PALESTINA – HER ER JULA HØYSESONG FOR TURISMEN

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Betlehem

Les vår store bloggpost om Palestina på vår reiseblogg http://minbestereise.blogg.no/1383527969_palestina.html

#Betlehem #By #Ferie #Hovedstad #Jul #Palestina #Reise #Turisme

SOMALIA REOPENS EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD AFTER 25 YEARS

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Somalia has reopened its embassy in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad after it was shut down 25 years ago.

Somalia’s minister of Foreign Affairs Abdisalam Hadliye (in the middle, cutting the ribbon), the new ambassador of Somalia Ms.Khadija Mohamed (far right), officials from the Iraqi ministry of Foreign Affairs and Parliament and foreign diplomats attended the flag-hoisting ceremony in Baghdad on Thursday, horseedmedia.net reported.

“We have opened our mission in Iraq and determined to foster the relations of the two countries”, said Abdisalam Hadliye.

In 1991, Somalia closed its embassy in Iraq after the central government was overthrown and ushered in a new era of conflict and anarchy from which the country has never fully recovered.

#Ambassade #Ambassadør #Bagdad #By #Ferie #Hovedstad #Irak #Reise #Somalia #Turisme #Utenriksminister

#Ambassador #Capital #City #Embassy #Holiday #Iraq #Tourism #Travel 

 

MEXICO OPENS EMBASSY IN QATAR

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Francisco Niembro Mexican Ambassador (fifth right) cuts a cake with Ambassador Ibrahim Yousif Abdullah Fakhro (fourth left), Director, Department of Protocol, Foreign Ministry,  and Ambassador Zayed bin Rashid Al Mansour Al Nuaimi (fifth left), Director, Department of American Affairs, and  other guests to mark the opening of the embassy on Thursday. Abdul Basit. Photo credit: peninsulaqatar.com

Mexico has officially opened its embassy in Qatar, www.peninsulaqatar.com reported. 

It hosted a reception to commemorate 40 years of diplomatic relations between Mexico and Qatar and celebrate the official opening. The reception was attended by several ambassadors and diplomats. 

In his opening remarks, Mexican Ambassador Francisco Niembro said Qatar and Mexico have experienced an important progress in 40 years, having had official visits and have signed many agreements. 

“But we were not at the point that we wanted, we needed to be closer to really achieve the potential between the two countries,”  he said.

Last March, the foreign ministers of both countries signed in Doha a letter on opening their embassies. Since then, high-level meetings and official and business delegations visiting both countries brought a new rhythm to the relationship between the two.

Niembro said: “The unprecedented visits of Emir H E Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Mexico next month, and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto to Qatar in January 2016 will set the goals for relations over the next years.”

Diplomatic relations between Qatar and Mexico were established in the 1970s. Mexico has embassies and offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Morocco and Algeria in the Middle East.

There are more than 400 Mexicans living in Qatar.

#Ambassade #Algerie #Ambassadør #By #Doha #Egypt #Emir #Ferie #Hovedstad #Libanon #Marokko #Mexico #MidtØsten #Palestina #President #Qatar #Reise #SaudiArabia #Turisme #Utenriksminister

#Algeria #Ambassador #Capital #City #Embassy #ForeignMinister #Holiday #Lebanon #MiddleEast #Morocco #Tourism #Travel

IRAQI PRIME MINISTER OPENS BAGDAD’S GREEN ZONE TO ALL CITIZENS

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Green Zone, Bagdad. Photo credit: wikipedia.org

Iraq’s Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi declared the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad open to all of his citizens for the first time in 12 years Sunday amid efforts to cut spending and appease citizens who have been protesting for basic public services, businessinsider.com / Associated Press reported.

Al-Abadi referred to the opening of the Green Zone as part of the “measures promised to our citizens and this opening that we are witnessing points to continued plans to reform – actions which we will not back down from,” a statement from his office said, adding that al-Abadi was the first to pass through the newly-opened Green Zone, or the International Zone as it is officially known.

The four square mile (10 square kilometer) compound, on the west bank of the Tigris River, was declared off-limits to the public in the wake of the 2003 U.S.-led occupation. The complex, with its high concrete walls lined with barbed wire, and heavily guarded checkpoints, is home to several palaces once belonging to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and was turned into the administrative headquarters for the U.S.-led coalition following the 2003 invasion.

Today, it contains a number of residential apartment buildings and homes, including those of many senior Iraqi government officials. A number of foreign embassies are also there, including the U.S. embassy, which, at 104 acres, is the largest and most expensive embassy in the world.

The zone has continued to be a target for bombings and rockets over the years, despite the concrete walls that surround it.

A senior Green Zone security official told The Associated Press that much of the restrictions on movement inside the Green Zone will still remain in place, particularly on streets leading to high-level government buildings and embassies, including the U.S. embassy. The official spoke anonymously because he is not authorized to brief the media.

The decision to open a passage in and out of the Green Zone comes as calls for reform continue across Baghdad to end government corruption and reckless spending.

Last month, in a rare show of unity, the Iraqi government unanimously backed a program proposed by al-Abadi to eliminate senior government posts and slash spending.

#Ambassade #Bagdad #By #Hovedstad #Ferie #Irak #Reise #SaddamHussein #Statsminister #Turisme #USA

#Capital #City #Embassy #Holiday #Iraq #PrimeMinister #Tourism #Travel 

 

 

BRITISH EMBASSY IN TEHRAN REOPENED

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Britain has reopened its embassy in the Iranian capital Tehran,, a historic step in the thawing of relations between the Islamic state and Western powers, Reuters reports.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond declared the embassy open and raised the Union Jack flag in the garden of the nineteenth-century residence that was stormed by protesters nearly four years ago.

The move to restore full diplomatic relations marks a thawing of ties with Iran since it reached a nuclear deal with the United States, China, Russia, Germany, France and Britain.

After more than a decade of casting the Islamic Republic as a rogue power seeking to sow turmoil through the Middle East, Britain has sought to improve ties with Iran, whose natural gas reserves are larger even than Russia’s.

With the prospect of an end to sanctions, foreign businesses are already jockeying for business in Iran, a nation of 80 million whose economy has withered. Officials have even laid on bus tours for visiting executives looking to refurbish Iran’s oil refineries.

While the nuclear deal is seen by its backers as an opportunity for improved relations between Iran and the West, hardliners in Washington and Tehran have opposed it, as has Israel.

Until a new ambassador is announced, the embassy will be led by Ajay Sharma, until now the non-resident chargé d’affaires.

Iranian protesters stormed two British diplomatic compounds in Tehran in November 2011, smashing windows, torching a car and burning the British flag in protest against Nuclear-related sanctions imposed by London, long-regarded as the “Old Fox” in Iran for its perceived malign influence in regional affairs.

There had been regular protests outside the British embassy over the years since the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed shah, but none were as violent as the 2011 storming.

At the time, Prime Minister David Cameron called the attacks “outrageous and indefensible” and scolded the Iranian government for failing to defend British staff and protect the imposing building, which had been a treasure trove of valuable paintings and historic memorabilia.

Protesters smashed the large stone lion and unicorn on the gates at the ambassadorial residence, where in 1943 a dinner was held for Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and Franklin D. Roosevelt — the first meeting between the leaders of Britain, Russia and the United States to discuss their strategy for winning World War Two.

Britain responded by shutting Iran’s embassy in London and expelling its diplomats. For the last two years, Tehran has been represented by a non-resident charge d’affaires.

Britain, and the United States, have long been viewed with considerable suspicion in Tehran.

There has been no U.S. embassy there since it was sacked in the early days of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 by students who feared a repeat of a 1953 coup when the CIA orchestrated the overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh.

#Ambassade #Ambassadør #Britisk #By #DavidCameron #Ferie #Flagg #Frankrike #Hovedstad #Iran #Kina #London #Reise #Roosevelt #Russland #Stalin #Statsminister #Storbritannia #Teheran #Turisme #Tyskland #USA #Utenriksminister #Washington

#Ambassador #British #Capital #China #City #Embassy #ForeignMinister #France #Germany #GreatBritain #Holiday #PrimeMinister #Russia #Tourism #Travel #UnitedKingdom

BEIRUT FLYTER OVER AV SØPPEL – INNBYGGERNE DEMONSTRERER

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Beirut

Tusenvis av demonstranter gikk i gatene i Libanons hovedstad i helgen for å vise sin misnøye med landets politikerne. Demonstrantene krever regjeringens avgang i kjølvannet av en strid som har fått Beirut til å flyte over av søppel, skriver nrk.no

#Beirut #By #Ferie #Hovedstad #Libanon #Reise #Turisme

JBEIL IN LEBANON CROWNED ARAB TOURISM CAPITAL

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Jbeil

Lebanon: Jbeil’s selection as Arab Tourism Capital for 2016 was officially announced by Lebanese Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon at a news conference Thursday, www.dailystar.com.lb reports.

The title recognizes the efforts Jbeil has made to attract new visitors and officials hope it will draw even more to the historic Lebanese city. Over the past few years, Jbeil has become a major economic hub and tourist destination.

People from across Lebanon and the Arab world visit the city, one of world?s oldest. Its new title crowns a series of efforts made by its citizens and municipality.

The city made headlines at Christmas with a spectacular 25.5-meter-high golden tree. The elaborate display drew international attention and was mentioned in The Wall Street Journal. The buzz drew visitors from across Lebanon, giving the city an economic boost.

But Jbeil did not gain its current reputation overnight. The city’s costal location and its mixture of traditional and modern attractions contribute to its appeal. In addition to the Byblos ruins, the city has become known for its refined seafront restaurants and vibrant nightlife.

In summer, the Byblos International Festival draws big names from the music industry to Lebanon to perform. This year’s festival runs from July 13 to August 18 and includes such performers as John Legend, French singer Mireille Mathieu and Irish pop-rock band The Script.

Visitors can currently enjoy the city’s charms at the Byblos en Blanc et Rose wine festival, which runs through June 13.

Jbeil lies 40 kilometers north of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

#Arabisk #Beirut #By #Byblos #Ferie #Festival #Hovedstad #Irland #JohnLegend #Jul #Libanon #Minister #Mireillemathieu #Musikk #Reise #TheScript #Turisme #Vin

#Arab #Capital #Christmas #City #Holiday #Ireland #Music #Tourism #Travel #Wine

RIYADH SHOPPING FESTIVAL OPENS

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Riyadh Governor Prince Faisal bin Bandar joins officials in an impromptu dance after inaugurating the Riyadh Shopping and Entertainment Festival 2015 on Sunday. (SPA)

Riyadh, capital of Saudi-Arabia

Riyadh Governor Prince Faisal bin Bandar on Sunday 8 June opened the Riyadh Shopping and Entertainment Festival 2015, www.arabnews.com reports.

The large attendance at the launch included tourism officials, businessmen, families and the media.

“The festival should be used as a vehicle for promoting good social values and not for only seeking entertainment per se,” the prince said.

“With the expertise of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, and Riyadh Tourism Development Board, the capital should be capable of attracting more tourists not only from the Riyadh region but also from Gulf states,” he added.
Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) Chairman Abdul Rahman Al-Zamil also addressed the event.

“We have rich entertainment and shopping activities that we hope will please them – let them have beautiful memories of Riyadh in the summer,” Al-Zamil said.
Speaking to Arab News, he said the idea behind the festival is twofold. First, to keep the capital vibrant during the summer, which is “low season.” – Second, to retain what is left of its population and attract more from surrounding regions.

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“The festival will help attract and entertain several million of the estimated 4.5 million visitors to the capital in the summertime.
Though a few million leave the capital for other destinations, whether in the Kingdom or abroad in the summer, they are compensated for by visitors from the surrounding regions,” he said.

“Seventy percent of these home visitors come from within a radius of 500 km of the capital while the remaining come from southern regions of the Kingdom and GCC countries, keeping the population in the capital during the summer at almost 90 percent of its usual population year round,” he pointed out.

#By #Ferie #Festival #Guvernør #Hovedstad #Prins #Reise #Riyadh #SaudiArabia #Shopping #Turisme

#Capital #City #Governor #Holiday #Prince #Tourism #Travel

INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP TO OPEN THREE-HOTEL COMPLEX IN KUWAIT

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Kuwait City (wikipedia.org)

InterContinental Hotels Group has signed management agreements with Al Baraka General Trading and Contracting Company, owned by Kuwaiti conglomerate Bukhamseen Holding Group, the www.constructionweekonline.com website reported.

The company will manage a new 120-room InterContinental hotel and 232-room Crowne Plaza hotel in Farwaniya, Kuwait, while the existing Crown Plaza Kuwait will be converted into a 336-room Holiday Inn.

Read the whole story at www.constructionweekonline.com/article-33566-ihg-to-open-three-hotel-complex-in-kuwait 

#By #Ferie #Hotell #Hovedstad #Kuwait #Reise

#Capital #City #Holiday #Hotel #Travel

TOURIST TRAIN BRINGS PUFF OF HOPE TO DAMASCUS

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Damascus tourist train. Photo credit: AFP / www.english.alarabiya.net

The Syrian capital’s tiny tourist train is returning puffs of hope to a city encircled by war with short trips to the greener suburbs of Damascus, .the www.english.alarabiya.net website reported.

The train, whose large yellow wagon and leather seats can hold 100 people, had stopped running since the 2011 outbreak of Syria’s conflict.

But it was relaunched on Friday, May 1st, and will be open to the general public starting Saturday, May 2nd.

Train trips to towns in Damascus province, like Zabadani, had been a favourite weekend pastime for the capital’s residents before the war.

Since many of these areas are now controlled by anti-regime rebels, the train will carry travellers on short round trips to nearby neighbourhoods under regime control, like Dummar.

For many in Damascus, the train is reminiscent of weekend vacations and picnics in idyllic surrounding villages — areas now destroyed by fierce clashes and heavy shelling.

“It’s the train of my childhood… I want to ride it again to remember those beautiful days,” Nour, a high-school student, told AFP.

“This is going to make people happy,” said Samir Khoury, a 43-year-old engineer.

For 50 Syrian pounds (0.20 US cents), the fuel-run train with a German engine will offer a transportation alternative for residents of the traffic-jammed capital.

“We decided to restart this train to give people hope again and put a smile on people’s faces in Damascus,” said Zuheir Khalil, one of the officials behind the train’s relaunch.

The train leaves its station at Rabwa, near the Umayyad Mosque in the west of the capital, and runs alongside the Barada river before reaching Dumar to the northwest.

The inaugural ride on Friday of the train, regaled with Syrian flags, attracted dozens of people, gathered in front of a giant poster of President Bashar al-Assad.

Throughout Syria, transportation methods — especially bus routes — have been cut off by fighting and kidnapping.

Kilde / Source: www.english.alarabiya.net

#By #Damaskus #Elv #Ferie #Flagg #Hovedstad #Jernbane #Moske #President #Reise #Syria #Tog #Turist

#Capital #City #Holiday #Mosque #Railway #River #Train #Travel