PUZZLING: Officials discounted speculation that the missing tourists might have anything to do with today's military exercises, saying gangsters might be involved
By Joy Su
A group of Chinese tourists has been missing since arriving in Taiwan last Tuesday, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) confirmed yesterday, on the eve of the annual Hankuang military exercises.

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WAR GAMES: Officials laid to rest speculation that there was any link between the military drills and the presence of Chinese and US forces in the area
By Jimmy Chuang
Two Mirage 2000-5 jet fighters were to land on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway at around dawn today.

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CLARIFICATION: Both countries yesterday admitted that there was a misunderstanding about Ariel Sharon's call on French Jews to emigrate immediately
France said yesterday it was still waiting for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to explain a call for French Jews to emigrate immediately to Israel, but signalled it wanted to end the diplomatic row quickly.

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By Tina Yuan
Charles Freeman, assistant US trade representative for China affairs, is scheduled to meet officials at the Ministry of Economic Affairs today, marking the first trade talks between the two countries since October 2002, a government official said yesterday.

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The embattled US oil services company Halliburton, that until four years ago was headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, is under grand jury investigation for sus-pected illegal dealings with Iran through a Cayman Islands subsidiary, the firm disclosed.

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