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June 26, 2012
Posted: 1115 GMT
Rows of chocolate-filled syringes with fake Nutella packaging as posted on http://www.souq.dubaimoon.com Chocoholics beware! There's a new take on the idea of "getting a chocolate fix." Emirati newspapers Tuesday are flashing alarming headlines like "don't buy chocolate spread in syringes," "chocolate needles alarm bells," and "illegal chocolate syringes spark sharp response." The Dubai Municipality has issued a stern health warning against buying or consuming (or presumably injecting!) chocolate-filled syringes after the photos above were circulated among UAE residents via blackberry, smartphones and social networking sites. The photos show rows of syringes filled with what looks like chocolate, carrying the familiar label of the hazelnut chocolate spread Nutella. Regional distributors of the Nutella brand have issued fervent denials to the press that their product is in any way connected to these syringes and that there is no way they would be marketed or sold to consumers. In a statement released by the municipality yesterday, the head of the food control department at Dubai Municipality said the civic body was working with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Environment to take necessary action. Some newspapers are reporting similar images dating back a year; but it might have been this online ad in the classified section of a local online shopping site that sparked this recent frenzy. Posted June 15, it tells buyers to hurry up and get their choco-shots! Only 10 Dirhams! (about $2.70) We called the number on the ad and got through to 17-year-old Abu Dhabi resident Salem Al Mihri. He told us that it was indeed him who was selling the candy contraband online. "But what about the Dubai Municipality health warning?" I asked. "What health warning?" Al Mihri asked. He hadn't read today's papers. He claims he came up with the idea a few months ago while hanging out with friends – he considered it an entrepreneurial inspiration. Al Mihri says he bought the syringes from the pharmacy, filled them with Nutella spread and added and label and voila! He says he sold all 30 of his creations to cousins – not the general public . Since our conversation, the photo on the ad has been updated to say "Sold Out." Oh, and he was very insistent that the syringes were totally "sterile" and did NOT have hypodermic needles attached. "It's a fun way to eat them, squeeze them out of the syringe, of course I didn't mean it as an injection!" Al Mihri assured us this was an one-off idea done for fun. So the Dubai Municipality and the general public can rest assured that these fake products are NOT for sale (no guarantees that there won't be another copycat with an "entrepreneurial spirit") Al Mihri says he'd like to go to university where he hopes he'll learn to be a businessman and where we hope he'll learn about trademark infringement and food health & safety. Meanwhile, our final thought on the matter might be best reflected in this tweet...
Posted by: Schams Elwazer
June 24, 2012
Posted: 903 GMT
The 101st episode of 'Inside the Middle East' airs on Wednesday, July 4th at 12:30pm Jordan/1:30pm UAE. Hope you can watch! Want to see more? Become a fan of the show on Facebook and follow host Rima Maktabi on Twitter. Posted by: Aroub Abdelhaq
June 18, 2012
Posted: 1040 GMT
Walking down Rainbow Street in Amman on Friday night, I was thrilled by the positive vibes around the arty cafes and restaurants. Young Jordanians strolled along the street, where beautiful old houses give the whole area a magical feel. Traffic clogged the area and I had to take a long walk to get to a restaurant where friends were waiting. In February of 2011, I covered protests in Amman just as the popular uprisings erupted across the Arab world. They were nowhere near as frequent or as large as the protests in Cairo or Tunis, but on this same street I had met young Jordanians complaining about unemployment and a lack of opportunities. Now the restaurants and cafes were buzzing with young and old. "La vie en rose in Amman", I told myself. Had things changed so much in a year? A few minutes later I was sitting down to dinner with – among others – a minister in the current government and a businessman. And my rosy impression quickly dissipated. A heated discussion about Jordan's financial crisis dominated our conversation, during which I got a glimpse of the challenges that Jordan's 7 million people face. The newly appointed Jordanian government decided on Tuesday to raise the price of 90-octane gasoline from JD0.62 to JD0.70 per Litre. Earlier this month, the government introduced new electricity tariffs, raising rates as high as 150 per cent across several sectors, and raised 95-octane fuel prices by 25 per cent. "These are tough and unpopular decisions that must be taken or else the country will drown in an unprecedented financial crisis", the minister admitted. He agreed to be quoted on background. One former minister also at the dinner added: "Jordan has been suffering from ongoing cuts in Egyptian gas supplies which escalated the issue of power supply. Add to this the influx of Syrian refugees, before that the Libyan refugees that Jordan was never compensated for. On top of all of this, the price of fuel is skyrocketing worldwide. Not to mention that if our Saudi friends don't send us some financial aid, the Jordanian government may not have enough money to pay salaries soon." Last year, Saudi Arabia injected $1.4 billion in cash in an attempt to help its much poorer neighbor. But this year no Saudi aid has yet arrived in Jordan, according to some officials here. And while there may be an air of prosperity among the young elite on Rainbow Street, there's plenty of discontent elsewhere. That same day some 2,000 Jordanians braved the intense midday heat to take to the streets demanding reform and action and against widespread corruption. The current government – just the latest in a series over the last two years – is only a few weeks old, but already under pressure. These are the same demands I heard a year ago. Yet this time, the crisis is bigger than Jordan. With a 15-month uprising in Syria, a politically unstable Egypt and little help coming from rich Gulf countries, Jordan's economy is ailing. More than ever, Jordan needs its summer tourist season to be a good one. Posted by: Rima Maktabi June 17, 2012
Posted: 1932 GMT
The 'Inside the Middle East' team is filming in Jordan this week, preparing for our 101st episode which airs on July 4th. Here's what our colleagues at the CNN Press Room had to say about our upcoming episode:
Want to see more? Become a fan of the show on Facebook and follow host Rima Maktabi on Twitter. Read the rest of this entry » Posted by: Jon Jensen June 10, 2012
Posted: 1315 GMT
More than 20,000 fans waited in the warm weather for almost two hours before the 'Queen of Pop' Madonna kicked off her concert in Abu Dhabi last week, but her controversial performance is still echoing throughout the region today. Coming from Tel Aviv in Israel, where she debuted her world tour last week, Madonna opened her Abu Dhabi gig with a series of religious, sexual and violent acts that left fans in both countries both mesmerized and shocked. Some Madonna fans in the UAE, according to this columnist from Gulf Newspaper, were upset at the pop star for not abiding by their relatively conservative society. At least one Twitter user noted a contradiction:
Madonna opened her first act in Abu Dhabi with religious chants, and featured a huge cross on stage which was later cut in half. In a later scene, Madonna carried an AK-47 and used it – mockingly – to kill a few of the dancers on stage. She then proceeded to strip her clothes, albeit partially, leaving some fans with their jaws dropped in surprise. It wasn't just in the UAE. Read the rest of this entry » Posted by: Aroub Abdelhaq
June 7, 2012
Posted: 948 GMT
'Spiders in Space' was one of the stories from our 100th episode:
So how did Amr get into Space Lab? Here's a look at Amr's video application for the project: Posted by: Jon Jensen
June 4, 2012
Posted: 1809 GMT
This month, 'Inside the Middle East', celebrates its 100th episode with a special look at education, focusing on the ways Egypt, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates are developing their future generations. Our first airing is Wednesday June 6 (click here for showtimes in your area). Here's a look at what's coming up this month on 'Inside the Middle East': Posted by: Jon Jensen June 3, 2012
Posted: 1519 GMT
A Turkish court charged an award-winning pianist on Friday with insulting Islam on Twitter, according to the Associated Press. Fazil Say, a 42-year-old Turkish pianist, reportedly posted several tweets to his Twitter account which were perceived as supporting atheism and insulting of Turkey's “religious values”. Say faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted in an October trial, according to his lawyer's comments in this article from Agence-France Presse. "It's unbelievable that it was made into a court case." Mr. Say told the New York Times. "The case, which is inconsistent with human rights and universal laws, is bad for Turkey's image," he said to Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper. Here's the NYT on Say's controversial tweets:
Read more on Say on his website and Facebook account. Posted by: Aroub Abdelhaq
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Welcome to the Inside the Middle East blog where CNN's journalists post news, views and video from across the region. This is also a place where you can start the discussion so please keep your comments coming. We highlight not only current news stories but also anecdotes and issues that don't always make the top of the headlines. Read more about CNN's special reports policy Recent Posts
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