Israel reopens Gaza crossing for Palestinian workers

Israel has reopened the only crossing from the Gaza Strip for Palestinian workers, nearly two weeks after closing it over unrest, the Defence Ministry said.

The Erez crossing, which used by 12,000 Palestinians with permits to enter Israel for work, reopened on Sunday.

Cogat, a unit of the Israeli Defence Ministry responsible for Palestinian civil affairs, said: "Following an assessment of the security situation, it has been decided ... to open Erez crossing for passage of workers and permit holders from the Gaza Strip into Israel, beginning Sunday," AFP reported.

Jobs in Israel offer a vital source of income for residents of Gaza, where the economy has stagnated under an Israeli blockade imposed after the Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas took control of the territory in 2007.

A recent World Bank report put the unemployment rate in Gaza, a Palestinian territory of about 2.3 million people, at nearly 48 per cent.

Israel had closed the crossing on May 3 in the run-up to Israel's national memorial and independence days.

The closure came after rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza following Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank and confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinians at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem that left hundred of worshippers injured.

None of the militant groups in Gaza claimed responsibility for the the rocket launches, but Israel holds Hamas responsible for all attacks from the territory.

Hamas has fought repeatedly with Israel over the past 15 years, most recently an 11-day war in May last year. Israeli authorities feared the tension and violence in and around Jerusalem in April, when Muslims were observing Ramadan, would bring another full-blown conflict with Gaza, but that did not happen.

Coffee: black death or elixir of life?

It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?

Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.

The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.

The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.

Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.

The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.

But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.

Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.

It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.

So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.

Rory Reynolds