IQBAL - User contributions [en]

Ex-UN secretary general s nephew pleads guilty in bribe case

2018-06-21T19:43:45Z

NatalieW56:

NEW YORK (AP) - A nephew of former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pleaded guilty Friday in a bribery case that grew from an attempt to sell a building complex in Vietnam for $800 million. Joo Hyun Bahn, also known as Dennis Bahn, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and a corruption count in Manhattan federal court as part of a deal with prosecutors. He has been free on bail for a year since he was charged with trying to pay $2.5 million in bribes to rescue the failed real estate deal for Landmark 72, a Vietnam building complex that included a 72-story commercial building that was then the tallest building in the Indochina Peninsula. During his plea, the 39-year-old Bahn, of Tenafly, New Jersey, said [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html tour bắc kinh từ hà nội] he facilitated a bribe, and he knew what he was doing "was a bad act." Judge Edgardo Ramos set sentencing for June 29. In a release, acting Assistant Attorney General John Cronan said Bahn's bribery scheme and scams by others seeking real estate deals "seek to corruptly tilt the playing field to their advantage." "Bribery and corruption undermine fair competition and the rule of law," Cronan said. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said Bahn would have earned a multimillion-dollar commission on the real estate deal. The charges carry a potential sentence of [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh] up to 10 years. The plea agreement Bahn signed with prosecutors says his federal sentencing [http://Www.renewableenergyworld.com/_search?q=guidelines guidelines] range could be as little as three years or as many as seven years in prison. The judge, though, is free to deviate from the calculated range. Prosecutors say the scheme occurred from March 2013 to May 2015 when Bahn and his father, Ban Ki Sang, 70, of [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] Seoul, South Korea, conspired to try to induce a foreign official to persuade a sovereign wealth fund to rescue the real estate deal. The father was charged in the case but has not been arrested. An indictment said a $500,000 bribe was paid to a local businessman to arrange a $2 million bribe of the foreign official. But the government said in court papers that the half million dollars was instead wasted by the businessman on lavish expenses, perhaps because he didn't have the connections he boasted about. Advertisement

Inner Journey Expeditions promotes big saving tours in Indochina

2018-06-19T20:59:37Z

NatalieW56:

Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City Convenient Landing Packages Inner Journey Expeditions offers a convenient landing package for travellers looking for an easy arrival into Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam including hotel, daily breakfast, return airport transfers and one month single entry visa on arrival service. Director, Angela Kent, says �this is an ideal travel package for holiday travellers who want to explore this vibrant city on their own or business travellers looking for an affordable, all-in-one package staying at centrally located hotels in District 1�. A four-day Ho Chi Minh City Stay starts from AUD$216 person, twin share staying in 3-star hotel, deluxe room. Travellers can [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] upgrade to the luxury five-star option and pay AUD$396 per person, twin share. These prices are valid for travel between 01 July and 30 September 2010. Travel to Vietnam with a group of five friends and get BIG SAVINGS Travel with a group of five friends or more and Vietnam travel specialist, Inner Journey Expeditions will discount the tour price by 10% when you book and travel in Vietnam before 30 September 2010. Inner Journey Expeditions arranges private tours ideal for a group of friends or family wanting to share their holiday that suits their own time frame and style of travel. The group has their own private transport and driver, local guide, hotels, sightseeing and most meals. With a private tour, the group can sightsee as much as they want, or choose more free time to relax and experience Vietnam independently. � Laos a New Yoga Tour Destination Travel specialist, Inner Journey Expeditions launches the first ever [http://Rt.com/search/everywhere/term/Yoga%20Retreat/ Yoga Retreat] in Laos held in UNESCO World Heritage town, Luang Prabang on 3rd November 2010. The [http://www.dict.cc/englisch-deutsch/retreat%20runs.html retreat runs] over 10 days and combines yoga, meditation, philosophy with Lao culture including textile weaving course, trekking to minority villages, elephant rides and a cooking class. Yoga classes are led by an experienced teacher from Byron Bay, Australia, a popular �mecca� for yoga. Inner Journey Expeditions Director, Angela Kent says �Laos is the newest destination to offer Yoga tours and retreats. Holding a retreat in Laos makes perfect sense as the Lao culture is grounded in Buddhism which is reflected in some of the teaching of Yoga.� Participants do not have to have years of yoga practice, but a small amount of experience would be beneficial to make the most of this amazing experience. Cambodia Temples and Buddhist Monastery Tour Inner Journey Expeditions offers a unique six day Cambodia Temples and Monastery tour that combines an introduction to Buddhism and monastic life with the must see Temples of Angkor for travellers looking for a spiritual and educational experience. Travellers meet with local monks and learn about Buddhist philosophy, they wake up in a monastery to the sounds of drums and are introduced to meditation practice and daily life. According to Director Angela Kent, �Spiritual and educational tourism is a fast growing niche in the travel industry. Some travellers are looking for more than just the major attractions and urban activities, they want to scratch below the surface of the country they are [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh 5 ngày 4 đêm từ Hà Nội] visiting and learn about the culture and traditions from an experiential level�. Departing from Siem Reap, prices start from AUD$735 per person and includes 3 nights in Siem Reap, 1 night in a Buddhist Monastery, 1 night on a home stay on a floating village on the Tonle Sap lake, 2 day Angkor Temple pass, Buddhism and meditation course, sightseeing, local guide, most meals and transfers. More information, contact: Angela Kent, Director PO Box 2467, Parap, Darwin, N.T. Australia Phone: +61 400 806 039 URL: website Angela Kent on info@ije.com.au

WWII sacrifice of Free French defending Hong Kong

2018-06-14T09:24:35Z

NatalieW56:

Seventy-five years ago, a handful of idealistic "Free French" took up arms to defend the British colony of Hong Kong in a futile battle against Japanese invaders. But their sacrifice, though largely unknown in their homeland, is not forgotten in Asia. There are six names on the worn stele that pays tribute to them in a corner of the British military cemetery in Stanley, on a hill in the south of Hong Kong island. A French flag is draped over a memorial at the Stanley Military Cemetery, dedicated to French civilians who died fighting with the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps against the 1941 Japanese invasion of the territory �Isaac LAWRENCE (AFP) "I do not see why these people should be forgotten," says Francois Dremeaux, chairman of the Hong Kong committee of French Remembrances of China. "My job is to make their memory live by giving it meaning," adds the history teacher, who helped oversee a ceremony dedicated to them last week. Dremeaux, who has written a thesis on the French presence in Hong Kong in the interwar period, feels there is much to learn from these men, who in 1941 chose to fight in a battle some 10,000 kilometres (6,000 miles) from their homeland. Hong Kong was a British enclave, and there was nothing forcing them to defend it, he adds. "We cannot even say they were defending their colony," Dremeaux said. "They defended an idea, freedom, and did it of their own free will, which makes their sacrifice even more noble." Apart from representatives from the French consulate and army, those attending the modest commemoration were largely students from the French international school where Dremeaux teaches. The group sang 'Le Chant Des Partisans', the anthem of the French Resistance -- a tune rarely heard on the shores of the South China Sea. - Dissident consul - By June 1940, many in the French community -- which numbered around 400 in the late 1930s, had already fled to Indochina. Those who remained largely rallied to the Gaullist Resistance cause. While the French embassy in Beijing was loyal to the pro-Nazi Vichy regime, in diplomatic correspondence Hong Kong consul general Louis Reynaud railed against the "treason" of the armistice Germany demanded and stamped his official telegrams with "V" for victory. A "Free France" committee was set up in Hong Kong with about 20 active members to recruit volunteers, turn merchant sailors on stopover in port or prepare propaganda broadcasts. Then on December 8, 1941, hours after their surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese invaded Hong Kong, which had been living under the threat of the imperial forces [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh] since they seized the nearby Chinese city of Canton -- modern day Guangzhou -- three years earlier. Some of the Frenchmen joined the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps established by Britain to support regular forces vastly outnumbered by the Japanese. - Bayonet wounds - Dremeaux picks up the trail of the Free French at several key moments in the 17-day "Battle of Hong Kong", including the fight for the island's sole power plant. While only six names are on the stele, Dremeaux believes around ten took a stand against the Japanese. Among them was Armand Delcourt, a 42-year-old merchant who came to Hong Kong in 1926 and married a Eurasian woman of Japanese and Scottish origins, Captain Roderic Egal, who was in transit from Shanghai when the invasion began, Henri Belle, a sailor passing through Hong Kong who took up arms, and Paul de Roux a director of the Banque d'Indochine. Egal and Belle were both captured and sent to prison camps, the latter dying in captivity. Roux did not fight but set up a resistance network. He was arrested and tortured, before committing suicide to prevent the enemy forcing him to talk. Delcourt was wounded by two bayonet blows on December 21 while defending a [http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/strategic%20hill strategic hill] pass and executed two days later, shortly before the governor surrendered on Christmas Day. On January 5, 1942, brutalised by the Japanese, his pregnant wife gave birth prematurely in a Hong Kong church to a girl who for decades would not know the circumstances of her father's death. "I did not know the full circumstances of my father's death until much later when I was in Australia and received the letter from my father's close friend Carlos Arnulphy who had managed to trace me," Monique Westmore, who now lives in Melbourne, told AFP by email. "I would have loved to have known my father but when I read the documents that are attached (to the letter) I understand that he was a man of great principle -- I do sometimes ask myself 'why did you go knowing that your wife was hugely pregnant and also you weren't exactly a young man?'," Westmore wrote. "The battle of Hong Kong was a total disaster and many people lost their lives." His military death notification praised him as "a continuous example of courage and enthusiasm" in an unequal battle who "cheerfully made the supreme sacrifice, confident in the final victory of France." For Dremeaux, the path chosen by Armand Delcourt resonates strongly today, "a time of withdrawal" when countries are increasingly looking inward. "He was married to a Japanese woman, lived abroad and gave his life for Free France," he said. "To be patriotic is not a contradiction with being open to the world". Graphic on Japan's invasion of Hong Kong in December 1941 �-, - (AFP Graphic) French historian and teacher Francois Dremeaux poses for a photo after a memorial service at the Stanley Military Cemetery in Hong Kong �Isaac [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html vtr.org.vn] LAWRENCE (AFP) The French Consul General of Hong Kong Eric Berti (3rd R), along with military personnel and members of the public, attends a memorial service at the Stanley Military Cemetery �Isaac LAWRENCE (AFP) Advertisement

User:NatalieW56

2018-06-14T09:24:26Z

NatalieW56: Created page with "Hello from Germany. I'm glad to came here. My first name is Natalie. I live in a small town called Scheitenkorb in nothern Germany. I was also born in Scheitenkorb 37 y..."

Hello from Germany. I'm glad to came here. My first name is Natalie. I live in a small town called Scheitenkorb in nothern Germany. I was also born in Scheitenkorb 37 years ago. Married in December 2008. I'm working at the post office. Here is my site: [http://www.vtr.org.vn/cam-nang-du-lich-bac-kinh-5-ngay-4-dem.html du lịch Bắc Kinh]