When animals become playmate with children :-) 

Japanese villagers creativity to attract tourists

French government bans plastic bags from supermarkets

Billions of plastic bags find their way into the world's oceans every year. Now the French government has moved to reduce the number of plastic bags in consumers' hands - by banning them from supermarkets altogether.

The French government has moved to ban all plastic bags from supermarkets in an attempt to curb pollution and reduce waste.

Amid debate on a biodiversity bill Wednesday evening, French lawmakers on the National Assembly's Commission for Sustainable Development voted in favor of an amendment that would bar single-use plastic bags that are not biodegradable from supermarket checkout lines and produce sections beginning in January 2016.

Instead, the measure proposed the use of thicker, reusable plastic bags or paper ones.

Renewed intiative

It was not the first time French shoppers faced a reduction in the amount of plastic bags available to them. Between 2002 and 2011, the number of plastic bags passed out in supermarkets dropped to 700 million from 10.5 billion.

The French Environment Minister Segolene Royal has said many consumers are unaware of the devastating effect the use of plastic bags has on the environment.

A press release posted on the ministry's website on Thursday said the discharge of plastic waste into the oceans not only posed a threat to marine life but had also cost the tourism and fishing industries some $13 billion.

Water level of Urmia Lake hase increased by 78cm

Positive & Negative Effects of Tourism

Tourism can bring many economic and social benefits, particularly in rural areas and developing countries, but mass tourism is also associated with negative effects. Tourism can only be sustainable if it is carefully managed so that potential negative effects on the host community and the environment are not permitted to outweigh the financial benefits.

1. Economic Effects -- Positive.                                                             Tourism creates jobs, both through direct employment within the tourism industry and indirectly in sectors such as retail and transportation. When these people spend their wages on goods and services, it leads to what is known as the "multiplier effect," creating more jobs. The tourism industry also provides opportunities for small-scale business enterprises, which is especially important in rural communities, and generates extra tax revenues, such as airport and hotel taxes, which can be used for schools, housing and hospitals.                                                                                                    Economic Effects -- Negative.                                                          Successful tourism relies on establishing a basic infrastructure, such as roads, visitor centers and hotels. The cost of this usually falls on the government, so it has to come out of tax revenues. Jobs created by tourism are often seasonal and poorly paid, yet tourism can push up local property prices and the cost of goods and services. Money generated by tourism does not always benefit the local community, as some of it leaks out to huge international companies, such as hotel chains. Destinations dependent on tourism can be adversely affected by events such as terrorism, natural disasters and economic recession.
2. Social Effects -- Positive.                                                                   The improvements to infrastructure and new leisure amenities that result from tourism also benefit the local community. Tourism encourages the preservation of traditional customs, handicrafts and festivals that might otherwise have been allowed to wane, and it creates civic pride. Interchanges between hosts and guests create a better cultural understanding and can also help raise global awareness of issues such as poverty and human.

Social Effects -- Negative.                                                                      Visitor behavior can have a detrimental effect on the quality of life of the host community. For example, crowding and congestion, drugs and alcohol problems, prostitution and increased crime levels can occur. Tourism can even infringe on human rights, with locals being displaced from their land to make way for new hotels or barred from beaches. Interaction with tourists can also lead to an erosion of traditional cultures and values.

Spectacular photos of monuments in Iran

5 great places in Iran you have never heard of

It might not be on everyone's travel radar, but Iran has a well-worn tourist circuit, encompassing attractions in the ancient cities of Shiraz and Isfahan.

For those wanting to get off the beaten path, the country has a wealth of lesser-known destinations that rival the stunning beauty and historical significance of their more famous counterparts.

Here are five of the best:

Rudkhan Castle

Hidden in the humid green forests of Iran's northern Gilan province is Rudkhan Castle, a medieval military fortress whose origins predate the rise of Islam in Iran.

Few foreign tourists have visited the site, which is a popular attraction among Iranians.

Work started on the castle during the Persian Sassanid era, between A.D. 224 and 651. Followers of the Ismaili sect (the infamous "Assassins" or "Hashashin") are believed to have renovated and completed the fortress during the late 11th to 12th centuries.

The hike up to the castle, which is situated along two peaks of a verdant mountain, takes more than an hour, prompting many locals to call Rudkhan the "Castle of a Thousand Steps."

After you've made the trek back down, it's worth stopping off for food on the drive back on the main highway toward Rasht, the capital of Gilan province. Try a northern Iranian lunch at the exquisite Pich restaurant (Pich Restaurant, Rasht to Anzali Highway, Khomam Beltway; +98 132 422 7554; Pichrestaurant@yahoo.com.) The "Torsh" kabob -- tenderloin marinated in pomegranate paste, walnuts and garlic -- is a particularly appetizing regional specialty.

Bekhradi Historical House

This 400-year-old inn built in Persia's Safavid era features four tastefully decorated multiroomed guest suites and is the oldest house to be restored in Iran.

Its renovation and artistic restoration took local interior designer and restoration specialist Morteza Bekhradi five years to engineer and complete.

Peppered with stained-glass windows and original artwork from the Safavid and subsequent Qajar eras, the house sits between two gardens replete with fruits and wildflowers.

The house's furniture was designed by Bekhradi using wood from the chenar (plane) trees that line the streets and historic gardens of Isfahan.

The designer says he sought to stay true to the setup of the original home, which he says is believed to have belonged to a Safavid-era aristocrat.

Even the traditional heavy Iranian wooden doors lining the entryways of the upstairs suites belonged to the original house and were restored using chenar wood.

Doors throughout the rest of the historical residence, which boasts an intricately decorated traditional "hojreh" room for cooling and relaxation, are chenar-wood replicas of Safavid originals.

To date, most guests have discovered the inn only by word of mouth, and even local Isfahanis are only just beginning to learn about this hidden gem.

Bekhradi Historical House, 56, Sonbolestan Alley, Ebn-e-Sina St, Shohada Sq, Isfahan; +98 31 34482072

Soltanieh Dome

A UNESCO World Heritage site in the northwestern province of Zanjan, the mausoleum of Oljaytu at Soltaniyeh is topped by one of the world's largest domes.

Built between 1302 and 1312 in Soltaniyeh, the capital city of the Mongols' Ilkhanid Dynasty, the monument is a mausoleum for Il-khan Oljeitu, the Ilkhanid's eighth ruler.

Though much of the structure's exterior coloring and tiles have faded through the centuries, the intricate brickwork, tilework and vibrant designs inside the mausoleum have remained largely unscathed.

The unique double-shelled structure of the Soltaniyeh Dome is also believed to have influenced the design of India's Taj Mahal mausoleum.

Interesting factoid: Oljeitu was born to a Christian mother and baptized as Nicholas. He later became Buddhist and then converted to Islam.

He intended for the Soltaniyeh Dome to house religious artifacts, but after clerics banned him from doing so, he decided to make the monument his own tomb.

Visits to the dome are worth sidetracking to Zanjan for a lunch of classic Iranian dizi, or lamb and chickpea soup, at Carvansarai Sangi (Zanjan, Iran; +98 241 326 1266), an ancient pit stop that's been converted into a popular local restaurant.

Laleh Kandovan Rocky Hotel

About 30 miles outside the northwestern city of Tabriz lies the troglodyte village of Kandovan.

People here live in cone-shaped caves cut out of volcanic rock at the foot of Mount Sahand, a dormant volcano.

Nestled within the 800-year-old village, the Laleh Kandovan Rocky Hotel has been literally hand-carved into the rocky landscape, with each of the luxury hotel's 16 modernized rooms encompassing a cave, or "karaan."

According to local lore, mineral water sourced from Mount Sahand, long valued throughout Iran for its medicinal properties, originated in the biblical Garden of Eden.

Guests of the hotel can take a relaxing soak in this precious liquid. If there's a spa tub in the room, the mineral water gets pumped in directly.

Laleh Kandovan Rocky Hotel, Kandovan Rd, Kandovan; + 98 412 323 0191

Toghrol Tower

Toghrol Tower is a Seljuk-era monument situated in the city of Rey, on the southern outskirts of Iran's capital city, Tehran.

Often overlooked by visitors who tend to stick to the higher-income northern and central areas of the Iranian capital, Rey is the oldest county in Tehran province and is speckled with historical monuments, including a 500-year-old Safavid-era bazaar.

The tower is said to serve as the mausoleum for Seljuk king Toghrol Beg, who established Rey as a major administrative center of the Seljuk Dynasty until its destruction by Mongol armies in the early 13th century.

From the tower, it's a quick ride into the heart of Tehran's Armenian quarter to round off the trip with a cup of coffee and Armenian pastries at the historic Cafe Naderi (Hotel Naderi and Cafe, Jomhuri Eslami Avenue, Tehran; +98 21 66 701 872), a haunt frequented for decades by Iran's greatest writers and intellectuals.