Apparently, the South Korean Navy is unable to protect its ships from ordinary theft. Over the weekend, 15 South Korean citizens seized a 3-ton fast-sailing operational boat and took it for a ‘joyride.’ The alleged assailants were caught in the criminal act after the boat overturned in the seas off Taean, a coastal village approximately 150 kilometers southwest of Seoul.

On the United Nations’ news website, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced his determination “to make progress of pressing issues of our time.” He pledged to instill his so-called ‘priorities’ for the U.N. Let’s see if he has already accomplished his goals.

1.)  1.) Lead by example:  Yes, Mr. Ban loves to travel first-class and leave a large carbon footprint to make it difficult for national governments to reduce carbon emissions, although he hosted a Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen last year. Many of his employees enjoy globe-trotting perks without paying any of the travel expenses on their own.

On Monday, protests against a recent surge in fuel prices closed down markets, schools, airports and businesses across India, while thousands were arrested as violence erupted in some cities.

According to the New York Times, “the effect of the demonstrations – spearheaded by political parties that oppose the governing coalition led by the Indian National Congress – far exceeded expectations, although no official estimates of crowds were immediately available. The vocal and sizable opposition to higher fuel prices may indicate that the Congress party, elected by more votes than forecast last year, is losing some support said political analysts and people affected by the strike.”

Justin Bieber is famous in Canada for singing pop songs, but apparently his number one fan may be North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, or so it may seem.

The BBC News reports that, “prank leaves Justin Bieber facing tour in North Korea … A public vote on the Canadian singer’s My World Tour page asked users which country he should tour next, with no restrictions on the nation’s that could be voted on.”

Many uncertainties in the Chinese economy that includes a possible slow down of growth and tightening of fiscal and monetary policies to control inflation are anticipated to lower enthusiasm for equity investors who have been flooding cash into the world's fastest developing nation.

According to the People's Daily, "also, the hastening pace of Beijing's policymakers to list a slew of firms on the domestic stock market has spooked investors, stoking fear that market liquidity would be drained up. Now, investors have begun to hear China's money-raising machine - the so-called capital market, sputter under downpours of listings."

When asked which congressional candidate they would vote for their district, by an average of 10 percentage pints since March, 45% to 35%, independent registered voters have consistently preferred Republicans over Democrats. With the gap in favor of Republicans rising slightly since March, from 8 to 12 points, independents’ preference for the GOP has been generally consistent over this time.

Consider it an end to the era of early-win pre-emption. After the 2008 Republican primaries resulted in an early and unsurpassable lead for John McCain and essentially cinched the nomination before the coming of February, the GOP has been searching for a method to decrease the impact of early primaries and prevent state from overloading the early schedule to compete with it. At Hotline, Reid Wilson reports that the Republican National Committee has quietly proposed a new structure which extends the primary process and prevents states from acting as kingmakers early in the process.

Sparking an irate backlash from Gov. Rick Perry of Texas and other state officials, the Environmental Protection Agency recently halted the state’s 16-year-old air permitting program in a decision affecting more than 100 industrial sites, which include two in North Texas.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that, “in a much anticipated decision, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Dallas regional office announced that it has rejected a clean-air implementation plan by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, ruling that the state’s flexible permitting system violates portions of the U.S. Clean Air Act and effectively relaxes federally mandated emission requirements.”

Some World Cup, A Long Day At Cuban's House, And The Angst Is Over!