Israel Chemicals Ltd. (Hebrew: כימיקלים לישראל בע"מ) (TASE: ICL), also known as ICL, is a multi-national Israeli manufacturing concern that develops, produces and markets fertilizers, metals and other special-purpose chemical products.

ICL was formed in 1968 as a conglomerate of the Dead Sea Works and other state-owned companies that extracted minerals from Negev desert mines.

In 1977, ICL started its first manufacturing (as opposed to sales) efforts abroad, with the purchase of BK Giulini Chemie GmbH, a German chemicals manufacturer. This was followed in later years with further overseas acquisitions.

ICL was privatized on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) in 1992. The government still retains a "Special State Share," which entitles the State to certain veto rights. Since 1995, ICL's controlling interest is held by the Israel Corporation holding group. As of October 2007, ICL's market cap was US $12.9 Billion.

As of April 2009, the company was said to be considering a bond offering to raise 500 million shekels ($122 million).

Coordinates: 31°N 35°E / 31°N 35°E / 31; 35

Israel, officially the State of Israel ( /ˈɪzriːəl/ or  /ˈɪzreɪəl/; Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל‎, Medīnat Yisrā'el, IPA: [me̞diˈnät jisʁäˈʔe̞l] ( listen); Arabic: دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل‎, Dawlat Isrāʼīl, IPA: [dawlat ʔisraːˈʔiːl]), is a parliamentary republic in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan and the West Bank in the east, Egypt and the Gaza Strip on the southwest, and the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea to the south, and it contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Israel is defined as a Jewish and Democratic State in its Basic Laws and is the world's only Jewish-majority state.

Following the adoption of a resolution by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 29 November 1947 recommending the adoption and implementation of the United Nations plan to partition Palestine, on 14 May 1948 David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization and president of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel, a state independent from the British Mandate for Palestine. Neighboring Arab states invaded the next day in support of the Palestinian Arabs. Israel has since fought several wars with neighboring Arab states, in the course of which it has occupied the West Bank, Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. Portions of these territories, including east Jerusalem, have been annexed by Israel, but the border with the neighboring West Bank has not yet been permanently defined.^{[neutrality is disputed]} Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, but efforts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have so far not resulted in peace.

Darren Shaw is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He is the coach of Rochdale Hornets.

Before his coaching career, Shaw played for a number of clubs in England and Australia. Shaw played for Brisbane Broncos^{[citation needed]}, London Broncos, Sheffield Eagles, Castleford Tigers and Salford City Reds. At the Sheffield Eagles, Shaw earned a Challenge Cup winner's medal when the Eagles beat Wigan in the 1998 final.

Darren Shaw was assistant coach to Bobbie Goulding at Rochdale Hornets prior to taking charge at Leigh in 2006. Shaw replaced Tony Benson after Benson was relieved of his duties following a shock play-off defeat to Batley Bulldogs.

Shortly after Shaw's appointment it was found that he did not have the relevant coaching qualifications to take charge of a team at National League level. To counter this, Shaw was made Football Manager, with Paul Rowley becoming First Team coach.

Darren Shaw's first full season in charge of Leigh Centurions ended with a 19-6 play off defeat away to Whitehaven. Leigh's 2007 season was one dogged by inconsistency. Convincing wins were often followed by heavy defeats as Shaw was forced to field a number of youngsters due to injury problems. The unsettled nature of the side in 2007 was reflected by the fact that Shaw gave debuts to over 20 players over the course of the season.

Joseph (Yossi) Vardi (born 1942) (Hebrew: יוסי ורדי‎), is one of Israel's first high-tech entrepreneurs. For over 40 years he has founded and helped to build over 60 high-tech companies in a variety of fields, among them software, energy, Internet, mobile, electro-optics and water technology.

Joseph Vardi was born in Tel Aviv. He studied at the Technion in Haifa, graduating with a B. Sc. in industrial management engineering. He went on to earn an M. Sc in Operations Research and a D. Sc. (his thesis received the Kennedy-Leigh Award).

Vardi began his entrepreneurial career in 1969, at the age of 26, as co-founder and first CEO of TEKEM (Hebrew: טכ"מ‎) (In Hebrew – abbreviation of "Technologia Mitkademet". In English: ATL-Advanced Technology Ltd.), one of the first software houses in Israel (later sold to Tadiran and then absorbed into Ness Technologies). In 1970, he was appointed Director General of the Ministry of Development . He served as chairman of Israel Chemicals of Mifaley Tovala, of Harsit and Hol Zach, and a member of the board of Israel Electric Corporation, Dead Sea Works, Dead Sea Bromine, Dead Sea Periclase, Haifa Chemicals, Chemicals and Phosphates, and others. He also chaired the Oil Explorations Concessions Council and Fertilizers Development Council.