A detained Taiwanese fishing boat and its captain were released by Japanese authorities yesterday after trespassing into Japanese waters off Ishigaki Island, Taiwan's Fisheries Agency said yesterday.

Many flat panel module makers which specifically target North American markets are apparently pulling in orders as mobile phone panel supply remains tight this month, while the prices of flat panels for most other applications are expected to be stable in May.

Chang Pen-tsao (張平沼), chairman of the Chinese National Federation of Industries (CNFI, 工業總會) and former president of Taiwan International Securities Co. (TISC, 金鼎證券), was yesterday indicted for fraud and violating the Securities and Exchange Act.

Everest Textile Co. (宏遠興業) yesterday announced that C4, a carboxylic acid-based water resistance additive created through collaboration with the U.S.-based 3M, will be adopted into its own Taiwan-based clothing line.

MediaTek Inc. (聯發科技), Taiwan's largest handset chip designer, is expected to post stronger revenue growth in the third quarter thanks to lower-priced chips and improving production capacity, a Hong Kong-based brokerage said Monday.

The output of Taiwan's specialty chemicals sector will grow marginally in 2013 despite global economic uncertainties, a government report said Tuesday.

Shares in Taiwan closed little changed Tuesday as investors pocketed the gains they had built up earlier in the session amid fears over a possible pullback ahead of 8,400 points, dealers said.

Taiwan's central bank will likely leave interest rates unchanged at its next quarterly policymaking meeting in June despite weak global demand for Taiwan-made goods, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (ANZ) said Monday.

In addition to the support shown by the main opposition party for President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) also asked DPP party members to withdraw their signatures from the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) petition aiming to impeach Ma.

The share prices for two of Taiwan's leading blue chip companies are approaching the symbolically significant NT$1,000 mark, with both closing at well above NT$950 at the conclusion of yesterday's session.