South Korean Soccer Players Face Lie Detectors

Roger Clemens should be glad he never played professional soccer in South Korea. The K-League, which is battling a widespread game-fixing scandal, has announced plans to give lie detector tests to its players, reports Metro.

The league will also double players' minimum wage and introduce a new pension scheme to help dissuade corruption. Last week, 46 players were arrested on suspicion of fixing 15 matches from June to October of last year. Players suspected of foul play will now be forced to take the lie detector test, with anyone who refuses facing suspension. The consequences of corruption won't just strike individual players, either. "We're working on amending rules so that if match-fixing recurs, teams will be put at a great disadvantage," reads a league statement. "Teams will be relegated to a lower-tier league, will lose points in the standings, or will be stripped of their rights to play in the AFC Champions League."

TEA TIME: Gay candidate wins seat in Tokyo Assembly!

In a historical motion, openly gay candidate Taiga Ishikawa has won a seat in Japanese politics – he will sit in the Toshima Ward Assembly as the country’s first openly gay elected official.


Ishikawa has been a long-time advocate of the LGBT community, publishing books on the topic including “Where is My Boyfriend?” in 2002 under his real name – an unprecedented and bold move that won applauds across the globe.

“I hope this news will give a hope to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people who still feel isolated from the society,” said Ishikawa, according to The Japan Times. “I will do my best to make Toshima Ward more friendly to LGBT people, young people and foreigners.”

ISSUES: 'Effeminate Boys' Sent to Macho Malay Boot Camp!

Human rights groups have expressed alarm after some 66 boys determined to be "effeminate" by Malaysian public schools have been picked for re-education at a macho boot camp. The education department in Terengganu state established the camp to help boys deal with "identity issues" and place them on a "proper path in life," reports the Angola Press. The camp requires rigorous physical training and is intended to prevent boys, ages 13 to 17, from continuing or developing feminine traits, reports CNN. The education director said boys could face big problems in society if their behavior doesn't change.

An Amnesty International spokeswoman said the operation smacks of homophobia in a nation where homosexuality is illegal. "Starting a re-education camp or boot camp encourages discrimination against all people because of their sexual orientation," she warned. Malay government officials have also spoken out against the camp. "The experience of being singled out on the basis of perceived characteristics is an extremely traumatizing experience, in particular for adolescent teens," said Malaysia's Women, Family and Community Development minister. "Such profiling has potentially serious psychological repercussions." She charges that the camp violates the nation's Child Act, which protects children without prejudice.