North Korea to reopen hotline with South

North Korea says it will restore a key hotline with South Korea, as the two Koreas discuss where to hold talks on a jointly-run industrial zone.

Pyongyang said it would reopen a Red Cross hotline which it cut in March.

Operations at Kaesong came to a halt after the North withdrew its workers and restricted access

It also invited officials to come to Kaesong for talks on Sunday on restarting operations at the factory zone, after the two sides agreed in principle to talks on Thursday.
Work at Kaesong has been halted since April, amid high regional tensions.
Ties between the two Koreas deteriorated earlier this year in the wake of the North's 12 February nuclear test.
North Korea's nuclear ambitions are expected to be on the table when the US and Chinese presidents meet in California later today for an informal summit.
'Mistrust' The Kaesong factory complex is seen as a symbol of North-South co-operation. Around 53,000 North Korean workers are employed there by more than 120 South Korean factories.
The zone is a key source of revenue for the North and the biggest contributor to inter-Korean trade.

However, Pyongyang withdrew its workers in April, apparently angered by tightened UN sanctions in the wake of its nuclear test and annual South Korea-US military drills.

It had already cut a military hotline with South Korea, and another line used to communicate with the UN Command at Panmunjom in the Demilitarised Zone that divides the two Koreas, in addition to the Red Cross hotline.
On Thursday, however, it offered talks with the South on the resumption of operations and said it would reconnect the Red Cross hotline if Seoul - which had been seeking such talks - agreed.
Pyongyang's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK) said the Red Cross link would be restored from 14:00 local time (0500 GMT), AFP news agency said.
The two sides are still working out details of the talks on the industrial zone. The South suggested ministerial-level talks in Seoul on Wednesday, but North Korea has asked for lower-level talks on Sunday in Kaesong, which is located just inside North Korea.
In a statement, Pyongyang said that working-level talks were needed first, "in the light of the prevailing situation in which the bilateral relations have been stalemated for years and mistrust has reached the extremity".

Kaesong Industrial Zone

• Launched in 2003, largely financed by the South to increase co-operation
• More than 120 factories employ North Koreans in manufacturing industries, with goods exported to the South
• Complex as a whole produced $470m worth of goods in 2012 - the biggest contributor to inter-Korean trade
• South Korean companies pay more than $80m a year in wages to North Korean workers

 Source BBC

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Posted in: Korea,Politics

Afghans angry at 'lenient' Robert Bales massacre sentence

Residents of Afghan villages where a US soldier went on a rampage last year have reacted with anger that he has escaped the death penalty.

At a US military hearing on Wednesday Staff Sgt Robert Bales, 39, admitted killing 16 civilians in March 2012.
A jury will decide in August whether he is sentenced to life with or without the possibility of parole.

Some of the victims' bodies were burned by Bales after he had shot them

The villagers in Kandahar province argue that he has been treated far too leniently and should be hanged.
Most of the victims were women or children, and many of them were shot in the head. Some of the bodies were piled up and burnt.
'Full of blood' Friends and family members of those killed say they were stunned to learn that he has escaped capital punishment.
"It is our firm demand that Afghanistan, the US and the international community condemn this American to death. He martyred our family members... and went back with his body full of blood of his victims to his camp," bereaved villager Mullah Baran told the BBC.
Another villager, Haji Baqi, whose brother was killed by Bales, said: "We want him to be hanged. The international community should not ignore our grief."
Villager Samiullah said the life sentence meant that justice had not been done. His mother, uncle and cousin were killed.
"The criminal is not being punished," he said. "We want him to be dealt with as his deeds deserve."
At Wednesday's hearing, Bales read from a statement describing each killing in the same terms:
"I left the VSP [Village Stability Platform] and went to the nearby village of Alkozai. While inside a compound in Alkozai, I observed a female I now know to be Na'ikmarga. I formed the intent to kill Na'ikmarga, and I did kill Na'ikmarga by shooting her with a firearm. This act was without legal justification, sir."
When asked by military judge Col Jeffery Nance why he had carried out the murders, Bales responded: "There's not a good reason in this world for why I did the horrible things I did."
Defence lawyers have said Bales is contrite about the killings, and described him as "crazed" and "broken" on the night of the attack.
At the time, he was serving his fourth tour of duty and had been drinking alcohol and snorting Valium.
In addition to the 16 murdered, six Afghans were injured.
While prosecutors originally said they would seek the death penalty, no US service member has been executed in more than 50 years.

Source BBC

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Posted in: Politics,violence

Foreign sex workers could be expelled from Vietnam

The security ministry is proposing fines of up to US$476 for clients indulging in paid sex “of an obscene nature”, starting July 1. If the prostitute is a foreigner, that person will be fined up to $47 and can be deported from Vietnam.
According to a draft decree proposed by the Ministry of Public Security on administrative punishment in social order, fire and domestic violence prevention, sex buyers will be fined from VND500,000 to VND1 million (up to $47).
The fine will be increased to VND2 million - VND5 million (up to $238) if the client has sex with many prostitutes at a time.

If the sex is “of an obscene nature”, or the client incites others to buy sex together, that person will be fined from VND5 million to VND10 million (from $238 to $476). However, the ministry does not explain or define what “obscene” activities constitute. The original Vietnamese phrase is “co tinh chat doi truy” , which can be roughly translated as “having elements of an obscene [or lewd or lecherous or debauched] nature”.
Meanwhile, the security ministry also suggests fines to sex workers but at a much lower rate. Accordingly, the act of selling sex will incur non-monetary warnings or pecuniary fines of VND100,000-VND300,000 (up to $14).
But if a prostitute has sex with many clients at a time, that sex worker will be fined VND300,000-VND500,000. If the sexual activities are “of an obscene nature”, the prostitute will be fined from VND500,000 to VND1 million (up to $47).
If the sex worker is a foreigner, that person will be fined from VND100,000 to VND1 million (up to $47) and can be deported from Vietnam. Sex procurers will be fined up to VND5 million, with repeat offenders to be fined VND10 million.
The security ministry is now gathering opinions from other ministries and agencies and the public for feedback on this draft decree before officially submitting it to a higher body for approval.

Source tuoitrenews.vn

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Posted in: Society

In the world of beer girls

More pretty girls, including students, who drink well now earn quite a lot from waiting on and sharing a table and drinks with their male customers.

The main difference between these ‘beer attendants’ and ‘bia om’ (beer hug) girls is that these ‘beer attendants’ usually don’t offer sexual services to customers. However, the difference blurs sometimes.

A Tuoi Tre undercover reporter recently disguised herself as a beer attendant to penetrate this world.

She got to know Ha, a seasoned beer attendant, who agreed to let her tend to one of her patrons after the reporter boasted that she can drink up to 10 beer bottles in one go.

“The more you can drink and the prettier and sexier you are, the more tips you receive from your clients,” Ha shared with the reporter.

As soon as they arrived, Ha quickly gave one of the male clients an intimate hug before introducing the reporter to Sau, another of her patrons.

After a while, Sau hugged the reporter and insisted that she down her drink. She had no choice but to obey amidst the clients’ laughter.

Sau quickly put a VND200,000 (US$10) note into her hand.

During the drinking session, the men kept discussing business while forcing the beer attendants to gulp beer amidst laughter, chatter and applause.

Sau then asked Ha to sing a song before complimenting her on her performance with a kiss on her cheek and a VND500,000 (US$25) note.

“You shouldn’t drink any amounts of beer that clients request, but should refuse tactfully instead. If choosy clients insist, just ask to share their glasses,” Ha advised the reporter after the drinking session ended.

Who are beer attendants?

Beer attendants in Ho Chi Minh City come in three types. The first type is professional beer attendants who work at bars as PR staff.

The second is ‘call’ beer attendants, who offer their services only after receiving phone calls from their clients or bar managers.

The last is amateur beer attendants, who are rather well-educated, pretty and serve clients who give generous tips.

A beer girl, who is a college student, and her client
 at a restaurant on Nguyen Thong street, district 3.

Bartenders and waitresses from bars and cafés also switch to this occupation for higher pay. College students and workers sometimes take this job for extra income.

The girls, who are usually aged between 15 and 30, survive solely on their clients’ tips, which typically fluctuate between VND200,000 and VND1 million (US$50), depending on their physical attractiveness, drinking, singing and communication abilities, and the clients’ ranks. Girls with good social knowledge and education usually earn more as they can converse and debate with clients on various issues.

Over four weeks of working as a beer attendant at bars in HCMC, the Tuoi Tre undercover reporter got to know several young ‘colleagues’.

Many girls who are under 16 years old are precocious and professional in the way they dress, communicate and tend to clients.

“No one looks down on us for our job. We do nothing wrong, we just earn money at the risk of doing harm to our health from overdrinking,” shared Ut Hong, 21, from southern Tien Giang province, a beer attendant at L. bar on Phan Dang Luu street in Binh Thanh district.

Hong confided that during her three years in the business, she has sent all her income to her parents back home to pay off their debt and build a house.

She plans to do this job for several more years before getting married and settling down.

Hong, who is living with her boyfriend in a rented room, said her boyfriend has learned to come to terms with her job.

Hong pointed to Phuong, 19, from Ben Tre province, saying that Phuong’s husband, whose monthly salary as  a construction worker is lower than her weekly income, now brings her to ‘work’ every day, though initially he was often green with jealousy.
 Source Tuoitrenews.vn

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Posted in: Society

Michael Jackson daughter Paris 'tries to kill herself'

Paris Jackson, the daughter of late pop legend Michael Jackson, is in hospital after attempting to kill herself, a publicist has confirmed.

Paris, 15, is physically fine, her grandmother's lawyer told the Associated Press news agency.

Paris is a prolific user of Twitter

Emergency officials said they responded to a reported overdose in the Calabasas area of Los Angeles where Paris lives, but did not identify the patient.

Local media say she left the family home at about 02:00 PST (09:00 GMT).

Earlier on Wednesday, Angel Howansky, a long-time publicist for Joe Jackson - Michael Jackson's father and the girl's grandfather - could not confirm reports of a possible drug overdose or multiple cuts on her wrist.

Paris, Michael Jackson's only daughter, is currently part of a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the concert promoters AEG Live, who the Jackson family says bears responsibility for her father's death from an accidental drug overdose in June 2009.

The BBC's Regan Morris in Los Angeles says Michael Jackson went to great lengths to shield his children from the public eye, shrouding them in masks and baggy clothes so they could not be recognised.

He wanted to give them the chance for a more typical childhood than he had as a child star, but after being sheltered for years, Paris Jackson has lived a very public life since his death, our reporter says.

Paris is a cheerleader at her private school and seems comfortable in the limelight - appearing poised and articulate at Michael Jackson tribute events with her grandmother and her two brothers, known as Prince and Blanket.

She is also a popular target for the paparazzi and tabloids, our reporter adds.

Paris also has a popular Twitter account where she discusses music and homework and dispenses make-up tips to her million-plus followers.

Her most recent tweet was a quote from a famous Beatles song: "yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away now it looks as though they're here to stay."

Source BBC

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Posted in: Society