www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs and politics, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

File photo

Annonse Tights.no

SLÅ TIL: Opptil 70 % på treningstøy nå

After a tempestuous build-up, the first direct Air France flight between Paris and the Iranian capital Tehran in eight years safely landed on Sunday, Euronews can report.

A row over Iran forcing the airline’s female staff to cover their heads when outside the plane put something of a dampener on the occasion.

Hostesses and pilots are allowed to refuse to work on the route, but those who agree must also comply with the Islamic republic’s local law.

“l’ll wear the veil since Iranian law obliges me to do so and both tolerance and respect for customs and cultures are part of Air France’s values,” said stewardess Laurence Priard, who worked on the flight.

On board, Air France’s normal rules apply, including the operation of a full catering service and alcohol – which is banned in Iran.

The resumption of direct flights is one in a number of steps taken to rebuild relations after sanctions against Iran for its controversial nuclear programme were partially lifted in July 2015.

The day after the inaugural flight, Air France reopened it’s office in Tehran.

Source: www.euronews.com

#AirFrance #Alkohol #Atom #By #Destinasjon #Ferie #Flyselskap #Frankrike #Hovedstad #Iran #Islam #Paris #Pilot #Reise #Reiseliv #Reiselyst #Reisemål #Religion #Republikk #Storby #Teheran #Tur #Turisme #Turist 

#Airline #Alcohol #Capital #City #Destination #France #Holiday #Nuclear #Republic #Tehran #Tourism #Travel

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

Foto: ShM Architects, VG.no

Annonsørinnhold

De fineste kjolene til vår- og sommersesongen

Ski-in, ski-out kan få en helt ny betydning når kasakhstanske arkitekter vil at du skal stå på ski fra taket av din egen skyskraper, i landets hovedstad Astana, skriver VG.no 

Starten på løypa ligger på toppen av det 21 etasjers, 326 meter høye boligkomplekset, og går ned til bakkenivå.

Modellene til det kasakhstanske arkitektbyrået viser en blokk hvor skibakken er integrert som en del av boligen. Dette er Ideelt for dem som er lei av å bruke unødvendig tid på transport til skiløypa, mener nettstedet Travelbook.

Astana har kalde vintre, men innbyggerne har ikke særlig tilgang på skivennlige omgivelser. Det tar rundt fire timer i bil fra hovedstaden til nærmeste skianlegg.

I det nye «Slalom- house»-prosjektet er løypa bokstavelig talt ved dørstokken. En bonus er at det er skisesong året rundt, takket være et såkalt «snowflex»-underlag. Det er et kunstig snøteppe som hverken krever nedbør eller minusgrader for å gi ypperlig glid i bakken.

Det er det kasakhstanske arkitekfirmaet Shokhan Mataibekov som står bak prosjektet, som i følge CNN er estimert å koste rundt 70 millioner dollar – nær 635 millioner kroner.

Arkitektene håper dette kan bli en av Astanas nye attraksjoner. De mener dette er helt i tråd med ønsket om mer miljøvennlige byggeprosjekter, da løypekonstruksjonen lages på arealer som allerede brukes til bolighus, og dermed ikke krever nybygging.

I komplekset blir det i tillegg til de 421 leilighetene en takterrasse, flere mathaller, kontorer, et kjøpesenter og en underjordisk garasje med plass til 175 biler.

Allerede er storbyen, og den tidligere hovedstaden, Almaty (tidligere Alma-Ata) en kjent skidestinasjon, og også berømt for sin skøytebane – og var med i konkurransen om å få OL i 2022, før de tapte mot Kinas hovedstad Beijing, etter at Oslo hadde trukket sin søknad.Kanskje vil dette gjenreise kasakhstanernes selvtillitt som en skinasjon.

Les hele saken på vg.no her www.vg.no/forbruker/reise/ol-2022/vil-lage-alpinbakke-fra-taket-paa-skyskraper/a/23603942

Kilde: www.vg.no, Travelbook.com, CNN, ShM Architects

#AlmaAta #Almaty #Alpint #Arkitekt #Astana #Attraksjon #Beijing #By #CNN #Destinasjon #Ferie #Hovedstad #Kasakhstan #Kina #Leilighet #Miljø #OL #Oslo #Reise #Reiseliv #Reiselyst #Reisemål #Ski #Skyskraper #Skøyter #Slalåm #Snø #Storby #Turisme #Turist #VG #Vinter

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

Nepal and Bhutan has agreed on a six-point agenda to boost air connectivity and tourism between the two land-locked countries, reports the Kathmandu Post newspaper.

Annonsørinnhold

20 bestselgere som garanterer nytelse

Nepal’s Tourism Ministry and the Ministry of Information and Communications of Bhutan has signed a memorandum of understanding to formalise the agendas in the near future.

As per the initial consultation agreement, the two countries have decided to give permanent status to the air service agreement (ASA) signed and revised in different periods. Nepal and Bhutan signed the ASA in February 2004, which had allowed seven weekly flights. It was revised on May 17, 2014, permitting flight frequency to 21 per week. 

Likewise, Nepal has agreed Bhutan’s proposal to grant two more traffic frequency on Paro-Kathmandu-Delhi and Delhi-Kathmandu-Paro from existing four per week under the fifth freedom rights.

Although Bhutan had asked two other routes – Bagdogra and Bodhgaya of India – to Kathmandu under the fifth freedom traffic rights, tourism ministry officials said the request has been “duly noted”. 

Under Nepal’s request, Bhutan has agreed to offer “beyond rights” facilities for Nepali carriers, or “stopover” traffic where passengers may embark or disembark at an intermediate stop as part of an itinerary between the endpoints of a connecting flights.

The beyond points rights as asked by Nepali sides are Kathmandu-Paro-Bangkok; Kathmandu-Paro-Naypyidaw, the capital city of Myanmar; Kathmandu-Paro-Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam; and Kathmandu-Paro- Phnom Penh; the capital  city of Cambodia. 

Two countries also agreed to sign a separate MoU between tourism authorities to boost tourism by simplifying immigration procedures.
To increase the air connectivity to and between Saarc countries, Nepal and Bhutan have agreed to raise the issues of simplifying air routes and connectivity at different Saarc forums.  

Currently, Bhutan’s first private airline Tashi Air (aka Bhutan Airlines) and Druk Air have been connecting Nepal. Nepali private carrier Buddha Air, which had launched commercial flights to Paro on August 23, 2010, has been making charter flights to Bhutan.

See more at http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2016-01-09/nepal-bhutan-agree-on-six-point-agenda.html

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

Kabul

The world’s most dangerous city is Kabul, Afghanistan, according to the ppcorn.com website. 

Kabul is Afghanistan’s capital and largest city, and it is also the largest in terms of crime. The Taliban here is still very active, and kidnapping and homicide happen on an extremely regular basis.

1. Kabul, Afghanistan

2. Acapulco, Mexico

3. Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

4. San Pedro Sula, Honduras

5. Ciudad Juárez, Mexico

6. Guatemala City, Guatemala

7. Karachi, Pakistan

See more at http://ppcorn.com/us/2015/12/28/top-7-worlds-most-dangerous-cities

Source: www.ppcorn.com

#Acapulco #Afghanistan #Brasil #By #CiudadJuarez #Destinasjon #Ferie #Guatemala #GuatemalaCity #Honduras #Hovedstad #Kabul #Karachi #Kriminalitet #Mexico #Pakistan #Reise #Reiseliv #Reisemål #RioDeJaneiro #SanPedroSula #Taliban #Terror #Turisme

#Brazil #Capital #City #Crime #Destination #Holiday #Tourism #Travel

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

(Reuters)

Fast-food giant KFC is opening its first US-style fried chicken restaurant early next year in a shopping mall in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region in China, business.asiaone.com reported.

The two-story restaurant, which is under construction, will serve residents and tourists alike, said Yum Brands Inc, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.

“The restaurant will incorporate local design elements, provide employment opportunities and support the development of the regional supply chain,” a company representative said. Chen Biao, a manager with the Lhasa Shenlishidai shopping centre, said consumers in Tibet are likely to embrace KFC’s fast food, a mix of its US-style dishes and others more in keeping with the traditional tastes of the Chinese consumer.

“Before KFC chose to enter Tibet, we already had some fast food restaurants such as Dico’s,” Chen said, referring to the Chinese fast-food restaurant chain owned by the Ting Hsin International Group.

“Consumers in Tibet accept fried chicken and hamburgers.” The new KFC, which could open as early as January, should appeal to tourists in the city, which is growing as a renowned tourism destination, Chen said. Xu Bin, founder of haixizang, a website that provides information on travel to Tibet, said some individual tourists would choose restaurants that offer convenient Western fast Food.

But he questioned whether tourist groups would find it too expensive and too small to accommodate their numbers. The city’s younger residents maybe bigger fans of the restaurant’s buckets of chicken served with mashed potatoes and gravy. Basang Drolma, a 16-year-old Tibetan girl, said her parents don’t like Western food, but she gets them to take her to such places on the weekend.

“I like to eat fast food, like the hamburgers and fried chicken wings in Dico’s,” she said. Dronla, 26, a Tibetan from Lhasa, said she liked to eat some Western dishes, such as streak and pizza, but didn’t like fried chicken or other fast food. KFC will be watching sales closely.

It said it plans to build a 4.67-hectare frozen storage area in the Lhasa suburbs to prepare for further expansion in the region. In 2004, KFC shelved plans to open in Tibet, saying it was not “economically feasible”, according to Reuters.

But spending power has continued to increase. Tibet’s GDP hit 92.5 billion yuan (S$20.2 billion) in 2014, maintaining its double-digit growth since 1994. Market potential and a sound investment environment have made Tibet increasingly attractive to overseas investors.

Read the article at www.business.asiaone.com/news/kfc-open-first-restaurant-tibet

Source: www.business.asiaone.com

#By #Design #Destinasjon #Fastfood #Ferie #Hamburger #Hovedstad #KentuckyFriedChicken #KFC #Kina #Kjøpesenter #Lhasa #Mat #Reise #Reisemål #Restaurant #Tibet #Turisme #USA

#Capital #China #City #Destination #Food #Holiday #ShoppingMall #Tourism #Travel

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

Astana, capital of Kazakhstan

Annonsørinnhold

Vårens aller fineste sneakers til henne

The head of Astana’s Architecture and City Building Management Vitaliy Siletskiy recently discussed the capital?s development plans and new projects.

Among those under consideration are public, residential, social and cultural objects on the west side of Khan Shatyr Mall and east of Millennium Alley, public purpose mini-areas facing Orynbor Avenue and the new Green Square project and public centre, as well as forming a classic model of a polycentric city, astanatimes.com reports.

Read the article at www.astanatimes.com/2015/12/astana-architecture-and-city-building-management-chief-highlights-capitals-plan-for-harmonious-architectural-Development

Source: www.astanatimes.com

#Arkitektur #Astana #By #Destinasjon #Ferie #Hovedstad #Kasakhstan #Reise #Reisemål #Turisme

#Architecture #Capital #City #Destination #Holiday #Kazakhstan #Tourism #Travel

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

Kart / illustrasjon: tibettravelplanner.com

Annonsørinnhold

De fineste kjolene til vår- og sommersesongen

Kina har planer om å bygge jernbane mellom Tibet og Nepals hovedstad Khatmandu, noe som vil inkludere under verdens høyeste fjell, Mount Everest, skriver bladet Kapital Reise.

Planene, som nylig er omtalt i den statlige kinesiske avisen China Daily, vekker uro i India, som synes Kinas innflytelse i Nepal begynner å bli vel stor.

Det finnes allerede en 1.972 kilometer lang jernbanelinje mellom Kina og Tibets hovedstad Lhasa, men nå skal altså tognettet utbygges med enda 540 kilometer hele veien til Kathmandu.

For å muliggjøre dette må, ifølge kinesiske myndigheter, deler av linjen gå tvers igjennom Mount Everest. Kina er allerede godt i gang med forberedelsene, og går alt etter planen, vil den nye jernbanelinjen stå ferdig allerede i 2020.

Kilde: Kapital Reise

#By #Ferie #Fjell #Hovedstad #India #Jernbane #Kathmandu #Kina #Lhasa #MountEverest #Nepal #Reise #Tibet #Tog #Turisme

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

A screengrab from the Facebook page of Tajikistan’s first online sex shop.

Annonse Tights.no

SLÅ TIL: Opptil 70 % på treningstøy nå

Tajikistan’s first online sex shop has launched, pledging discretion and doorstep delivery of anything from inflatable dolls to vibrators within hours and infuriating religious leaders in the conservative, mostly Muslim state in the process, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

An administrator at sex_shop_tj told RFE/RL’s Tajik Service via the Viber message service that the company would deliver items as quickly as 30 minutes but within five hours of receiving an order.

The shop also guarantees complete anonymity of its customers, the administrator added.

Since credit cards and online payments are uncommon in Tajikistan, payments are made upon the delivery of the products.

The shop, whose presence on social media includes Instagram and a Twitter account with a modest following, doesn’t disclose its exact location.

But it says it delivers to customers in the capital, Dushanbe, and the country’s second city of Khujand.

A blow-up doll sells for around $70, or about half of the average Tajik monthly salary.

Reactions have been mixed on social media and in interviews on Dushanbe’s streets, with some expressing fear that it might erode moral values and others stressing that freedom of choice was important.

“We need to prevent our youth from such diseases. This is not something you would want to teach your children in schools,” “Myhammad” commented on the RFE/RL Tajik Service’s website. 
 
“These people must be sick, they should see a doctor,” “Azizov Azizov” wrote on Odnoklassniki.ru 

Behruz, a Dushanbe resident who didn’t give his full name, said that “in the 21st century and the age of the Internet, you cannot and should not control people’s choices and desires.” 

Others took the whole thing more lightheartedly: “Chinese-made rubber brides — now I’ve seen everything,” an anonymous reader commented on toptj.com. 

However, it’s no laughing matter for religious leaders, who believe the sex shop and its erotic toys pose a serious threat to traditional marriage, family values, and Young people’s moral well-being.

Mavlavi Abdurahim Karimov, a professor at Tajikistan’s Islamic University, urged Tajiks to stick to real men and women, saying that engaging in sexual acts with dolls amounts to “fornication.”

Qobiljon Boev, a Dushanbe-based cleric, said using sex toys is incompatible with Islamic values.

Mullahs enjoy respect and influence in Tajik society, which has turned increasingly to religion in recent years despite efforts by the staunchly secular government to control people’s practice of Islam.

Ultimately, however, sales are more likely to determine whether the sex shop has a place in Tajik society.

For the time being, the administrator said, the shop has enough customers for a start-up business.

Kilde / Source: www.rferl.org

#By #Dusjanbe #Ferie #Hovedstad #Instagram #Islam #Reise #Religion #Sex #Tadsjikistan #Turisme #Twitter #Universitet

#Capital #City #Dushanbe #Holiday #Tajikistan #Tourism #Travel #University

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

U.S. Ambassador Allan Mustard and the Mayor of Ashgabat, Myratniyaz Abilov, break ground on the new U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan Photo credit: US Embassy Ashgabat. 

Annonsørinnhold

Vårens aller fineste sneakers til henne

“In an important symbol of enduring friendship With Turkmenistan,” U.S. diplomats broke ground Monday 6 October on a new U.S. Embassy in Ashgabat, cnsnews.com reported. 

The 17.3-acre campus will include an office building, a U.S. Marine Security Guard residence, a support annex, staff housing, and facilities for the Embassy community.

The $266-million embassy complex will incorporate numerous sustainable features, the State Department said, “including energy efficient lighting, water-conserving plumbing fixtures, and drought-tolerant plantings.”

Completion of the project is anticipated in July 2018.

“This is not just another building project in Ashgabat,” Ambassador Allan Mustard said at the ground-breaking.

“Our decision to build a new, bigger embassy here is symbolic.

Beyond the symbolism, the decision also is strategic:

Turkmenistan is bordered on the south by Iran and Afghanistan. The city of Ashgabat, where the new embassy is going up, sits on the border with Iran.

There’s a Russian connection as well: The United States established diplomatic relations with Turkmenistan in 1992 following its independence from the Soviet Union.

Ambassador Mustard said the new embassy compound “is an indication of our enduring commitment to Turkmenistan. Furthermore, the fact that we are building an entire compound means that we are constructing not just an office building, but a community. This compound will welcome families and strengthen our partnership with the school, the broader community, and the people of Turkmenistan as a whole.”

Mustard called it an investment in the future of Turkmenistan.

-I’ve repeated time and again that the United States is committed to supporting the sovereignty, stability, and independence of Turkmenistan, and this compound is a testament to that promise.”

Source: www.cnsnews.com

#Afghanistan #Ambassade #Ambassadør #Asjgabat #Borgermester #By #Diplomat #Energi #Ferie #Hovedstad #Iran #Miljø #Ordfører #Reise #Russland #SovjetUnionen #Turisme #Turkmenistan #Utenriksdepartement

#Ambassador #Capital #City #Embassy #Environment #Holiday #Mayor #Russia #SovietUnion #Tourism #Travel

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

Den tidligere Sovjet-republikken Turkmenistan er det landet i verden med færrest røykere, ifølge Verdens helseorganisasjon (WHO).

Annonsørinnhold

De fineste kjolene til vår- og sommersesongen

Bare 8 prosent av befolkningen røyker, opplyste WHO-sjef Margaret Chan da hun besøkte landet tirsdag, skriver www.aftenposten.no / NTB.

– Dette er det laveste nasjonale tallet i verden. Jeg gratulerer dere med denne bragden, sa hun.

I 1990 var det 27 prosent av turkmenske menn over 15 år og 1 prosent av kvinner, som røykte, ifølge WHO.

I 2012 ble det forbudt å røyke på offentlige steder, i offentlige bygg og i militæret. Også reklamer for tobakk ble forbudt i landet.

Til sammenligning røykte 31,1 prosent av verdens menn over 15 år i 2012. 6,2 prosent av kvinnene var røykere.

Turkmenistans tidligere president Saparmurad Nijazov, som døde i 2006, gikk hardt ut mot røyking i sin tid. Han fikk blant annet laget en 36 kilometer lang «helsesti» i fjellene rundt hovedstaden Ashgabat som offentlige tjenestemenn ble tvunget til å gå i.

I Norge røyker 13 prosent daglig, viser 2014-tall fra Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB). Tar man med andelen som røyker av og til, ender Norge på 22 prosent. Da målingene startet i 1973, var andelen dagligrøykere hele 42 prosent.

#Ashgabat #By #Ferie #FN #Helse #Hovedstad #President #Reise #Røykelov #Røyking #Sovjet #Turisme #Turkmenistan #WHO