Marking the nation's first ever case of a forced blood alcohol test, a driver in Taipei who had refused to submit to a breathalyzer test yesterday morning was later transferred by police to a hospital to undergo analysis of blood alcohol levels in accordance with the Criminal Code.

President Ma Ying-jeou said yesterday that the government's decision to set a threshold for tuition-free education was made out of necessity, but once the government has sufficient funds it will abolish the threshold to ensure free education for all.

The cross-strait representative office bill should not be passed today if equal visitation rights are not included in the proposal, said main opposition party legislators yesterday.

Ahead of the signing of a service industry trade agreement by cross-strait counterparts this Friday, governing bodies and trade associations yesterday staged a seminar, in an attempt to explain the purpose of the deal to the public.

Prosecutors indicted a woman surnamed Lu yesterday for forceful entry, intimidation and damages after she was arrested for allegedly slapping and kicking a foreign male student from Switzerland over a one-night stand.

Former MLB slugger Manny Ramirez will soon end his brief but productive baseball journey in Taiwan after playing in the country's professional baseball league for just under three months, the EDA Rhinos announced yesterday.

Hawaiian Airlines will start offering non-stop services from Taipei to Honolulu from July to cash in on increased passenger numbers since the U.S. began extending visa-free treatment to Taiwanese nationals, the company said yesterday.

Construction of the NT$4.55 billion Taipei Pop Music Center began yesterday, with President Ma Ying-jeou, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), Minister of Culture Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) and local representatives from the music sector attending the groundbreaking ceremony.

The Taiwan LED Lighting Industry Association (TLLIA) signed a letter of intent with its Chinese counterpart in Guandong province on a proposal to jointly promote a unified technical standard for LED lighting products.

Two legislators have launched a food bank bill to help charity operations feed more than 350,000 people living below the poverty line in Taiwan.