Iranian film ‘The Salesman’ on Sunday won the Oscar for best foreign language film, but director Asghar Farhadi skipped the Hollywood gala to protest a travel ban by US President Donald Trump.

Farhadi initially said he would head to Hollywood for Oscars night, where his film — the story of two actors whose relationship turns sour during a performance of Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’ — earned a statuette.

However, after citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries were briefly denied entry last month to the United States, he decided there were too many ‘ifs and buts’ about whether he would be allowed to enter the country.

Instead, thousands of people watched ‘The Salesman’ for free in London’s Trafalgar Square.

In a statement read out at the Oscars ceremony on Farhadi’s behalf by Anousheh Ansari, an Iranian-American astronaut, Farhadi said the empathy filmmakers can foster is needed today more than ever. Ansari was joined onstage by another accomplished Iranian-American, Firouz Naderi, a former NASA director.

“I’m sorry I’m not with you tonight,” Farhadi’s statement read. “My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the US.

“Dividing the world into the ‘us’ and ‘our enemies’ categories creates fear.”

At the age of just 44, Farhadi has established himself as Iran’s most acclaimed director, touching people around the globe with stories that resonate beyond borders.

This was his second film to win an Oscar in the foreign language film category, following the 2012 victory for ‘A Separation’ — a stark, powerful family drama about Iran’s fractured social classes, which also picked up a Golden Globe.

Coming at another dark time in relations between the United States and Iran, when international sanctions were at their peak, Farhadi’s 2012 speech was lauded back home for putting Iranian art, culture and history above politics.

But this time, politics trumped art.

Best Foreign Language Film The Salesman Asghar Farhadi (Iran) is accepted by a designated woman reading Farhadi’s statement. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Farhadi’s lead actress, Taraneh Alidoosti, also boycotted the event, calling Trump’s visa ban ‘racist’.

The measure has been put on ice by the US federal courts, and Trump’s White House is devising a new order.

Born in 1972 near the ancient city of Isfahan, Farhadi was swiftly drawn towards the arts, becoming interested in writing, drama and cinema while still at school.

He later took courses at the Iranian Young Cinema Society and graduated with a master’s degree in film direction from Tehran University in 1998.

‘The Salesman’ also found success at last year’s Cannes film festival, with Farhadi winning best screenplay and his star Shahab Hosseini named best actor.

It was his second official festival selection after his French-language film ‘The Past’ in 2013, which won the ecumenical jury prize.

89th Academy Awards – Oscars Backstage – Hollywood, California, U.S. – 26/02/17 – Anousheh Ansari and Firouz Naderi pose with the Oscar they accepted on behalf of Asghar Farhadi, who won the Best Foreign Language Film for “The Salesman”. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson – RTS10HRL

The structure of Farhadi’s scripts “is always complex but fluid”, cinema writer Beatrice de Mondenard said at the time.

“He seeks to show the difficulties inherent in relationships between people, the choices faced by everyone, choices which make us question our values and our convictions.”

Farhadi’s ‘About Elly’, which tells of a woman who vanishes on a beach getaway with friends, scooped the Silver Bear award for best director at the 2009 Berlin film festival.

Other films include ‘Dancing In The Dust’, ‘Fireworks Wednesday’ and ‘Beautiful City’.

Late Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami was also honored at the 89th Academy Awards.

The Academy awards ceremony named Kiarostami in a video that honored the world artists who passed away in 2016.

Kiarostami was also an accomplished photographer and painter. His last film was ‘Like Someone in Love’ (2012) — a romantic drama set in Japan — was nominated for a Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Congratulations

Iranians cheered the choice of one of their own for the best foreign film Oscar, lauding director Farhadi’s boycott of the Hollywood ceremony for his film as an act of defiance against the Trump administration.

The six nominated directors in the foreign language category had put out a joint statement ahead of the award decrying what they called the climate of ‘fanaticism’ in the United States and dedicating the award to the promotion of ‘unity and understanding’ regardless of who won.

Film critic Esmaeil Mihandoost, who wrote a book about Farhadi, told AP that thanks to the boycott, the film director has now “more influence on public opinion than a politician”.

“It created an exceptional opportunity for criticism” of Trump’s policy,” he added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he saw the prize as taking a stance against Trump’s executive order. “Proud of Cast and Crew of ‘The Salesman’ for Oscar and stance against #MuslimBan. Iranians have represented culture and civilization for millennia,” he tweeted in English.

Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri praised Farhadi both for the award and for boycotting the ceremony, calling it a ‘priceless action’.

Farhadi had organized a free screening of ‘The Salesman’ in London’s Trafalgar Square on Sunday.

89th Academy Awards – Oscars Backstage – Hollywood, California, U.S. – 26/02/17 – Anousheh Ansari and Firouz Naderi pose with the Oscar they accepted on behalf of Asghar Farhadi, who won the Best Foreign Language Film for “The Salesman”. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson – RTS10HRP

Meanwhile, Iran’s Culture Minister Abbas Salehi-Amiri congratulated Iranian filmmaker for winning the Oscar and commended his stance against the racist policy of Trump administration against refugees.

“In today’s chaotic, insecure and dark world, it is altruism, pacifism and a shining light which bring freedom-seeking people together, and you [Asghar Farhadi] were successful in using the expressive language of the arts to convey the peaceful message of Iran and the Iranians beyond geographical borders,” he said in his message to Farhadi for winning his second Oscar.

“Your symbolic absence at the Academy Awards as a protest against the shortsighted and racist policies of America’s novice politicians against refugees brought together many with a good conscience together and removed the mask from the false faces of those so-called defenders of human rights, at the same time as it displayed to the world the true, culture-loving image of the Iranians,” he added.

He underlined, “As of today, the world acknowledges that the ‘Iranophobia’ project was nothing but a deceit, and you managed to tie the Iranian outlook of contemporary ills of humanity with the shared outlook of the whole world.

“Your message today was the message of sympathy, empathy and solidarity.”

He concluded, “No doubt, Iranian cinema with its major share in promoting and fostering culture and national security, can make great use of such opportunities to introduce the Iranian arts on an international level.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the crowds: “President Trump cannot silence me. We stand in solidarity with Asghar Farhadi, one of the world’s greatest directors.”

2017 Academy Award winners

The coming-of-age drama ‘Moonlight’ won the best picture at the 89th annual Academy Awards Sunday night in a chaotic ending.

The film won after ‘La La Land’ was mistakenly announced as the best picture winner.

Presenter Warren Beatty said he paused so long before the name was read because the envelope read Emma Stone, ‘La La Land’. Actress Faye Dunaway read the name ‘La La Land’ after chiding Beatty for taking so long to read the winner.

The film tells the story of a boy’s journey to adulthood through his rough upbringing in Miami. The film stars Naomi Harris as the boy’s drug-addicted mother, and Mahershala Ali as a drug dealer-turned mentor for the boy.

The winners are as follows:

Best Picture: ‘Moonlight’

Actor: Casey Affleck, ‘Manchester by the Sea’

Actress: Emma Stone, ‘La La Land’

Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, ‘Moonlight’

Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, ‘Fences’

Directing: Damien Chazelle, ‘La La Land’

Foreign Language Film: ‘The Salesman’, Iran

Adapted Screenplay: ‘Moonlight’, screenplay by Barry Jenkins, story by Tarell Alvin McCraney

Original Screenplay: Kenneth Lonergan, ‘Manchester by the Sea’

Production Design: ‘La La Land’, Production Design: David Wasco; Set Decoration: Sandy Reynolds Wasco

Cinematography: Linus Sandgren, ‘La La Land’

Sound Mixing: ‘Hacksaw Ridge’, Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace

Sound Editing: ‘Arrival’, Sylvain Bellemare

Original Score: ‘La La Land’, Justin Hurwitz

Original Song: ‘City of Stars’ from ‘La La Land’, music by Justin Hurwitz, lyric by Ben Pasek and Justin Paul

Costume Design: Colleen Atwood, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’

Documentary (short subject): ‘The White Helmets’, Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara

Documentary Feature: ‘O.J.: Made in America’, Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlow

Film Editing: ‘Hacksaw Ridge’, John Gilbert

Makeup and Hairstyling: ‘Suicide Squad’, Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson

Animated Feature Film: ‘Zootopia’, Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Clark Spencer

Animated Short Film: ‘Piper’, Alan Barillaro and Marc Sondheimer

Live Action Short Film: ‘Sing’, Kristof Deak and Anna Udvardy

Visual Effects: ‘The Jungle Book’, Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Dan Lemmon

Share your view!

Iranian film ‘Life and a Day’, directed by Saeed Roostaee, will be screened at the New Directors section of the 40th Portland International Film Festival.

The film chronicles the story of a family preparing for a wedding ceremony, but the situation gets complicated and tough as a result of some incidents, ISNA wrote.

The bitter social drama competed with movies from France, Denmark, Argentina, and Hong Kong to win a total of nine Crystal Simorgh awards at the 34th Fajr Film Festival.

It also won the best award at the 22nd Geneva International Film Festival Tous Ecrans and the prestigious NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema) Award at Iranian Film Festival Australia.

The festival will be held on February 9-25 in Oregon, the US.

The event is a non-profit independent film festival that is held in several local theaters in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 2013 by Joshua Leake and Jay Cornelius. The first film festival was held from August 27 through September 1, 2013 and featured networking events, workshops and food carts. 83 films were shown in the inaugural festival and over 600 were submitted for consideration at the festival. Highlights of the event included Andy Mingo’s short film ‘Romance’, which was based on a Chuck Palahniuk short story.

Share your view!

The picture depicts a rural woman with three skeins of silk thread in Doidokh village in the city of Bojnourd in northeastern province of North Khorasan on Jan 15,2017. Doidokh village is popular for weaving silk carpets across Iran.

The photos also show the life of turkmen women.

TURKMEN Persian Rugs Properties

Visibility: The TURKMEN tribe live in many sections of IRAN. All TURKMEN rugs and carpets have geometric patterns. The repeated “Gul” motif is the main indication of TURKMEN rugs.

Quality: The quality of TURKMEN rugs and carpets varies. Older rugs (pre-1945) are very good, but some of the newer rugs have lower KPSIs and are dyed with chemical rather than vegetable dye.

Size & Shapes: TURKMEN rugs come in different sizes, but the majority are small (2 x 3 to 4 x 6 feet). You can also find large rugs up to large mid-size (4 x 6 to 8 x 10 feet).

Color: Dark red is the dominant color in TURKMEN rugs and carpets. You rarely find blue backgrounds.

Texture: Soft wool; thin, tight pile.

Foundation: Warps are mostly cotton, wefts are wool.

Northern IRAN- TURKMENISTAN-Torkaman Sharah

The majority of the TURKMEN tribe of IRAN lives in the north and northeast sections of IRAN. Marco Polo said in the 13th century, “Here they make the most exquisite and beautiful rugs in the world.” The TURKMEN tribe has hand loomed rugs for many centuries.

Rug weaving is one of the oldest arts in TURKMENISTAN and the surrounding region. Archeological data places carpet making in the territory of TURKMENISTAN as early as the 6th century BCE.

The remains of a carpet found by archeologists in the 1940’s at Altai is two-thousand five hundred years old. It took centuries for these designs to develop, and the decoration of the carpets is extremely original, reflecting stylized articles from the world of nomadic livestock-breeders.

Ornaments are geometric, and a love of deep, rich red is an artistic tradition of the carpets.The art of carpet weaving passed from generation to generation, and today one can single out several types of Turkmen carpets, each having distinctive ornamentation.

TURKMEN are not only famous for their beautiful rugs, but also for their famous Akhal-teke horses. These horses originate from the Turkmen SAHARA (Desert) in northeastern IRAN and have been used as cavalry mounts and racehorses for thousands of years.

Share your view!

Bulgarian volleyball club Shumen W completed the signing of Iranian international player Maedeh Borhani.

Borhani, 29, is the first Iranian woman player who joins a European volleyball team. The opposite spiker joined Shumen W from Iranian volleyball club Bank Sarmayeh.

“We agree with the transfer but we have to find a replacement for our player. We will make the final decision about Giveh on Monday,” Azad University coach Maryam Hashemi told the Tasnim news agency.

Shumen W competes at eight-team Bulgaria Superliga Women.

Iran’s Zeinab Ali Giveh on Verge of Joining Shumen W
Iranian woman volleyball player Zeinab Ali Giveh will most likely join club Shumen W.

The opposite spiker joined Shumen W from Iranian volleyball club Bank Sarmayeh. Also, Zeinab Ali Giveh, Azad University player, is allowed to join club Shumen W.

She left Tehran on Thursday to join the Bulgarian club.Shumen W competes at eight-team Bulgaria Superliga Women.

Share your view!

The Iranian handball player of Romania’s Dinamo Bucuresti’s Sajjad Esteki won ‘ Rookie of 2016’ title of VELUX EHF Champions League in 2016, garnering 62 percent of the votes.

The thrilling Iranian long-range shooter had earlier become the top goalscorer of the European Champions League in 2016, with 68 goals in nine matches — three more than Magnus Bramming from Denmark’s Team Tvis Holstebro club, varzesh3.com reported.

Esteki, 26, who put in brilliant performances in the European tourney, is the first Iranian and Asian handball player to earn these two European honors.

The other nominees for the title were Nedim Remili (PSG), Bramming (TTH Holstebro), Andreas Wolff (THW Kiel), Dika Mem (Barcelona) and Nebojsa Simic (IFK Kristianstad).

Iran handball stars

Many iranian handball stars play in the other countries . Allahkaram and  Sajjad Estaki and Alireza Mousavi playing in Dinamo bucharest also Shaho Nosrati plays in Steaua bucharest in Romania. Mohsen Babasafri who is goal keeper and Sasan Mousakhani  played in Turkey. Amin Yousefnejad joined to Metalurg Macedonian handball club. Afshin Sadeghi plays in Swiss. Daniel komayeshnejad  play in Malemo club in Sweden and

Video

Share your view!

A look at what transpired in the past 12 months in Iran’s gradually-developing travel industry: This was a good year for Iran’s nascent tourism sector. Old flight routes resumed operations while new ones were established, the UNESCO World Heritage List featured two more Iranian sites and reputable international groups announced plans to open hotels in Iran.

With 2016 about to take a curtain call, here’s a look at what the year had in store for Iran’s travel industry:

January

The lifting of western-backed economic sanctions on Iran on January 16 set the stage for the country’s emerging tourism sector to begin developing its vastly underdeveloped infrastructure.

Iran Air, the national flag carrier, resumed refueling at airports in Western Europe only three days after the sanctions were removed.

Jamshid Hamzehzadeh, president of the Iranian Hoteliers’ Society, announced that an online hotel booking platform would be launched before the end of January.

February

Tourism officials revealed that Tehran and Paris signed a memorandum of understanding in January when President Hassan Rouhani was visiting the French capital. The purpose of the agreement was to broaden bilateral tourism cooperation.

Training of hotel staff and managers by French experts, increasing bilateral tourism flow and developing Iran’s infrastructure were outlined in the agreement.

Another agreement signed in November between Russia and Iran to simplify visa issuance procedures went into effect on February 6, in what the Russian media called “the first step toward a visa-free regime”.

The Ninth Tehran International Tourism Exhibition, the first tourism expo in the post-sanctions era, was held to a mixed reception. Although international participation had improved compared to the previous year, local exhibitors were clearly aiming for domestic travelers rather than the international market, because they did not expect a huge foreign visitor turnout.

Looking to forge closer ties with Iran, Georgia abolished its visa rules for Iranian nationals.

March

March was a relatively quiet month, but it did have one major event: the Spain-based Melia Hotels International announced plans to open a five-star hotel in Salman-Shahr, Mazandaran Province.

Slated to open in 2017, the 130-meter tower by the Caspian Sea will be Iran’s first foreign-branded seaside hotel in almost 40 years.

French hotel group Accor, which brought its Novotel and Ibis brands to Iran in November 2015, signed an MoU with Iran’s Tourism Holding Company to help the company train hotel staff and upgrade lodgings.

April

Taiwan announced it had eased visa requirements for Iranian citizens by scrapping the need for a letter of guarantee from an individual residing in Taiwan to issue visas to Iranian nationals.

The Global Geoparks Network approved Iran’s dossiers for Qeshm Geopark, bringing it a step closer to regaining its spot in the network.

The Middle East’s only UNESCO-listed geopark, Qeshm Geopark was dropped from the coveted list in 2012 due to problems that have remained unresolved for too long, such as underdeveloped infrastructure and unenforced environmental regulation.

May

The highly anticipated Silk Road Ultramarathon (May 2-9) was held in Kerman Province’s Shahdad Desert, with 100 runners from countries spanning four continents—Europe, Asia, Africa and South America.

The United States returned 73 relics to Iran after prolonged discussions between the two countries, according to the Foreign Ministry. The artifacts, which date back to the Sassanid era (224–651), had been smuggled out of Iran.

Six new museums opened on May 18, coinciding with the International Museum Day. The museums are either partially or fully owned by private stakeholders, in line with the government’s policy of promoting private ownership of museums.

The sales of items crafted by Iranian artisans in the 26th Iran Handicrafts Exhibition in Tehran set a new record this year, with sales amounting to 58 billion rials ($1.4 million), up from 28 billion rials ($693,000) a year ago.

Tourism officials reached agreements with Turkish and German firms to build a combined 20 hotels in the next 10 years in Iran.

June

Iran’s ATA Airlines launched flights on Tehran-Baku-Tabriz route, which operate twice a week, while Mahan Air expanded its growing flight network by establishing direct flights between Tehran and the Danish capital Copenhagen.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration agreed to reduce tariffs for the import of hotel equipment to support the country’s hotel industry. Categorized as luxury items, hotel equipment are taxed at the highest possible rate, which analysts say has impacted the industry and contributed to high room rates.

An ambitious $750-million plan to construct a tourist resort on Qeshm Island was unveiled. The resort will cover 46 hectares and include Qeshm’s first-ever five-star hotel, which will include 200 rooms and 150 suites. The multipurpose complex will also be equipped with sports, cultural and commercial facilities, including a multiplex cinema, an amphitheater, tennis and badminton courts, a gym and two football fields.

July

Iran’s ancient Qanat system and Lut Desert were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List during the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee, increasing the number of world heritage sites in Iran to 21—more than any other country in the Middle East.

Iran banned all tours to Turkey following the failed coup attempt to topple the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The chaos in Turkey left 10,000 Iranian tourists stranded but they managed to return home gradually on planes sent to Turkey for this particular purpose.

August

Iranian and Armenian officials waived the visa regime, opening their borders to allow free travel between the neighboring countries.

The first Asia Cooperation Dialogue Ministerial Meeting on Tourism was held in the northwestern city of Tabriz, East Azarbaijan Province. The two-day summit was hosted by Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.

Iran lifted its ban on tours to Turkey following discussions between the foreign ministers of the two countries.

September

British Airways resumed direct flights to Iran after a nearly four-year suspension, following the lifting of sanctions on the country.

Describing Tehran as “an important destination” for the airline, BA said it was going operate six return flights per week between London Heathrow and the Iranian capital, which will be increased to a daily service.

A cruise line between Oman’s Khasab Port and Iran’s Bahonar Port in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, was officially launched, opening Iran’s southern coasts up to tourists from the Persian Gulf littoral countries.

As part of plans to develop the country’s health tourism, ICHHTO said it had issued licenses for 14 tour companies to operate in the sector, while authorizing 98 hospitals to launch an international patients department.

October

The International Tourism Investment Conference, touted as the largest confab of its kind in Iran, was held in Tehran to entice foreign investors into financing hotel projects. Representatives from 60 international firms based in Europe, Africa and Asia attended the event.

At the event, officials announced that all tourism activities can enjoy a 100% tax holiday for three to 13 years, depending on the project’s location.

Masoud Soltanifar, the head of ICHHTO, was appointed the new minister of sports and youth affairs, leaving pundits wondering who would replace him at the helm of the country’s tourism authority.

After months of legal tussle, the height of two 24-meter-high silos on the outskirts of the ruins of Persepolis and Naqsh-e-Rostam in Marvdasht, Fars Province, was reduced by 7 meters.

Legally, no structure in the vicinity of Persepolis should be taller than 8.5 meters, which means that the silos are still higher than permitted.

November

In an interview with Financial Tribune, Gholamheydar Ebrahim Bay Salami, the head of Tourism Holding Company and one of the organizers of International Tourism Investment Conference, said his company received offers from renowned international groups, such as Accord and Bouygues Batiment, to build 30 hotels in Iran.

President Hassan Rouhani appointed Zahra Ahmadipour to head ICHHTO, following the appointment of her predecessor, Masoud Soltanifar, as the new minister of sports and youth affairs in late October.

Through a court order, the Revitalization and Utilization Fund for Historical Places took back the management rights of the 17th-century Vakil Bazaar in Kerman Province after the private company that had leased the site failed to uphold its end of the contract.

Simon Press, senior director of World Travel Market London, a leading industry exhibition, said he expected Iran to impress again following its showing in the last expo.

According to the director of WTM London, one in three industry executives expect to do more business in Iran next year.

“A number of multinational companies have expressed interest in developing the country’s tourism infrastructure,” he told TTN Worldwide.

December

In its proposed budget bill for the next fiscal year that starts on March 21, 2017, the government earmarked a 12% increase in the tourism authority’s funding.

While marginally better than the current year’s budget, the proposed funding failed to satisfy observers, who point out that the proposed $200-million budget is insufficient to meet the rapidly-growing industry’s needs.

Ali Baqer Nemati Zargaran, director of the Promotion and Marketing Office at ICHHTO, said Iran is in talks with Russia, Azerbaijan, India and China to promote visa-free travel.

Following reports that the owner of Villa Namazee in Tehran’s affluent Niavaran neighborhood was set to demolish the iconic 1960s building to build a 20-floor hotel, activists staged an online campaign to save the building.

Designed by the famed Italian architect Gio Ponti, Villa Namazee forms part of an influential trio of properties by Ponti, along with Villa Planchart and Villa Arreaza, both in Caracas, Venezuela. To help save the building, Matthew Licitra, Ponti’s grandson, said he would travel to Tehran./ Financial Tribune

Share your view!

A Chinese company is to invest $2 billion in Sarakhs Special Economic Zone (SPEZ), announced the zone’s managing director on Sunday.

Ahmad Sadeqi Golmakani told IRNA that a Chinese state-owned company has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth $2 billion with the Iranian side to invest in SPEZ.

He said the MoU is considered the biggest foreign investment in that region, adding that foreign investments in Sarakhs Special Economic Zone have increased in the past year.

Several foreign investors from South Korea, Italy and China have recently voiced their willingness to invest in the region, he noted.

SPEZ, which covers an area of 5,290 hectares, is situated the northeast of Iran and connects ports on the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to Central Asia, the Caucasus and Russia.

In view of its geographical location as in the center of ECO countries, the zone is being considered the golden gate for Central Asia, China and Russia. It connects major trade markets in Central Asia with the Persian Gulf countries in the south of Iran, Europe in the west as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east of the country.

Share your view!

One of the most iconic scenes from the Paralympic Movement this year came from the Rio 2016 Olympics Opening Ceremony, where many witnessed Iranian Para archer Zahra Nemati lead her nation’s delegation into the Maracana Stadium.

The scene opened the eyes of many, bringing greater awareness to Para athletes and continuing to inspire a generation of not only Muslim women but people in her country with an impairment, paralympic.org reported.

Nemati became the first Para athlete to carry her nation’s flag during the Olympics, and Iran’s second female flag bearer after Lida Fariman did so in 1996.

The scene of Nemati carrying the Iranian flag had great significance, and that is why it marks at No. 11 in the International Paralympic Committee’s Top 50 Moments of 2016.

“It was my honor as I was the only Paralympian participating in the Olympic Games as the flag bearer,” Nemati told Paralympic.org. “This matter led to change so many minds and people around the world that in spite of many severe challenges, we can make everything possible.”

Nemati added that not many expected to see a woman in a wheelchair carrying the Iranian flag during the Olympics Opening Ceremony.

“That moment was a surprise for the world; I always enjoy surprising the people,” she said.

The two-time Paralympian strongly believed that she raised the profile of the Paralympics when competing in the Olympics.

“Certainly,” she said. “Representing as a Paralympian sent an essential message to the world. That’s an important message that a Paralympian can qualify for Olympics to compete with elite [able-bodied] athletes and also act as a flag bearer for the country. I was so glad to forward this message with my presence in the Rio Olympic Games.”

Nemati made her name known four years ago, when she won the individual recurve W1/W2 at London 2012. That moment marked the first time an Iranian woman won Olympic or Paralympic gold, and she has continued to make history since then.

In November 2015, Nemati secured a historic qualifying spot for her nation at the Rio Olympics after her performance at the Asian Archery Championships.

She was one of the few Paralympians to compete at the 2016 Olympics, with Para table tennis players Natalia Partyka of Poland and Melissa Tapper of Australia among the other notable Paralympians.

During archery events at the Rio Olympics, Nemati put together a 28 in the second set to get on the scoreboard — but could not produce in the closing series, and ultimately fell out of the competition, 6-2.

She came back to the Sambodromo to compete in the Paralympics, where she successfully defended her title.

“Every edition has its own conditions and features, but as I was the only Paralympian in the Olympics; I had a peculiar feeling in the Games,” Nemati said. “The atmosphere was so competitive and all athletes aimed to stand on the podium. The Paralympic Games had another different experience. Since I always consider it like my home, I found the Paralympics more of a friendly Games.”

Nemati also noted that her stay in the Athletes’ Village during the Olympic Games was another different experience than her stay during the Paralympics.

“Although most of people were amazed, their reaction was so nice,” she recalled. “I was welcomed by the people and all tried to communicate with me since this matter was so unfamiliar for them; especially for the Brazilians who treated me so well.”

Just two years after a car accident in 2004 left her with spinal cord injuries, Nemati took up the sport that would lead her to become a national treasure.

Within six months she was beating able-bodied athletes at a national level and in 2010 broke her first world record.

After a hectic past few months following the Games, Nemati said all the receptions and ceremonies are done at the moment and she is enjoying downtime in her hometown Kerman. But she wanted to leave one more message: “I ask again all people with disabilities; never surrender in your disability. Be informed that sport is one of the best ways to overcome disability.”

Share your view!

‘Salaam Mumbai’, Iranian–Indian drama directed by Ghorban Mohammadpour, went on screen on Wednesday in support of Narges Kalbasi Ashtari, the Iranian-British benevolent woman sentenced to one year prison for a crime she didn’t commit. The ‘Salaam Mumbai’ movie up now sold over 6B Iranian Rial (1.6m USD) in just 20 days.

Narges Kalbasi Ashtari story

By Marjan Golpira/ She is called the Mother Teresa of India and all for good reason. At 29, Narges is a mother to many orphans, abandoned and visually impaired children in India.

However, today, she has become the victim of a very complex and unjust system in India and is being punished by the very same people she once left her life behind for.

As she puts it for change.org website, “I am going through the most horrific forms of abuse by a group of people with immense power, influence, and protection in Odisha.”

Born in Isfahan, central Iran, Narges’s parents moved to the UK when she was four years old.

Though, early on Narges was exposed to the ugly side of life. Losing both parents to incurable diseases, Narges decided to dedicate her life to serving orphans, who had suffered the very same fate as hers.

At mere 21, Narges took a year off to do some volunteer work for orphanages in Sri Lanka and India.

It was during the eye opening journey that an idea flashed into her mind: opening a children’s home herself in India through foreign funds.

According to a report on charge.org, with much difficulty, Narges was granted an employment visa through a local NGO called ASSIST (Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation).

In 2011, Narges established the Prishan Foundation in Rayagada, an orphanage home for girls in the Rayagada district in Odisha, which then led to the launch of another home for blind children in Mukundapur, all through the generosity of foreign donors.

Based on her personal account on Telegram, a messaging app, Narges named her organization in the honor of an orphaned blind girl she met in Sri Lanka.

A couple of years after the establishment of her schools, in 2013, ASSIST took away Narges’s first children’s home, the orphanage, through “forged document” and “false promises.”

The founder and secretary of ASSIST registered the Narges Foundation in his own name, manipulating Narges into believing she could not register a foundation as a foreigner.

The NGO then tried to take Narges’s second home for visually impaired children, but this time she fought back.

“I filed a complaint at the police station in Rayagada and the husband and wife behind ASSIST were sent to jail.”

But soon, the court granted the couple bail, and from then on Narges’s life became a “living hell” as she receives life threats constantly.

“They have tried to ruin my reputation, take away my second children’s home, threaten to send me to jail and have my Indian visa revoked.”

But there’s more to the story than meets the eye.

Narges’s life took a turn for the worst when she found herself charged with involuntary manslaughter.

In 2014, Narges arranged a one-day field trip for her children in which a couple, who both worked for the school, decided to bring along their healthy 5-year-old son for the excursion as well.

Their son was not part of the school children.

In an unfortunate accident that Narges and no one else but the parents witnessed, the couple’s boy fell into the river and was swept away.

Surprisingly, to this day the body of the boy has not been recovered from the water, adding more to the mysterious incident.

Greed and pressure by ASSIST made the couple lodge a complaint against Narges, accusing her of throwing their child in the river and murdering him.

“They made up the story in the hope that they would receive a hefty compensation from me.”

Since two years, Narges’s life has turned into a nightmare. She has been in and out of court rooms for a crime she never committed.

However, social media played a pivotal role in disseminating the news of the Iranian-British girl, particularly in Iran, causing a huge public outcry.

As Narges’s story went viral, the Iranian Consul General in Heydarabad, Hassan Nourian, was among the first Iranian authorities to reach out to her.

Nourian paid Narges a visit in Rayagada and joined her in one of her court hearings.

Iranian Ambassador to New Delhi Gholamareza Ansari also reached out to her by meeting Indian officials in ministry of external affairs and requesting protection for Narges from threats and harassment she had to put up with in Odisha.

Although through her help hundreds of thousands of children and families now have a better life in that country today Narges is faced with an uncertain future in India as she waits for her next round of court hearing.

Iran awaits the day that justice is observed in the Narges case, and when she is free from all the troubles and charges, gaining lawful possession of what belongs to her and her many unprivileged children.

In the end, we leave you with a powerful statement of an Indian spiritual master whom Narges reminds us all very much of.

“The good you do today, people will forget tomorrow. Do good any way.” Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Narges Kalbasi Ashtari (L) and Iranian Consul General in Heydarabad Hassan Nourian (C) in front of the court in Rayagada

In the story of Narges Kalbasi Ashtari, it was noted originally that the boy swept away in the river was blind and from Prishan children’s home. However, we found out that the boy was not blind and was not among Narges children’s home.

Share your view!

Iran could become the leading tourism market in the Middle East and North Africa region, says an international market analyst.

Nikola Kosutic the respected international analyst and head of research for the Middle East region at Euromonitor believes that “the potential is enormous when you consider where they are now, and what they could achieve in the near future. Iran is likely to become the leading tourism market in the Middle East and North Africa Region, provided the infrastructure is able to develop and cope with changes.”

Euromonitor International’s full report on travel and tourism in Iran outlines the way ahead, and the threats to achieving the country’s goal of attracting a huge increase in tourists by 2025, amounting to 35 billion US dollars a year. Tourism currently accounts for less than eight billion dollars.

The report will be a main focus for discussion at the inaugural Iran Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference (IHTIC) being organized by Bench Events on 7-8 February – a new high-level gathering of international investors, consultants and local leaders in the hospitality industry, who will come together to meet each other and discuss how to develop the country’s tourism sector.

Iran offers a diversity that is unique in the region, according to the report. Blending Persian and Arab cultures, the list of attractions is long: from the great city of Isfahan, to the mountains of Damavand, the religious tourism site of Mashhad, and the island of Kish.

While the US still has sanctions in place, hotel groups headquartered outside the USA have already started to move in. The French Accor group became the first in 2016. Others are following including the UAE’s Rotana and Spain‘s Melia. It’s expected that by 2018 Iran will have six different international brands.

In response, the country is trying to move fast to develop its infrastructure including increasing airport capacity at Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad and Shiraz. Iranian airlines has purchased more aircraft as international airlines start to focus on the market, including British Airways, which recently launched daily flights to Tehran.

But there are weaknesses, according to the Euromonitor report. Airport capacity is still limited and more investment is needed. The hotel market is massively under supplied often with poorly trained staff. And Internet infrastructure – especially online payment systems – is underdeveloped as a result of banking sanctions.
The report says the current Iranian government wants to encourage international tourism – apart from anything else, it needs the revenue. It is backing – politically and financially – a cultural heritage organisation to co-ordinate 160 projects, including hotels. And it is advertising abroad.

“With culture, ecotourism, and skiing, there are attractions across age groups, they can compete against many regional destinations, notably Egypt, Dubai, Oman and Turkey, the latter of which has recently faced an increase in terrorism. By contrast, Iran is considered to be a safe destination”, Nikola Kosutic added.
The largest source markets at the moment are Iraq and Azerbaijan, but the fastest growth has come from countries in Europe, and Americans are returning as well after decades of Iranian isolation. Nikola predicts that Russians will also arrive in big numbers. Visa procedures are being relaxed – Iran has started issuing 30-day visas for tourists from 58 countries on arrival.
For investors things are not quite as easy. A reliable local partner – to navigate bureaucracy, business rivalry, and even corruption – is crucial. Without one, the task is impossible.

Share your view!