HTC Corp. yesterday declined to comment on rumors it is contemplating scrapping plans to release 5-inch smartphones operating on Windows Phone 8 (WP8).

Six Belgian priests and nuns who have devoted themselves for decades to helping Taiwanese people were awarded by the Taipei city government yesterday, in recognition of their selfless contributions.

Taiwan is expected to welcome its 7-millionth foreign visitor today, the first time the country's visitor arrivals will have reached the milestone, the Tourism Bureau said yesterday.

A Taiwanese student's decision to run for a position at a United Nations conference under the name “Taiwan, Province of China” is regretful, Foreign Minister David Lin said yesterday.

The Republic of China government signed an agreement Wednesday to provide US$2.5 million over five years for a regional disaster assistance and reconstruction program in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Taiwan and Indonesia signed an agreement yesterday under which nearly 100 Indonesian teachers will receive training in Taiwan in the near future, according to the Taipei Economic and Trade Office in Jakarta.

The government is making efforts to ensure Taiwan rejoins the international trade system and avoid potential isolation from global economic organizations, Premier Sean Chen said yesterday.

Scholars from Taiwan, Turkey, the United States and Japan meet in Taipei this weekend for a conference on the Hizmet Movement, a faith-inspired social movement that calls for tolerance.

Taiwan is expected to sign a working holiday program with a European country by the end of the year at the earliest, a senior Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.

Family members of Taiwanese nationals killed by compatriots overseas would be entitled to file for government compensation under an amendment to the Crime Victim Protection Act (犯罪被害人保護法) passed yesterday by the Executive Yuan.