Ever wonder why North Korea’s Kim Jong-il is called “Dear Leader,” by his fellow citizens? Apparently, North Korean farmers grow a bumper crop of ginseng roots. Ginseng can be used to cure impotence for men, and acts as an aphrodisiac for women, too. Hence, the Stalinist-regime is seeking to repay foreign debts by exporting ginseng.

The BBC News reports that, “the Czech Republic has considered allowing North Korea to repay debts with tons of aphrodisiac ginseng roots, it has been revealed. North Korea owes $10 m. for trams and heavy machinery it received during Eastern Europe’s Soviet era.”

As revealed by a survey released on Wednesday by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the number of Christians in China has struck a record 23.5 million in 2010, as reported by a China news service.

According to China Radio International, “the Blue Book on China Religions, which is released by the institute of world religions at CASS for the first time, also notes that a whopping 68.8 percent of believers converted to Christianity after either they or one of their family members fell ill. The proportion increases among older people.”

In an effort to prove that Canada is the most tolerant nation for accepting immigrants, the government will accept Tamil migrants suffering from the highly-contagious and often fatal disease of tuberculosis. Some Americans fear that President Barack Obama will follow in Canada’s footsteps.

The Toronto Star reports that, “a closed ward at a Victoria Hospital is being prepared for dozens of Tamils on a migrant ship heading to the British Columbia coast. They are believed to have contracted tuberculosis during the voyage across the Pacific Ocean.”

Medical experts warn that a new ‘superbug’,’ which is resistant to even the most powerful antibiotics, has spread into hospitals in the United Kingdom.

According to the BBC News, “they say bacteria, that makes an enzyme called NDM-1, have travelled back with NHS patients who went abroad to countries like India and Pakistan for treatments such as cosmetic surgery.”

In July, the most frequently quoted polling institute revealed that public mood on the island reached an all-time high. The measure, which is utilized to define such feelings as optimism and pessimism within Taiwan society, is known as the TPMI that simply stands for ‘Taiwan Public Mood Index.’

South Korea and Iran have signed a trade pact that generates $10 billion annually between the two nations. Consequently, Seoul is sending signals that it would oppose sanctions against Tehran. A senio South Korean official on Wednesday expressed agreement with Iranian officials to refrain from U.N.-sponsored sanctions against Iran.

Russia is mired in the grips of its worst-recorded heat wave, while wildfires are spreading throughout the nation. Yet, that’s not the worst news. Some fires are occurring in regions coated with the fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster 24 years ago, which could be emitting plumes of radioactive smoke.

There's a lot of spin going back and forth on exactly what the Doggett amendment to the federal stimulus bill does. Democratic political consultant Philip Martin -- as usual -- posted partisan talking points to the Burnt Orange Report that, at best, constitutes political spin and, at worst, misrepresents the Republican objections to the Doggett amendment.

The Doggett amendment does not merely require the state to spend the same dollar amount that it currently spends on education. It requires the state to spend the same percentage of state general revenue on education than what it current spends. (Here is the exact text of the amendment from the Congressional Record -- section 11 is the Doggett amendment).

That's a big difference. In effect, complying with the Doggett amendment would require the state to increase dramatically the amount of state dollars sent to public school districts and increase state school finance formulas.

On Monday, the Chinese embassy in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) expressed concerns over the report that a South Korean fishing boat with three Chinese aboard was detained by the North.

As reported by the China Daily, “according to Chinese consulate officials, the Chinese embassy and the Chinese consulate in Chongjin followed the report by the South Korean media and were verifying it with DPRK authorities.”