BIG NO NO: The KMT chairman said the country's future direction should not be based on opinion polls, and that relations with the US, Japan and China should also be considered
By Mo Yan-chih
Taiwanese independence is not an option for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday, almost a year after running an ad in a local newspaper saying that he recognized independence as an option for the people of Taiwan.

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SPRING OFFENSIVE: Washington and its allies in Europe are planning to refocus the campaign to ensure that military advances are quickly followed by development projects
The US has told NATO allies it plans to boost aid to Afghanistan by US$10.6 billion -- a major increase that puts pressure on European governments to boost their contributions.

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A juvenile court judge found nine black teenagers guilty on Friday of beating three young white women with pumpkins, newspapers and a skateboard last Halloween in an attack that has shined a spotlight on racial tensions here.

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SOPHISTICATED ATTACK: The assailants fooled US forces by driving GMC vehicles, wearing new military combat fatigues and speaking English
Four US soldiers were abducted during a sophisticated sneak attack last week in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, the US military confirmed on Friday.

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The son of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Qaddafi has promised that Libya will not carry out death sentences handed down to five Bulgarian nurses in a high-profile Libyan AIDS trial, the 24 Hours newspaper reported yesterday.

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Another two Palestinians died yesterday in clashes between rival factions in Gaza, bringing the death toll to 17 in three days of bitter fighting that has torpedoed talks on forming a unity government.

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