Daily Briefing Aug. 31 – Pencil case, snack, COVID test: Israel girds for school

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Today’s guests are health and science correspondent Nathan Jeffay and environment correspondent Sue Surkes, with Raoul Wootliff as host.

Summer holidays are over and school is set to start tomorrow. On today’s show, we discuss the new health regulations allowing the school year to begin and how they are set to work.

Israel’s death toll from the virus passed 7,000 yesterday. We look at the current rate of infection and ask how the vaccine booster is having an impact.

Turning to the environment, we assess a government report released yesterday that claims Israel has much higher methane emissions than the world average. Why is it so high and what can be done?

And finally, we’ll look at how the new agricultural reform that’s part of the state budget is set to impact both Israeli farmers and consumers.

Discussed articles include:

Bennett says schools will open Wednesday, eases in-person learning rule

Ministers OK barring unvaccinated and untested teachers, doctors from workplaces

Israel’s COVID death toll passes 7,000; over 500 felled by virus in August alone

Israel widens 3rd COVID booster shot to those aged 12 and over

Government report finds Israel methane emissions much higher than world averages

Syrian oil spill spreads into Mediterranean, may reach Cyprus

Tar still washing up onto Israel’s beaches six months after oil spill

Doubts crop up as bid to lower price of produce targets farms for reform

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