Taipei/Beijing - For the first time in five decades, China and Taiwan started regular direct flights on Friday, signalling a new direction in relations between the long-time rivals. 

Taipei - Taiwan and China are set to launch weekend charter flights Friday to ease tension and promote people-to-people contacts. 

Taipei - A romantic young man from Taiwan nearly burnt

Taipei - Taiwan, in its latest move to ease tensions with China, on Thursday removed the ban on local officials' visiting the mainland.

The ban was removed in line with the pro-China policy of the new president, Ma Ying-jeou, who is calling for more exchanges with China to seek cross-strait peace.

From now on, city mayors and county magistrates can visit China for city- and county-related exchanges, if they submit applications one week before the trip.

Currently city mayors and magistrates can only go to China to attend international conferences, and must submit application for the trip to the National Immigration Agency three weeks in advance.

Also on Thursday, Taiwan eased its ban on Taiwan funds investing in Hong Kong/Macau and Chinese stock markets.

Taipei - Two Taiwan sisters separated since childhood 40 years ago were recently reunited, virtually by a cup of coffee, a newspaper reported on Thursday. 

Taipei - The Taiwan Power Co (Taipower), after promising to plant 1 million trees, has won permission from the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to expand one of its power plants, a ne