Toyota has accelerated past South Korea's Samsung Electronics to become Asia's biggest company by market value, after the Japanese automaker's shares doubled in the past year.

Taiwan's Asustek Computer Inc. lost its ranking among the top five PC makers in Western Europe in the first quarter because of weak buying, research company Gartner Inc. said.

A tax deal between the British government and Goldman Sachs worth up to 20 million pounds (US$30 million) to the U.S. bank was lawful but “not a glorious episode” for the tax authority, a judge ruled on Thursday.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. stepped up Bangladesh factory inspections while U.S. and European retailers pursued separate accords to try to prevent another disaster in a garment industry where more than 1,200 workers have died in the past six months.

Kuwait Airways Co. (KAC) signed a deal with Airbus to buy 15 A320neo and 10 A350-900 planes with options for 10 more, five from each category, chairman Sami al-Nasef said on Thursday.

The Tourism Bureau announced yesterday that all domestic travel agencies are banned from taking any tour groups to the Philippines after the Executive Yuan recently announced a “red” travel alert against the Philippines, one of eight second-stage sanctions issued against the Philippines over the shooting of a local fisherman in disputed waters.

In another push to elevate its international presence, Kaohsiung is hosting the biennial Asia-Pacific Cities Summit (APCS, 亞太城市高峰會), the second major event since the 2009 International World Games to come to town.

President Ma Ying-jeou praised the potential of the Taiwanese-European economy and encouraged Taiwan to pursue a steady trade relationship with European countries during the Europe Day Dinner held by the European Chamber of Commerce yesterday.

HTC yesterday announced its official partnership with Cirque de Soleil's “Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour” in Taipei with many special offers for Taiwan's audiences to promote the show that recreates the classic performances of the King of Pop.

The number of workers on furlough in Taiwan has dropped by 25 percent to 1,177 in the past two weeks, according to statistics released by the Council of Labor Affairs yesterday.