Iftah Ya Simsim spreads spirit of Ramadan on social media

Children's favourite muppets from Iftah Ya Simsim, the Arab world's version of Sesame Street, haven taken to social media to spread the spirit of Ramadan.

Shams, Gargour, Melsoon, Elmo and Ernie have spread out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to highlight the region’s traditions, culture, values and customs in short 15 to 30-second clips. Their funny interactions and chats about a healthy lifestyle will engage parents and kids alike. What’s more, fans of the show will also get an exclusive sneak peak ahead of the show’s release later this year.

Follow the muppets on www.facebook.com/iftahshow or twitter.com/iftahshow

aahmed@thenational.ae

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HIV on the rise in the region

A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.

New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.

Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.

Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.

Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.