CTech’s Weekly Roundup of Israeli Tech News

Israeli-made UAV dumps skunk-water on Gaza protesters. The Israeli Defense Ministry shared a video of the "new protest dispersion technology" on Twitter. Israeli defense forces have also been using live fire on Palestinian protesters. Read more

Homegrown content distribution company boosted the Israeli song ahead of Eurovision final. Quirky "Toy," sung by Netta Barzilai, had its fair share of fans ahead of the final, but a boost from content distribution outfit Outbrain may have also helped in getting Israel its fourth competition win. Read more

Intel submits detailed plan for $5-billion plant expansion in Israel. The plan involves a major overhaul of the chip manufacturer's Fab 28 plant in the town of Kiryat Gat. Read more

Credit Suisse to invest $250 Million in Israel-based life sciences venture fund aMoon. Marius Nacht, the co-founder of firewall pioneer Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., co-founded aMoon in 2016. On Wednesday, Credit Suisse and aMoon announced a strategic partnership that will see the former invest in aMoon’s second fund. Read more

Watchdog tells Israeli prime minister and ministers they cannot buy cryptocurrencies. The Israeli state comptroller has issued a directive stating that Israeli government cabinet members should avoid using cryptocurrencies as long as the matter remains unregulated, for fear of conflicts of interest. Read more

Startup says it is first to copy spider’s silk spinning process. Spider silk is not only strong, unbelievably elastic, and able to withstand extreme temperature, it is also biodegradable and biocompatible, a fact that’s especially important for medical applications. Read more

Israel’s life sciences industry is dominated by small scale startups. Israel's life sciences industry has experienced 81% growth over the past decade, with around 130 companies founded every year on average, according to a new report, though half of that number ceased to operate. Most of the industry’s employees are divided between its largest companies, meaning that 65% of Israel-based life sciences companies employ 10 people or fewer. Read more

Synchrony to acquire gifting company Loop Commerce. Loop Commerce develops software for personalized gifting, intended to reduce the expenses involved in returns and product exchanges. The company’s technology lets customers pre-choose product specifications like size, and color. Read more

Using flywheel batteries to charge electric vehicles in ten minutes. Chakratec Ltd., an Israel-based battery startup, raises $4.4 million as it tackles some of the last obstacles holding back electric cars. Read more 

Amazon’s new Israeli offices are prefabs erected on parking lot in days. In July 2017, Amazon signed a five-year contract to lease two large workspaces in Israel, one in Tel Aviv and one in northern tech hub Haifa. Amazon's expansion plans in Israel are outpacing the local construction speed. and the company has decided to temporarily house its Haifa employees in prefabricated constructs put on a parking lot. Read more 

Mercedes to test autonomous electric sedan in Israel. The automaker is working to obtain regulatory approval from Israeli authorities and hopes to begin testing on public roads later this year. Read more

Former head of Microsoft's startup outreach program is now a free agent. Tzahi (Zack) Weisfeld, the former general manager of Microsoft's startup outreach program, has revealed he left the company in April. Officially named Microsoft for Startups, Microsoft's startup outreach program operates accelerators in eight locations worldwide and manages the company’s cloud and software offerings for startups. Read more 

Berkshire Hathaway solidified its Teva position in first quarter of 2018. According to a Tuesday filing, Berkshire Hathaway more than doubled its Teva stake during the first quarter of 2018. In February, the company revealed it acquired 18.9 million Teva ADRs in the fourth quarter of 2017. Read more