The annual Ho Hai Yan Rock Festival kicks off on July 10 along the northeast coast's Gongliao District, featuring such famous local bands as May Day (五月天) and Soda Green (蘇打綠), as well as over 50 other independent bands over the festival's five days, the New Taipei City Government said yesterday.

The Legislative Yuan passed the Wetland Conservation Act yesterday that establishes a conservation management system for Taiwan's wetlands divided into three management levels — international, national and regional.

Taiwan has a higher-than-global-average rate of viewing YouTube videos on mobile devices, because of the high penetration of smartphones and tablets in the region, Google Inc.'s Taiwan branch said on yesterday.

Taiwan said yesterday that it will press on with negotiations with Manila on fishing issues to protect Taiwanese fishermen still vulnerable to arrest in waters claimed by both Taipei and Manila.

The plight of Filipinos in Taiwan has been carefully scrutinized during an ongoing diplomatic spat over the past month between Taipei and Manila.

Prices of NAND flash, a type of memory chip used in storage products, such as memory cards and USBs, are expected to continue rising in the second half of June and beyond in view of the increasing popularity of mobile communications devices, a research report said on yesterday.

The construction of a stone house kindergarten classroom adorned with indigenous tribal elements was completed yesterday, with the purpose of instilling Paiwanese tribal culture in the minds of youth and preserving it for posterity.

Justice Minister Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) said in the United States on Monday that Taiwan and the United States have cooperated closely on legal issues since signing a mutual legal assistance agreement in 2002.

Taiwan's representative to the United States said Monday that the U.S.'s stance toward Taiwan remains unchanged following President Barack Obama's meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping (習近平) earlier this month.

Sony recently held a grand opening for a new retail store in Taipei's Ximending shopping district, inviting local celebrities Nick Chou (周湯豪) and Hannah Quinlivan (昆凌) to help promote the event.