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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Posted in: Society