{"id":37908,"date":"2014-12-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/37908\/this-week-in-the-middle-east-december-20-2014"},"modified":"2023-05-08T09:13:58","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T09:13:58","slug":"this-week-in-the-middle-east-december-20-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/37908\/this-week-in-the-middle-east-december-20-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"This Week in the Middle East: December 20, 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"The bad news is: the government announced this week the possibility that you’re still eating shit-infested food. The good news? That food is about to get a whole lot cheaper. Check out the top stories making headlines this past week.

Abu Faour Releases New Health Violation List<\/b><\/big><\/big>

(Image via Blog Baladi<\/a>)

You know what’s worse than the guy who walks up to your kid and crushes his childhood by telling him that neither Santa Clause nor Darth Vader exists? The guy who says all your favorite restaurants are violating health regulations. Don’t get me wrong: I’m still going to eat a cheeseburger at CBJ this weekend… but I’m going to feel guilty about devouring that juicy, allegedly feces-laden goodness. So without further ado, here are the new restaurants added to Health Minister Abu Faour’s list:

Crepaway in Batroun (Chicken)
Main Street in Beirut (Marinated Chicken)
Relais Foch (Meat \u2013 Hamburger)
Karamna restaurant (Stuffed Chicken)
Place de l\u2019Etoile (Chicken breast)
Ghalayini Snack (Lahm Baajine \u2013 Akkawi Cheese)
Malak el Taouk in Louaize (Mayonnaise \u2013 Taouk \u2013 Hamburger)
Rassifna in Kaslik (Hamburger \u2013 Kabab)
Shawarmanji in Zouk Mikhael ( Shawarma Lahme)
Lala Chicken in Zouk Mikhael (Kafta)
Awwad Chicken in Tripoli (Sawda Djeij)
Bakkar Chicken in Tripoli (Chicken wings)
Pomodoro in Zaitunay Bay (Chicken breast)
Classic Burger Joint (Hamburger)
St Elmo\u2019s (Hamburger)
Karam Sur Mer (Soujouk, Makanen, Kebbet Samak, Shrimps)

Read more here<\/a>.

Drop in Grocery Prices<\/b><\/big><\/big>

(Image via Fortirwinfmwr.com<\/a>)

With the price of oil going down, the inevitable and much anticipated price cuts are upon us. Considering I walk to and from everywhere in Beirut, I haven’t been as happy with the oil price drop as a lot of other people in Lebanon, but here’s some good news: experts say we’ll start seeing 20 to 30 percent discounts on grocery store items starting January 2015.

Read more here<\/a>.

ISIS Threatens Hariri, Jumblatt and Geagea<\/b><\/big><\/big>

(Image via Al Joumhouriya<\/a>)

ISIS reportedly sent the Lebanese government a video showing three LAF soldiers kneeling on the floor with a knife to their throats. ISIS then blameS Hariri, Jumblat Tand Geagea for Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian crisis. ISIS reportedly ends the video with “The life or death of [the soldiers] depends on your next move.”

Read more here<\/a>.

Turkey To Train Syrian Opposition Before March<\/b><\/big><\/big>

(Image via Daily Star<\/a>)

Turkey had already agreed to back up Obama’s plan to fight ISIS, which means that Turkey would be responsible to training moderate Syrian opposition members. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said training might start before March.

Read more here<\/a>.

Obama gives Egypt’s Sisi a Pep Talk<\/b><\/big><\/big>

(Image via Patrick Galey Blog<\/a>)

Abdulfattah Al Sisi has proven to be a real life Joffrey Baratheon ever since he took over as president of Egypt. Sisi has been busy with mass trials, followed by mass executions, and in early December, an Egyptian court sentenced 188 people to death. Let’s not forget about the hundreds of Morsi supporters who were executed as well, an action that the UN has called “unprecedented in recent history.”

Obama however, being the cool guy he is, phoned Sisi and told him to turn it down a notch and “invest in the political, economic, and social aspirations of the Egyptian people” instead of putting half his people in jail and killing the rest.

Read more here<\/a>.
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