Taichung Mayor Jason Hu said yesterday that the upcoming annual International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI) conference will help put the central Taiwanese city on the global map.

China on Thursday welcomed the appointment of Brazilian diplomat Roberto Azevedo to head the World Trade Organization, with state media saying it showed the growing clout of emerging economies.

The Legislative Yuan yesterday announced that it has passed draft amendments to statutes related to investments made by foreign nationals and overseas Taiwanese, in order to lessen procedural requirements.

South Korea's central bank on Thursday cut its benchmark interest rate for the first time in seven months, joining government efforts to boost the export-reliant economy as manufacturers such as Hyundai Motor Co. face tougher competition from Japanese rivals boosted by the weakening yen.

The U.S. dollar rose against the New Taiwan dollar yesterday, gaining NT$0.01 to close at NT$29.510 as downward pressure on the greenback was offset by the local central bank's intervention in a bid to boost the country's global competitiveness, dealers said.

During 26 years at the helm of Chinese tech giant Huawei, founder Ren Zhengfei never once agreed to be interviewed by a journalist.

Australia's unemployment rate eased to 5.5 percent in April, data showed Thursday, beating expectations by creating 50,100 jobs despite a slowdown in the mining-driven economy.

Twelve companies will offer a total of 615 openings at a job fair in Taipei on Friday, including several high-paying positions that promise up to NT$160,000 per month.

Display panel maker Innolux (群創) yesterday reported encouraging first-quarter results, recording net income of NT$1.684 billion, ending a streak of losses that has persisted for the past 10 consecutive quarters.

National Australia Bank (NAB) posted a 22.8-percent spike in first-half net profit Thursday on the back of higher revenue from personal and wholesale banking, a result that met expectations.