The recruiting agency responsible for hiring and managing staff at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMFA) in Taichung was forced to stop asking female applicants to show proof that they were not pregnant after a lengthy dispute with the unions and the Council of Labor Affairs.

The average starting salary for female workers in Taiwan is about 18 percent lower than the average for their male counterparts, according to the results of a survey released yesterday.

Starting 12:00 p.m. today, two more lanes will be open to vehicles driving on the section between the Dazhu Interchange and the Dayuan Interchange of the No.2 national expressway leading to Taoyuan International Airport.

Taiwan's High Court yesterday ruled to detain convicted ex-President Chen Shui-bian for another two months after his detention order expires late this month, shattering Chen's dream of spending the upcoming New Year holiday with his family members.

The chief of the Pacific Construction Group (PCG) — the original owner of Pacific Sogo Department Store, yesterday called for court intervention by appointing a temporary management of the retail chain before the ownership dispute is settled.

Passengers taking the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit's (MRT) Wenshan-Neihu Line, or Wen-Hu Line, during rush hour were met by a 30-minute delay yesterday, said local media.

Taiwan is promoting a nationwide water conservation campaign that sets the goal of reducing the average amount of water consumed per person per day from the present 274 liters to 250 liters.

A Taiwanese research had further identified the reason why tobacco causes lung cancer and other smoking-related diseases and was made the cover story of the February issue of the world is leading biomedical journal, The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Taipei police started traffic control measures yesterday at areas around major markets to help speed up the massive flow of people who flock to the merchandise centers to shop for the long Chinese Lunar New Year holidays that begin on Saturday.

Construction and Planning Agency (CPA) announced it will hold a series of events in the nation's eight National Parks to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Republic of China and to promote the beauty of Taiwan's natural scenery.