $20,000 to $40, 000 (USD) per kilogram, either hamburger or chicken or steak. The problem is that this is still very far away from the market. If you want to go into the market, you are trying to get into the $5 (USD) range."

Nes Ziona, Israel - 14 January, 2019

16. Close of incubator being opened by researcher who removes a container of cow cells

17. Close of containers inside incubator

18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Didier Toubia, CEO, Aleph Farms

"Today it takes between two and three weeks to grow a steak, a meat slice, in our lab. When we move to commercial facilities we call (them) bio farms, it will take a similar amount of time. And that's to be compared to two to two-and-a-half years to produce a steak with the industrial farming methods of today."

Jaffa, Israel - 16 January, 2019

19. Close of prepared plate of lab cooked steak

20. Wide of cook serving the plate of food including the lab grown steak to the owner of the kitchen

21. The owner of the kitchen tasting the lab grown steak for the cameras

LEADIN:

Scientists in Israel are growing their own steaks in the hope that laboratory grown meat could one day help to solve the problem of food production and climate change.

Cattle rearing is a major source of greenhouse gases and researchers across the world are looking at alternative ways to produce meat and chicken.

STORYLINE:

Sizzling in the pan this beef looks like a piece of steak, but it's had little to do with a cow.

Just a few millimetres thick and the size of a credit card, it's taken scientists three weeks in the laboratory to get this meat to reach its full size.

With a price tag of fifty US dollars, it costs a lot more than your traditional fillet, or ribeye, but it's manufacturer Aleph Farms believes cultured meat like this could one day help reduce the environmental damage caused by livestock.

The company has hired this kitchen in Jaffa to show Associated Press its latest lab grown steak.

Aleph Farms is just one of several Israeli start-ups vying with companies around the globe to create a cultured meat has a competitive price tag, as well as looking, tasting and smelling like the real thing.

Future Meat Technologies, a spin out from Jerusalem's Hebrew University, and SmartMeat are also working to develop lab-grown chicken and beef products.

Each of the companies has already raised several million dollars in initial investments.

Each of Aleph Farms' steak strips is grown from cells extracted from a living animal, fed by a nutrient-rich liquid, and kept at a temperature that imitates the inside of a cow.

The company's chief scientist is Professor Shulamit Levenberg from Technion University.

She developed the idea of growing bovine cells on a scaffold from developing methods of growing human tissue implants.

"In skeletal muscle tissue you take muscles and then you grow them on a scaffold with the hope to get a piece of muscle that you can later implant and with this technology in mind we decided to now move to edible scaffold and using bovine cells, cells from cows, to make this piece of tissue edible, so it's a kind of meat that you can really eat," says Levenberg.

Aleph Farms CEO Didier Toubia admits there is a long way to go before the production costs of this cultured meat drop and the meat strips, now about three millimetres thick, are comparable with traditionally reared beef.

However Toubia says the alternative is will cost everyone much more.

"We would like to restore balance in nature. We believe that by saving huge amount of lands, of water, by reducing emission of greenhouse gases we can give back to the Earth, to our planet, enough resources to continue and sustain itself. On the other hand, industrial farming has broken the relationship between us and the animals, looking at animals as mere machines to produce meat, to produce proteins," he says.

Professor Yaakov Nahmias a bioengineer from the Hebrew University agrees.

"Producing meat is very inefficient. It costs a lot in terms of water resources, land that we simply don't have. It also produces, essentially, fecal emissions actually produce about 16% of CO2 equivalents that we have today. So if we want to make sure that our kids eat the same thing that we eat today, then we need to dramatically change the way we manufacture it. If we imagine a process where we grow animal cells and use that as a food source, then that process is a lot more efficient. We are talking about ten times less water, less land, less energy than the current meat production," says Nahmias.

Livestock alone generate nearly two thirds of greenhouse gases produced by farming, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization.

Nahmias believes cost is the biggest obstacle: "One of the biggest challenges that I am seeing right now is the cost of cultured meat production. What started about six years ago with a $2.3 million (USD) per kilogram burger today has been brought down to anywhere around $20,000 to $40000 (USD) per kilogram, either hamburger or chicken or steak. The problem is that this is still very far away from the market. If you want to go into the market, you are trying to get into the $5 (USD) range."

The first lab-grown burger was made by a Dutch company in 2013 at a cost of over $300,000. That first petri-dish burger has set off an international race to bring cultured meat products to market.

Various companies have started producing what they call "clean meats" for increasingly lower prices. Last year American company Memphis Meats' ground beef alternative was reported to cost about $2,400 (USD) per pound.

"Today it takes between two and three weeks to grow a steak, a meat slice, in our lab. When we move to commercial facilities we call (them) bio farms, it will take a similar amount of time. And that's to be compared to two to two-and-a-half years to produce a steak with the industrial farming methods of today," says Toubia.

For the time being, synthetic sirloins appear to remain out of reach for years to come, but researchers and environmentalists say the need for sustainable, lab-grown alternatives to industrial farming is essential.

This woman hires out the kitchen Aleph Farms is using to prepare its lab grown steak and she's agreed to have a taste for APs cameras.

She finds the result pleasing, but it will be a long time before this steak is available for everyone else to try.

Jaffa, Israel - 16 January, 2019

1. Close zoom out of a chef putting fried slices of lab-grown steak onto a plate

2. Close pan of lab-grown steak on plate

Nes Ziona, Israel - 14 January, 2019

3. Various of scientist looking into microscope at lab

4. Sample of cow cells on microscope plate

5. Close of computer screen showing cow muscle cells under microscope

6. Set up of Professor Shulamit Levenberg, Technion University

7. SOUNDBITE (English): Professor Shulamit Levenberg, Technion University

"In skeletal muscle tissue you take muscles and then you grow them on a scaffold with the hope to get a piece of muscle that you can later implant and with this technology in mind we decided to now move to edible scaffold and using bovine cells, cells from cows, to make this piece of tissue edible, so it's a kind of meat that you can really eat."

Jaffa, Israel - 16 January, 2019

8. Various of lab-grown steak being marinated

9. Mid of lab-grown steak being cooked on frying pan

Nes Ziona, Israel - 14 January, 2019

10. Close of researcher working with test tubes in a lab

11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Didier Toubia, CEO, Aleph Farms

"We would like to restore balance in nature. We believe that by saving huge amount of lands, of water, by reducing emission of greenhouse gases we can give back to the Earth, to our planet, enough resources to continue and sustain itself. On the other hand, industrial farming has broken the relationship between us and the animals, looking at animals as mere machines to produce meat, to produce proteins."

Jerusalem - 16 January, 2019

12. Set up shot of Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, Hebrew University

13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, Hebrew University

"Producing meat is very inefficient. It costs a lot in terms of water resources, land that we simply don't have. It also produces, essentially, fecal emissions actually produce about 16% of CO2 equivalents that we have today. So if we want to make sure that our kids eat the same thing that we eat today, then we need to dramatically change the way we manufacture it. If we imagine a process where we grow animal cells and use that as a food source, then that process is a lot more efficient. We are talking about ten times less water, less land, less energy than the current meat production."

Jaffa, Israel - 16 January, 2019

14. Mid zoom in of cook frying lab-grown steak

Jerusalem - 16 January, 2019

15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, Hebrew University

"One of the biggest challenges that I am seeing right now is the cost of cultured meat production. What started about six years ago with a $2.3 million (USD) per kilogram burger today has been brought down to anywhere around $20,000 to $40, 000 (USD) per kilogram, either hamburger or chicken or steak. The problem is that this is still very far away from the market. If you want to go into the market, you are trying to get into the $5 (USD) range."

Nes Ziona, Israel - 14 January, 2019

16. Close of incubator being opened by researcher who removes a container of cow cells

17. Close of containers inside incubator

18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Didier Toubia, CEO, Aleph Farms

"Today it takes between two and three weeks to grow a steak, a meat slice, in our lab. When we move to commercial facilities we call (them) bio farms, it will take a similar amount of time. And that's to be compared to two to two-and-a-half years to produce a steak with the industrial farming methods of today."

Jaffa, Israel - 16 January, 2019

19. Close of prepared plate of lab cooked steak

20. Wide of cook serving the plate of food including the lab grown steak to the owner of the kitchen

21. The owner of the kitchen tasting the lab grown steak for the cameras

LEADIN:

Scientists in Israel are growing their own steaks in the hope that laboratory grown meat could one day help to solve the problem of food production and climate change.

Cattle rearing is a major source of greenhouse gases and researchers across the world are looking at alternative ways to produce meat and chicken.

STORYLINE:

Sizzling in the pan this beef looks like a piece of steak, but it's had little to do with a cow.

Just a few millimetres thick and the size of a credit card, it's taken scientists three weeks in the laboratory to get this meat to reach its full size.

With a price tag of fifty US dollars, it costs a lot more than your traditional fillet, or ribeye, but it's manufacturer Aleph Farms believes cultured meat like this could one day help reduce the environmental damage caused by livestock.

The company has hired this kitchen in Jaffa to show Associated Press its latest lab grown steak.

Aleph Farms is just one of several Israeli start-ups vying with companies around the globe to create a cultured meat has a competitive price tag, as well as looking, tasting and smelling like the real thing.

Future Meat Technologies, a spin out from Jerusalem's Hebrew University, and SmartMeat are also working to develop lab-grown chicken and beef products.

Each of the companies has already raised several million dollars in initial investments.

Each of Aleph Farms' steak strips is grown from cells extracted from a living animal, fed by a nutrient-rich liquid, and kept at a temperature that imitates the inside of a cow.

The company's chief scientist is Professor Shulamit Levenberg from Technion University.

She developed the idea of growing bovine cells on a scaffold from developing methods of growing human tissue implants.

"In skeletal muscle tissue you take muscles and then you grow them on a scaffold with the hope to get a piece of muscle that you can later implant and with this technology in mind we decided to now move to edible scaffold and using bovine cells, cells from cows, to make this piece of tissue edible, so it's a kind of meat that you can really eat," says Levenberg.

Aleph Farms CEO Didier Toubia admits there is a long way to go before the production costs of this cultured meat drop and the meat strips, now about three millimetres thick, are comparable with traditionally reared beef.

However Toubia says the alternative is will cost everyone much more.

"We would like to restore balance in nature. We believe that by saving huge amount of lands, of water, by reducing emission of greenhouse gases we can give back to the Earth, to our planet, enough resources to continue and sustain itself. On the other hand, industrial farming has broken the relationship between us and the animals, looking at animals as mere machines to produce meat, to produce proteins," he says.

Professor Yaakov Nahmias a bioengineer from the Hebrew University agrees.

"Producing meat is very inefficient. It costs a lot in terms of water resources, land that we simply don't have. It also produces, essentially, fecal emissions actually produce about 16% of CO2 equivalents that we have today. So if we want to make sure that our kids eat the same thing that we eat today, then we need to dramatically change the way we manufacture it. If we imagine a process where we grow animal cells and use that as a food source, then that process is a lot more efficient. We are talking about ten times less water, less land, less energy than the current meat production," says Nahmias.

Livestock alone generate nearly two thirds of greenhouse gases produced by farming, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization.

Nahmias believes cost is the biggest obstacle: "One of the biggest challenges that I am seeing right now is the cost of cultured meat production. What started about six years ago with a $2.3 million (USD) per kilogram burger today has been brought down to anywhere around $20,000 to $40000 (USD) per kilogram, either hamburger or chicken or steak. The problem is that this is still very far away from the market. If you want to go into the market, you are trying to get into the $5 (USD) range."

The first lab-grown burger was made by a Dutch company in 2013 at a cost of over $300,000. That first petri-dish burger has set off an international race to bring cultured meat products to market.

Various companies have started producing what they call "clean meats" for increasingly lower prices. Last year American company Memphis Meats' ground beef alternative was reported to cost about $2,400 (USD) per pound.

"Today it takes between two and three weeks to grow a steak, a meat slice, in our lab. When we move to commercial facilities we call (them) bio farms, it will take a similar amount of time. And that's to be compared to two to two-and-a-half years to produce a steak with the industrial farming methods of today," says Toubia.

For the time being, synthetic sirloins appear to remain out of reach for years to come, but researchers and environmentalists say the need for sustainable, lab-grown alternatives to industrial farming is essential.

This woman hires out the kitchen Aleph Farms is using to prepare its lab grown steak and she's agreed to have a taste for APs cameras.

She finds the result pleasing, but it will be a long time before this steak is available for everyone else to try.

Jaffa, Israel - 16 January, 2019

1. Close zoom out of a chef putting fried slices of lab-grown steak onto a plate

2. Close pan of lab-grown steak on plate

Nes Ziona, Israel - 14 January, 2019

3. Various of scientist looking into microscope at lab

4. Sample of cow cells on microscope plate

5. Close of computer screen showing cow muscle cells under microscope

6. Set up of Professor Shulamit Levenberg, Technion University

7. SOUNDBITE (English): Professor Shulamit Levenberg, Technion University

"In skeletal muscle tissue you take muscles and then you grow them on a scaffold with the hope to get a piece of muscle that you can later implant and with this technology in mind we decided to now move to edible scaffold and using bovine cells, cells from cows, to make this piece of tissue edible, so it's a kind of meat that you can really eat."

Jaffa, Israel - 16 January, 2019

8. Various of lab-grown steak being marinated

9. Mid of lab-grown steak being cooked on frying pan

Nes Ziona, Israel - 14 January, 2019

10. Close of researcher working with test tubes in a lab

11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Didier Toubia, CEO, Aleph Farms

"We would like to restore balance in nature. We believe that by saving huge amount of lands, of water, by reducing emission of greenhouse gases we can give back to the Earth, to our planet, enough resources to continue and sustain itself. On the other hand, industrial farming has broken the relationship between us and the animals, looking at animals as mere machines to produce meat, to produce proteins."

Jerusalem - 16 January, 2019

12. Set up shot of Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, Hebrew University

13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, Hebrew University

"Producing meat is very inefficient. It costs a lot in terms of water resources, land that we simply don't have. It also produces, essentially, fecal emissions actually produce about 16% of CO2 equivalents that we have today. So if we want to make sure that our kids eat the same thing that we eat today, then we need to dramatically change the way we manufacture it. If we imagine a process where we grow animal cells and use that as a food source, then that process is a lot more efficient. We are talking about ten times less water, less land, less energy than the current meat production."

Jaffa, Israel - 16 January, 2019

14. Mid zoom in of cook frying lab-grown steak

Jerusalem - 16 January, 2019

15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Prof. Yaakov Nahmias, Hebrew University

"One of the biggest challenges that I am seeing right now is the cost of cultured meat production. What started about six years ago with a $2.3 million (USD) per kilogram burger today has been brought down to anywhere around $20,000 to $40, 000 (USD) per kilogram, either hamburger or chicken or steak. The problem is that this is still very far away from the market. If you want to go into the market, you are trying to get into the $5 (USD) range."

Nes Ziona, Israel - 14 January, 2019

16. Close of incubator being opened by researcher who removes a container of cow cells

17. Close of containers inside incubator

18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Didier Toubia, CEO, Aleph Farms

"Today it takes between two and three weeks to grow a steak, a meat slice, in our lab. When we move to commercial facilities we call (them) bio farms, it will take a similar amount of time. And that's to be compared to two to two-and-a-half years to produce a steak with the industrial farming methods of today."

Jaffa, Israel - 16 January, 2019

19. Close of prepared plate of lab cooked steak

20. Wide of cook serving the plate of food including the lab grown steak to the owner of the kitchen

21. The owner of the kitchen tasting the lab grown steak for the cameras

LEAD IN:

Despite virus restrictions, Israelis celebrate Hanukkah with traditional dazzling doughnuts, known as "sufganiyot."  

STORY-LINE:

Hanukkah is not the same without some "sufganiyot."  

The traditional deep-fried jelly doughnuts are consumed during the weeklong winter festival.

The variety is striking and in addition to the classic filled sufganiyot, some are filled with pure vanilla, or covered with pistachio, Oreo, whipped cream and more.

The traditional holiday pastry costs between $3 to $4.  

"They are delicious," said Limor Halperin a customer at Roladin, a famous Israeli bakery.

"It's worth coming here, a real celebration," she added.

Nir Richman, a pastry chef at Roladin, explained that "each one is obviously fresh, we sell them fresh each day, we fry them, we don't sell them the day after. Each one gets its own filling, gets coating, little bit of decoration."

"We try to bring a little bit of the world to Israel because these days we can't travel so much," he adds.

This year, Hanukkah begins on Dec. 10 and ends on Dec. 17.

Hanukkah is an eight-day holiday which commemorates the rededication of the second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt in the 2nd century BC.

It is traditionally celebrated in family gatherings by lighting a "Hanukkah" which is the Hebrew word for candelabra, symbolizing the victory of light over darkness and by eating fried food.

Kadima, central Israel - 9 December 2020

1.  Tilt up of colourful sufganiyot, a jelly doughnut eaten on the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, on display

2. Various of sufganiyot on display  

3. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Limor Halperin, customer:

"The (sufganiyot) are delicious, with various and different flavours from last year. It's worth coming here, a real celebration."

4. Nir Richman, pastry chef at Roladin bakery, placing sufganiyot on tray

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Nir Richman, pastry chef at Roladin bakery:

"Funny enough, people in Israel don't eat sufganiyot except in Hanukkah, so we only sell them around this time of year. We started to sell around mid-September, just after the holidays, Rosh Hashannah and so on, and the public just loves them of course. You can't wait all year round just to eat sufganiyot."

6. Sufganiyot

7. Employee arranging sufganiyot in a box

8. Various of posters reading (English) "Show mask go on", showing models with masks holding sufganiyot

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Nir Richman, pastry chef at Roladin bakery:

"This year, because of the COVID-19 issue, with wanted to be update, so we incorporated this whole mask thing into our campaign. We found a very nice and hip artist who designed very nice masks, and we incorporated it into our campaign. Each Sufganiyah got its own mask, very nice, according to the colour, them and everything."

10. Sufganiyot on display

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Nir Richman, pastry chef at Roladin bakery:

"We have our classic one which is just filled with jelly, but when we talk about our special sufganiyot, its quite complicated. Each one is obviously fresh, we sell them fresh each day, we fry them, we don't sell them the day after. Each one gets its own filling, gets coating, little bit of decoration. This one, for example, is our pistachio one, it has amaretto cookies inside, a little bit of ground pistachio. We try to bring a little bit of the world to Israel because these days we can't travel so much. So, we try to bring whatever we can to the Israeli people here."

12. Customer buying sufganiyot

13. Close of sufganiyot

14. Employee arranging sufganiyot in a box

15. Various of sufganiyot

00:00:00

Madrid university faculties join forces against virus

4262610

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Madrid - 1 April 2020

1. Nurses from Complutense University medical department taking nasal samples from people

2. Laboratory of veterinary faculty

3. Test tubes

00:11:23

US Navy preps hospital ship for non-virus patients

4262648

US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Los Angeles - 30 March 2020

4. Various, interiors of hospital ship USNS Mercy preparing for patients

00:23:14

Eerie scene in NY as virus looms and city empties

4262668

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 1 April 2020

5. Empty streets in Chinatown, Manhattan

6. Various of empty streets in Downtown Manhattan

00:23:14

Eerie scene in NY as virus looms and city empties

4262668

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 1 April 2020

7. Empty streets in Chinatown, Manhattan

8. Various of empty streets in Downtown Manhattan

00:35:12

ONLYONAP Spanish hospital lab ramps up virus testing

4262690

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Badalona - 1 April 2020

9. Various of technician handling samples to be tested for the virus

00:47:03

Egyptian violinist plays from balcony amid lockdown

4262739

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cairo - 31 March 2020

10. Man holding phone to record university student Mohamed Aly playing violin from his balcony

11. Aly playing violin from balcony

12. Children clapping

00:58:21

Coffins of virus victims in Barcelona car park

4262814

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Barcelona - 2 April 2020

13. Various of coffins lined up in funeral home parking lot

01:06:18

Seoul Buddhist temple livestreams prayer amid virus

4262914

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Seoul - 3 April 2020

14. Mid of monk reading Buddhist scripture

15. Mid of staff working on online live streaming of service

16. Exterior temple

01:20:09

Drone footage of deserted Athens in lockdown

4262933

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Athens, Greece - 1 April 2020

++MUTE++

17. Tracking drone shot of Monastiraki and Plaka area below Acropolis

18. Tracking shot of Monastiraki Square

19. Tracking shot down usually busy commercial Ermou Street with closed shops

01:32:09

Istanbul engineers using 3D printers to make masks

4262974

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Istanbul - 3 April 2020

20. Mid of 3D printer generating plastic face shield

21. Worker checks progress on one printer

22. Masked workers preparing visors for distribution

01:44:06

More than 600 new graves dug in Ukraine town

4263031

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dnipro - 2 April 2020

23. Workers digging graves

24. Cemetery

25. Excavator

01:55:07

India villages erect barricades to keep visitors out

4263203

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Siroli, Uttar Pradesh - 4 April 2020

26. Person walking through barricade put up by villagers

Jammu - 4 April 2020

27. Various of villagers manning barbed wire barricade

02:06:11

Palm Sunday: monks throw palms to faithful

4263210

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jerusalem - 5 April 2020

28. Mid of man throwing olive branch to Christian on balcony

29. Close of man praying outside closed Church of Holy Sepulchre

02:19:15

Venice canals empty amid virus lockdown

4263338

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Venice, Italy - 6 April 2020

30. Workers disinfecting streets and bridges

31. Wide pan of empty St. Mark's Square

32. Wide of empty Grand Canal

02:32:22

Trump-touted virus treatment lacks evidence

4263470

US DEFENSE DEPT, ASSOCIATED PRESS

US DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

New York - 5 April 2020

33. Military medical personnel caring for coronavirus patient at New York City Javits Center

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Las Vegas - 6 April 2020

34. Still - Hydroxychloroquine pills

New Orleans, Louisiana - 2 April 2020

35. Two Tulane University School of Medicine employees processing coronavirus tests in the school's molecular pathology lab

02:43:17

Colombian Army hands food during virus lockdown

4263800

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Southern Bogota - 8 April 2020

36. Truck of the Colombian Army, driving on highway on a hill

37. Soldiers walking uphill in a country road, carrying bags of food.

38. Soldiers walking uphill in unpaved road

02:55:01

Flamenco prayers sung from balcony despite pandemic

4264063

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Aguilar de la Frontera, Cordoba- 9 April 2020

39. Various of people clapping from their balconies and simulating the holy procession

40. Singer "El Peluso" singing a 'Saeta' (the "flamenco" prayer song)

03:07:10

Masks, gloves for bride and groom in Rome wedding

4264264

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rome - 11 April 2020

41. Bride Tatiana Datolla and groom Armando De Rosa slide down their masks to kiss

42. Bride giving documents to police

43. Rows of empty chairs

03:19:13

Rome priest holds Easter mass on roof of church

4264342

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rome - 12 April 2020

44. Families following Mass from windows and balconies

45. Women listening to Mass from balconies

46. Drone AERIAL of Mass on the roof

03:28:08

Nigeria faithful attend Easter Mass by video

4264356

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lagos, Nigeria - 12 April 2020

47. Various shots of Easter Mass inside nearly empty Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos

48. Family watching live telecast at home on television set

03:39:18

Portugal priest takes church on the road

4264373

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Oeiras - 12 April 2020

49. Pan from Father Nuno Westwood on top of car speaking, UPSOUND (Portuguese) "Hallelujah, Hallelujah, a Holy Easter to all", to building

50. Westwood holding a cross and blessing people from a distance UPSOUND (Portuguese) "May you all be blessed in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. A Holy Easter to all. Long live Jesus."

03:53:02

Trump argues he has 'total' authority over shutdown

4264574

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 13 April 2020

51. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

(Responding to question on state authority to decide when to 'reopen' after lockdown conditions)

"The president of the United States has the authority to do what the president has the authority to do, which is very powerful. The president of the United States calls the shots."

04:03:17

Colombia scientists develop low cost ventilators

4264780

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bogota - 14 April 2020

52. Top shot of mechanical engineers inside work areas testing ventilator prototype for COVID-19 patients

53. Mechanical engineer testing air ventilator prototype

04:13:09

G7 leaders meet via video conference

4264951

ASSOCIATED PRESS VIA AGENCY POOL (REUTERS)

AP via AGENCY POOL (Reuters)

Paris - 16 April 2020

54. Various of French President Emmanuel Macron and ministers joining G7 video teleconference from Elysee Palace

04:25:04

Rio accelerates cemetery expansion amid virus

4265598

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rio de Janeiro - 20 April 2020

55. Graves and crosses at Caju Cemetery and burial niches in construction behind

56. Workers building the niches

57. Man working inside a niche

04:36:09

ONLY ON AP: NY emergency room battles COVID-19

4265818

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Yonkers, New York - 20 April 2020

++AP PHOTOGRAPHER GRANTED ACCESS TO SHOOT THROUGH CURTAIN++

58. ER nurses and doctors working to resuscitate a COVID-19 victim UPSOUND: "Pull the curtain, please. Pull the curtain."

59. Defibrillator being used to bring COVID-19 patient back UPSOUND: "Move! Everybody move!"

04:47:14

Queue at Paris suburb foodbank as lockdown goes on

4265913

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Clichy-sous-Bois, outside Paris, France - 22 April 2020

60. Various of people queuing for food distribution

61. Food distribution

04:58:16

Cruise ship 37 days at sea finally docks in Genoa

4265956

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Genoa, Italy - 22 April 2020

62. Costa Deliziosa entering port

63. Passengers on deck

64. Ship's name on hull

05:11:08

General Motors workers step up to make masks

4266142

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Warren, Michigan - 23 April 2020

65. Various of workers making masks at GM's Warren Transmission plant

66. Workers producing masks

05:22:20

Statues in Brazil wear face masks amid pandemic

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Rio de Janeiro - 23 April 2020

67. Singer Dorival Caymmi statue with a mask and gloves at Copacabana beach, and Sugar loaf behind

68. Statue of Brazilian writer Carlos Drummond de Andrade, with a mask at Copacabana beach, and Sugar Loaf behind

69. Statue of Princess Isabel of Brazil with a mask

70. Statue of Brazilian singer, Cartola, with a mask at Mangueira favela

05:24:15

Brazil dead buried.

4266903

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Manaus - 28 April 2020

71. Cemetery workers carrying a coffin wrapped with plastic

72. Relatives of a suspected COVID-19 victim attending a short ceremony at the cemetery

73. Drone images of crosses on the graves and relatives attending a burial ++MUTE++

05:47:20

UK PM gives first briefing after COVID recovery

4267189

UK POOL

London - 30 April 2020

74. SOUNDBITE (English) Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister:

" And I want to thank the NHS for so much, including getting me back here and I might add, for a much happier hospital visit yesterday.

05:58:22

US shipment with 211 ventilators arrives in Mexico

4267931

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Toluca International Airport - 5 May 2020

75. FEDEX flight, taxiing on runway

76. Various of ventilators being unloaded from the plane

06:10:11

ONLYONAP Ukraine medics forced to improvise PPE

4268648