Amir Peretz, the chairman of the General Federation of Labor in Israel (Histadrut), annouced on Wednesday afternoon the end of the general strike, 30 hours after it began

Minister of Transport Mr. Meir Sheetrit told the Knesset Economics Committee that planning of a railway line to Eilat had already began

The CBS's forecast for economic growth is higher than that forecasted by the Finance Ministry, which predicted growth rate of 3.8 percent, and the Bank of Israel's prediction of 3.7%

The Israel Ports Authority council approved last week several steps to ease mounting pressure of importers and exporters to allow discounts and exemptions for vessels and cargo owners hurt by the recent two weeks long ports strike

Israeli export to Jordan during the period January to September 2004 is up 50% compared to the same period last year. Total export reached us$95 millions compared to us$62 millions last year

Mr. Mahmud Catishat, head of the Jordanian Customs Authority, said that Jordan expects in the next few years an increase in its bilateral trade with Israel

In a statement given on the eve of the departure of an Israeli trade delegation to Russia Mr. Brosh said that during the first six months of 2004 food exports were up by 52.6% compared to the same period last year.

The Accountant General, Dr. Yaron Zalika, has decided on a series of additional steps to address problems that hinder the implementation of major infrastructure projects, with the goal of accelerating investments in infrastructure during 2005 and beyond