The Pingtung County Government yesterday fined the Yoho Beach Resort NT$120,000 for illegally expanding its hotel's operating area.

North Korea has taken a major step back from a planned missile test, U.S. officials said, even as Pyongyang and Seoul exchanged fresh threats Tuesday of swift military retaliation to any provocation.

Three Ohio women believed abducted separately about a decade ago were found alive together on Monday at a Cleveland house near where they had last been seen, and three brothers were arrested as suspects in their disappearances, police said.

One of the Philippines' most active volcanoes rumbled to life Tuesday, spewing room-sized rocks toward nearly 30 surprised climbers, killing five and injuring others that had to be fetched with rescue helicopters and rope.

Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) said yesterday that he would be happy to see Liao Liou-yi (廖了以), who recently resigned as chairman of the Association of East Asian Relations (AEAR), run in next year's Taichung mayoral race, which will be held as part of the nationwide seven-in-one elections.

The Bureau of Energy and Taiwan Power Company said yesterday that the country has no plan to purchase mainland Chinese electricity, in response to rumors claiming that the Economics Ministry has given instructions for officials to look into the technical possibilities of running underwater cables between the two sides of the strait.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak began a second term Monday after the coalition which has ruled for 56 years held on to power in elections branded as fraudulent by a bitter opposition.

Japan, China and South Korea agreed Monday to cooperate in the fight against cross-border air pollution, despite strained relations between the neighbors because of territorial disputes.

Growth in China's services sector slowed sharply in April to its lowest point since August 2011, a private sector survey showed on Monday -- fresh evidence of rising risks to a revival in the world's No. 2 economy.

Oscar-winning director Ang Lee returned to Taiwan early Monday to give encouragement to the local film industry.

Tens of thousands of hard-line Islamists demanding a new blasphemy law blocked major highways Sunday to cut off the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka from the rest of the country, police said. Chanting "Allahu Akbar!" ("God is greatest!") and "One point, One demand: Atheists must be hanged," activists of Hefajat-e-Islam marched down at least six highways, halting traffic between Dhaka and other cities and towns.

The United States was not given any warning before air strikes in Syria against what Western and Israeli officials say were weapons headed for Hezbollah militants, a U.S. intelligence official said on Sunday.