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 restart tomorrow. On today's show, we discuss the new regulations allowing the school year to begin and how they are set to work.

Israel yesterday passed 7,000 fatalities from the virus since the start of the Pandemic last year. 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 new government report released yesterday which claims Israel has much high 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 as 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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PHOTO: A child poses with her COVID-19 home kit test that she received from her school, ahead of the opening of the new school year, in Jerusalem, August 30, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

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