No, you don't need to check your calendar – it's not April Fool's Day.
But one bizarre pairing has become the year's most-talked-about dish, locking social media users in heated debate, sparking reaction from the likes of the NHS and the US Embassy, and even being discussed in UK Parliament.
The divisive dish is a meeting of two of Britain's much-loved pantry staples: Weetabix and Heinz baked beans.
The stomach-churning concept was unveiled on Tuesday, when the cereal company tweeted an image of its popular wheat breakfast blocks smothered in tomato-sauce-soaked baked beans.
Weetabix, more commonly accompanied by milk and fruit, captioned the image: "Why should bread have all the fun, when there's Weetabix? Serving up Heinz Beanz on bix for breakfast with a twist."
Garnering more than 20,000 comments within a matter of days, the controversial concept baffled fans as well as companies including Nando's, Amazon and YouTube.
"Us: Pineapple on pizza is the most controversial food ever. Weetabix: Hold my spoon," joked Domino's Pizza, while pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer replied: "Haven’t our scientists worked hard enough, without having to come up with an antidote to this?"
"That tweet should come with a health warning," added the UK's National Health Service, as West Yorkshire Police's Twitter account tweeted: “Even though this is criminal, please don’t ring us to report it.”
Even the US Embassy in the UK weighed in on the debate, tweeting that "this was not the US-UK collaboration we were hoping for”.
The matter was even briefly debated at UK Parliament, as called for by Conservative MP Philip Hollobone, who described the matter as "perhaps even more divisive than Brexit has been over the years".
Weetabix has since confirmed the now-viral post was intended as a little "light relief", in a campaign devised by Frank PR.
"The zeitgeist is, we're six weeks in [to lockdown], people are looking for some humour, some fun, a bit of light relief, you've got a topic that people always talk about in food combos – and then we just introduced that 'man bites dog' twist, which is a very debatable food combo," Frank PR managing director Alex Grier told PR Week.
While intended in jest, several social media users have tried the combination, while TV host Piers Morgan this week chowed down on the pairing during Good Morning Britain.
If you are keen on tucking in yourself (and have a hardy stomach), both items are available at many supermarkets around the UAE.
Garden on 8 in Dubai's Media One Hotel is also hosting the discordant dish between Friday, February 12 and Sunday, February 14 for Dh30.
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Ferrari
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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