One could almost smell the irony last Friday when several members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), smarting at confirmation of the party's defeat in last December's Kaohsiung mayoral election, accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its candidate, Chen Chu (陳菊), of using "dirty tricks" to earn victory.

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By Cheng Ta-chen 鄭大誠
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) stated in its recent annual report to Congress that Taiwan's defense capabilities completely rely on the US and that Taiwan would not be able to withstand an invasion by the People's Liberation Army were it not for US military assistance.

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By Hsu Yu-fang 許又方
Several domestic media outlets have recently broadcast news of individuals publicly provoking President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮). These stories were presented with a high degree of seriousness, with such headlines as: "The government doesn't understand public suffering" and "The government turns a deaf ear to public miseries."

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By Chien Shu-pei and Chuang Hui-Chi 簡舒培，莊蕙綺
Although lesbians have the same biology as heterosexual women, their gender roles, sexual activity and social pressures are vastly different from those of heterosexuals. Because of these differences, the medical needs of lesbians are also distinct.

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By Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Asia's rise as an economic and political player exemplifies what globalization is all about. By the decade's end, China's economy will be larger than Germany's. By 2040 three of the world's five largest economies -- China, India and Japan -- will be in Asia.

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By Melvyn Krauss
The fact that the US economy is slowing is bad news for Europeans, regardless of claims that Europe's economy has successfully decoupled itself from the US. Decoupling is an idea that is based on bad economics -- and on some Europeans' reluctance to accept the fact that Europe's short but sweet economic expansion is also coming to an end.

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By Dan Bilefsky
Sacha Van Loo is not your typical cop. He wields a white cane instead of a gun. And from the purr of an engine on a wiretap, he can discern whether a suspect is driving a Peugeot, a Honda or a Mercedes.

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We have recently been told that a new "English Village" in Taoyuan County is designed for a one-week English immersion experience for students between the ages of 13 and 14 years and that the village can accommodate 200 students at a time ("`Village' shows strength of English," Aug. 1, page 2).

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It is once again a sad day for the rule of law in Taiwan.

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