Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (ANZ) has maintained its forecast that Taiwan's economic growth will reach 3.6 percent in 2013 despite the country's lackluster first quarter and successive declines in export orders.

Council of Labor Affairs Minister Pan Shih-wei (潘世偉) warned yesterday of a likely increase in the maximum monthly income used to calculate a worker's pension premium fees, currently set at NT$43,900.

Taipei Zoo yesterday announced that so far this year it has successfully nurtured 11 Taiwan Blue Pheasants (藍腹鷴), also known as the Swinhoe's Pheasant, a threatened bird species endemic to the mountains of Taiwan.

Taoyuan County's Public Health Bureau fined I-Mei Foods yesterday for using expired ingredients in one of their products and said it has referred the case to the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office for further investigation.

Health Minister Chiu Wen-ta on Tuesday urged the United States to help Taiwan obtain observer status in the Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO) of the World Health Organization (WHO) to widen Taiwan's participation in the United Nations agency.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday announced the results of a recent probe into alleged nominal party members and applications from underworld figures, according to Investigation Group member Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康).

Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) chief Chang Chia-chu (張家祝) yesterday denied a report that the ministry has hidden research showing that antrodia camphorate (牛樟芝) could contain poison that might harm humans.

The Taichung Prosecutors Office yesterday raided 150 locations and apprehended over 100 suspected drug dealers, 30 of them juvenile students and dropouts, in a massive crackdown on school drug dealers.

An extension to the maximum service period for military personnel is not being planned merely to benefit the chief of general staff, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday.

Finance Minister Chang Sheng-ford (張盛和) and several Kuomintang legislators said yesterday that the amended stock gains tax should be passed as soon as possible so that the stock market can return to a healthy state and reflect the fundamentals of the economy.