MURDER: Gangs and shady construction deals were thought to be behind the shooting of a Taipei County councilor, while some lawmakers used the incident to score points
By Rich Chang and Shih Hsiu-chuan
A Taipei County politician was gunned down in his office yesterday in what police believe was a cold-blooded assassination by gangsters seeking to protect an extortion racket.

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SEPARATISTS: While the perpetrator of the grisly attack has not claimed responsibility, Ankara was pointing a finger at the Kurdistan Workers' Party
Investigators believed a male suicide bomber carried out an attack that killed him and six other people and injured 91 others in Turkey's capital, using methods similar to those of a Kurdish rebel group, a top official said yesterday.

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The administration of US President George W. Bush is developing plans to "internationalize" the Iraq crisis, including an expanded role for the UN, as a way of reducing overall US responsibility for Iraq's future and limiting domestic political fallout from the war as next year's election season approaches.

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By Rich Chang
Lee Tai-an (李泰安), convicted of involvement in a South Link railway train derailment, was sentenced yesterday to life in jail by the Pingtung District Court.

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"This is the fate of Palestinians: exodus after exodus," cried refugee Faiza Rashrash, sitting on a thin mattress on the floor of a school in the Beddawi camp of northern Lebanon.

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