11.   Wednesday, his own voice halting and at times trembling, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani told reporters that he and Hanover were considering a formal separation.

12.   For church leaders, there also is the fear of possible moves toward a formal separation of church and state in Greece.

13.   It threatens to attack Taiwan to prevent its formal separation.

14.   The GOP mayor said later that he and Hanover were discussing a formal separation, although he apparently went public with the news before telling his wife.

15.   To avoid angering China, most Taiwanese prefer the status quo of de facto independence instead of declaring formal separation.

16.   Beijing has threatened to invade should the island move toward a formal separation from China.

17.   China has vowed to attack Taiwan should it declare a formal separation from the mainland.