A new version of the stock gains tax is expected to go through a third reading next Friday at the earliest, however without help from the DPP on its passage and without the upward movement of large-cap stocks, the 8,500-point ceiling may remain an irremovable barrier.

Chu Shu (朱旭), director-general of the High Speed Rail Bureau, tendered his resignation on Wednesday to take responsibility for the delayed opening of the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT line, while lawmakers demanded that Transportation Minister Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時) also stepped down for the delay.

Sometimes news media get slammed for pushing too hard, and sometimes for doing too little.

In what can be described as a political bombshell, Taipei Councilor Lai Su-ru (賴素如) was taken in by prosecutors for questioning on Wednesday over her involvement in the Taipei Twin Towers project, one of the largest land development deals the island has seen to date.

The streets were particularly empty in downtown Taipei Tuesday night. The few crowds that could be found were those huddling in front TV screens watching the live broadcast of the final World Baseball Classic first-round match between the Taiwanese and Korean teams.

Legislature Speaker Wang Jin-pyng said yesterday that he supports President Ma Ying-jeou's re-election bid as Kuomintang (KMT) chairman and that there are no doubts with regard to Ma's eligibility.

The government may be talking up its ambition of promoting Taipei as a global design capital, but its actions are leading the nation in the opposite direction.

The death penalty has always been a hot-button issue but the debate over abolition of the punishment in Taiwan has taken a weird political turn.

Something is off in the state of politics in Taiwan.

Minister of Culture Lung Ying-tai probably started drafting her robust speech of support of the 49th Golden Horse Awards halfway through the awards ceremony itself, when almost all the awards for the take were captured by mainland and Hong Kong filmmakers.