Taipei  - A Taiwanese man who killed a landlord and seriously injured the victim's wife and son claimed his deed was a copycat of the random killing plot of a Japanese comic book, police said Tuesday.

Huang Fu-kang, 35, was arrested Monday night by police at a hospital in Taipei for allegedly killing a man he randomly picked from a local apartment rental website, police said.

Taipei - Taiwan on Monday vowed to revive baseball following humiliating defeats by South Korea and China in the first round of the second World Baseball Classic.

Premier Liu Chao-shiuan has called for a report from Sports Minister Tai Hsiang-ling on Taiwan's 9-0 defeat to South Korea Friday and the 4-1 loss to China Saturday.

As a result of the defeats Taiwan failed to advance to the second round of the 16-nation tournament.

Taipei - Taiwan's top bookstore chain, Eslite Bookstore, said Monday it was considering expansion of its operation by opening branches in Hong Kong and China.

"We will in the next year or two actively evaluate the markets in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing to prepare for our expansion in the Greater China area," said Wu Ching-yu, chairman of the Eslite group, in a news conference in Taipei.

He said the group's expansion in the region, especially China, is a must if Eslite is to connect to the world.

Taipei - Taiwan's year-on-year exports dropped 28.6 per cent in February as demand declined amid global downturn, the Finance Ministry said Monday.

The amount of exports slipped to 12.59 billion US dollars in February, down 5.03 billion US dollars, or 28.6 per cent, from a year earlier, registering a decline for the sixth straight month, the ministry said in a statement.

Taipei  - Taiwan on Monday launched the new Taipei Port, hoping to develop it into an Asia-Pacific transshipment hub and a main shipping link between Taiwan and China.

President Ma Ying-jeou presided over the launch ceremony, which sits at the mouth of the Tamsui River facing the Taiwan Strait.

"The launch of the Taipei Port is vital for Taiwan's becoming a transshipment hub ... and that is why I, shortly after my inauguration [on May 20, 2008], approved opening air, sea and tourism links with China," he said.

Taipei  - Taiwan's Consumer Foundation recently warned consumers to avoid using disposable eating utensils because they may contain high levels of lead.

Coloured eating utensils, especially the yellow, orange and green ones, are particularly hazardous because of their high lead content.

The foundation issued the warning after checking the health hazard posed by 41 kinds of disposable eating utensils sold by shopping malls or used at fast-food outlets.

The samples included disposable bowls, spoons, drinking straws and utensils for stirring coffee. Of these, up to 14 per cent contained a high level of lead which was almost at Taiwan's permissible level of 100 parts per million (ppm).