Taiwanese pitcher Wei-Yin Chen maintained his strong early season form and improved his record to 4-0 in leading the Baltimore Orioles to a 5-2 win over the New York Yankees and the previously undefeated C.C. Sabathia on Tuesday.

The benchmark Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) index provider yesterday announced it has lowered Taiwan's weighting in two of its key indexes as part of a half-yearly review.

Finance Minister Christina Liu (劉憶如) said yesterday that the Ministry of Finance (MOF) does not have any plans to reduce the stock transaction tax to boost trade volume of the stock market. The MOF has not received any instructions from the Executive Yuan on the matter, stated Liu.

President Ma Ying-jeou said yesterday that Taiwan can't afford to be absent from a free-trade bloc that could be formed in upcoming trade talks among mainland China, Japan and South Korea.

Military personnel should report and obtain advance approval for any engagements they have with Chinese people, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.

Taiwan's global logistics rankings went up one notch to 19th this year, according to a World Bank report published yesterday.

The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (中華民國 對外貿易委員會, TAITRA) is expected to open an office in mainland China soon, a mainland spokesman said in Beijing yesterday.

Reduced tariffs on imported milk powder will end May 24, the Legislature's Finance Committee said yesterday, citing lower raw material prices and concerns that local businesses are profiting from the lower tariffs.

The outlying island of Kinmen has been ranked the happiest place to live in Taiwan, followed by Hsinchu County and Lienchiang County, according to the results of a survey released yesterday.

A court ruled yesterday against a French national's request to transfer ownership of an apartment that he paid for from his ex-father-in-law to him after his marriage to a Taiwanese woman turned sour, on the grounds that the property was a “gift.”