EZ News

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 49-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 14,584 on turnover of $3.2-billion N-T. The Tai-Ex followed other regional markets and ended marginally (少量地) lower on Thursday. Market watchers say investors were spooked by a decline in Wall Street overnight amid concerns the U-S Federal Reserve might not ease up on its aggressive interest rate hike cycle aimed at curbing inflation. MOFA to Add Three More Countries to Scholarship Program for European Students The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it's adding three more European countries to the current Taiwan-Europe Connectivity Scholarship program for the 2023 school year. According to the ministry's Department of European Affairs, the addition of three more countries is due to the quota for the scholarship program having not been completely filled over the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. Department head Vincent Yao says the foreign ministry will be opening up 700 available slots to students from 29 European countries next year, by adding Iceland, Croatia, and Norway to the countries whose students are eligible (有資格的) for the program. Most opportunities for the scholarship program will go to students from the U-K, France, and Germany. However, slots are also being reserved for students from the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Lithuania. **SKorea: NKorea Fired Ballistic Missiles ** South Korea says North Korea has fired a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters. The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says the launch was made today, but gave no further details. The launch came a day after North Korea resumed its ballistic weapons tests and threatened fiercer (更激烈的) moves. **Subject: E*US Pelosi to Step Down as House Speaker ** U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced she will step down as Democratic leader, but stay on to represent her San Francisco district in Congress. She made the announcement as the Republican party took enough seats to gain control of the House after the midterm elections. Caroline Malone reports from Washington. **Bill Gates Announces Funding for Africa ** Bill Gates, on a visit to Kenya, has announced his foundation will spend $7 billion to improve health, gender equality and farming in Africa. The new pledge will be spent over the next four years and is in addition to existing Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funding to strengthen health systems across the continent. Gates said in a statement that Africa’s young people have the talent and opportunity to accelerate (加速) progress and help solve the world’s most pressing problems. The new funding comes as countries in East Africa and the Horn of Africa face the worst drought in decades. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 47-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 14,489 on turnover of 3-billion N-T. The market closed little changed on Wednesday, after coming off major gains the previous session, as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing continued to lend major support to the local broader market throughout the session. Although the recent rebound on the broader market was capped during the trading day, investor sentiment has still improved amid eased concerns over the U-S Federal Reserve rate hike cycle in the wake of moderating inflation data. **Cabinet to Discuss Raise in Tax Breaks for Local Chipmakers ** The Cabinet will discuss a proposal later today to raise the income tax break for eligible (有資格的) local tech companies to 25-per cent in order to better benefit large semiconductor manufacturers. The proposal has been drafted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. It seeks to add article 10-2 to the Statute for Industrial Innovation stipulating the proposed increase tax break, in addition to a 5-per cent income tax relief for the tech companies whose equipment investment reaches a predetermined level. Sources are being cited as saying the proposed amendment is aimed at encouraging leading semiconductor companies to step up their research and development into advanced manufacturing processes. **Civic Groups Call for Support for Lowering Voting and Candidacy Age ** And, A coalition of civic groups is calling for voters to support the referendum being held in tandem with (與、同時) the local elections to lower both the voting age and the age of candidacy to 18. The referendum needs at least 9.65-million voters to cast their ballots in favor of the referendum to pass and that figure represents 50-percent of the total number of eligible voters nationwide. And the call comes as recent reports have been saying support for the referendum currently stands at less than the 50-per cent threshold needed for it to pass. **US Republicans Take House by Slim Margin ** From the US….. Republicans have won a slim (非常小的) majority in the U.S. House. AP correspondent Lisa Dwyer reports. **Japan Marks Trade Deficit ** Japan marked a trade deficit for the 15th month in a row in October as both imports and exports reached record highs. It comes as the costs of energy and food soar and the yen stumbles (失足、受挫). The deficit at $15 billion, is the highest for the month of October, since comparable data started being compiled in 1979. The data released today showed the huge deficit came despite solid growth in exports, which rose 25.3% last month. The Finance Ministry says vehicles, medical products and electrical machinery boosted exports. **Brazil President-elect Promises to Fight Deforestation ** Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is promising to combat deforestation when he assumes office on Jan. 1. Da Silva, who defeated President Jair Bolsonaro in last month's presidential election, is participating at the U.N. climate summit in Egypt known as COP27. In two public appearances on Wednesday, da Silva said his administration would make combating deforestation a priority (優先、主要的). He also said he would suggest to U.N. officials that the climate summit in 2025 be held in the Amazon. Bolsonaro pushed economic development in the Amazon. Da Silva has several meetings planned with ministers from various countries over the next days. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 91-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 14,637 on turnover of 6.2-billion N-T. The market moved sharply higher on Tuesday as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing saw its share price soared (驟升) by 7.8-percent on news that Berkshire Hathaway had taken a stake in the company. The electronics sector drove the broader market higher, as old economy and financial stocks seemed marginalized after a recent rebound. **Magnitude 4.5 Earthquake Rattles Southeast ** There have been no immediate reports of damage or injuries following this morning's magnitude 4.5 earthquake that rattled (搖晃) the southeast. That quake struck at 9:09 and was centered some 34-kilometers north of Taitung County Hall, at a depth of 14-kilometers. The quake was felt strongest in Taitung's Chishang, Luye, Donghe and Beinan townships, as well in parts of northestern Kaohsiung - where it measured 3 on the Central Weather Bureau's intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in parts of Hualien County. **Nauru's Visiting President Touts Cooperation on Economic Recovery ** Nauru's visiting Nauru President Russ Kun says his country is looking forward to building cooperation with Taiwan in the area of economic development, as it seeks to recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Kun made the statement shortly after President Tsai Ing-wen welcomed him and his delegation with military honors at the Presidential Office. Speaking during a meeting with Tsai, Kun said Nauru is keen to develop its transportation and shipping services, which would be "a conduit (管道) to successful trade and honest economic benefits." Kun and a 20-member delegation arrived in Taiwan on Monday for a six-day state visit. The delegation includes includes the country's justice minister, foreign minister, and deputy interior minister. **US Biden Calls Emergency Meeting of G7 and NATO Leaders ** US President Joe Biden called an “emergency” meeting of G7 and NATO leaders in Indonesia this morning for consultations after an allegedly “Russian-made” missile killed two people in the eastern part of Poland, near the Ukraine border. Biden, who was awakened overnight by staff with the news of the missile explosion, called Polish President Andrzej Duda early today, promising “full U.S support for and assistance with Poland’s investigation,” and “reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to NATO.” A statement from the Polish Foreign Ministry identified the missile as being made in Russia. But Duda was more cautious about its origin, saying that officials did not know for sure who fired it or where it was made. He said it was “most probably” Russian-made, but that is being still verified. If confirmed, it would be the first time since the invasion of Ukraine that a Russian weapon came down on a NATO country. The foundation of the NATO alliance is the principle that an attack against one member is an attack on them all. **US Judge Orders Halt to Asylum Restrictions ** From the US….. A judge has ordered a halt to Trump-era asylum restrictions at border. Lisa Dwyer has the details….. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 150-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 14,325 on turnover of 6.2-billion N-T. The market extended momentum from its previous session on Monday to close above the 14,100-point mark, as investor interest got a boost on the back of reduced concerns over the U-S Fed's rate hike cycle in the wake of moderating inflation for October. The local bellwether electronics led the rise, after Wall Street moved higher last Friday, while buying also rotated to large-cap old economy stocks to lend strong support to the broader market during the trading day. **Government to Raise Weekly Arrivals Cap to 200,000 from December ** The Central Epidemic Command Center says the government will raise the weekly cap on arriving visitors from abroad from the current 150,000 to 200,000 from December 1. The move comes as the number of domestic coronavirus cases has been registering a decline for five consecutive weeks. According to center head Victor Wang, his office opted to expand the weekly capacity of inbound (入境) travelers in anticipation of increasing demand, driven by the gradual easing of border restrictions both here in Taiwan and many other countries. Wang says the government also expects to see an increased need for travel with the approach of the Christmas and year-end holiday season as well as the Lunar New Year. **Ceremony Held in Ukraine to Honor Killed Taiwanese Soldier ** The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says a farewell ceremony in honor of a Taiwanese man killed earlier this month fighting for Ukraine has been held at a church in the city of Lviv. Tseng Sheng-guang flew to Ukraine in June to join the International Legion of Ukraine's territorial defense forces and was confirmed to have been killed in fighting near Luhansk on November 2. The ministry says hundreds of people turned out at the ceremony, which took place at the Garrison Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. The attendees included Tseng's mother, wife and sister, who are being accompanied by foreign ministry personnel while in the Ukraine. **Israel Condemns US Probe into Journalist Killing ** Israel's Defense Minister says the United States government has started an investigation into the fatal shooting of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Israel is condemning the probe as a “grave (嚴重的) mistake” and vowing not to cooperate. Defense Minister Benny Gantz made the statement on Twitter Monday, saying Israel has made it clear to the U.S. “that we won’t cooperate with any external investigation.” Palestinian officials, Abu Akleh’s family and Al Jazeera accuse Israel of intentionally targeting and killing the 51-year-old journalist, a claim Israel denies. **Bezos Promises to Give Away Most of Wealth ** Jeff Bezos, founder of online retail giant Amazon says he plans to give away most of his $124 billion fortune during his lifetime. He's been criticised in the past for not promising to donate his wealth (財富) to charitable causes. Our US correspondent Kate Fisher reports That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 73-points this morning from Friday's close, at 14,080 on turnover of 5.1-billion N-T. The market gained over 500-points on Friday, to close the session above the 14,000-point mark, as global indices rebounded after inflation in America eased more than had been expected. Market capitalization on the Tai-Ex surged almost 7.5-per cent over the past week to top 43-trillion N-T driven by strong buying, amid a decline in investor concerns that the U-S Fed will continue its aggressive (積極的) interest rate hikes. The weighted index gained 980.85 points, or 7.53-per cent, last week. **DPP Lawmaker Calls for Support of Voting Age Referendum ** D-P-P lawmaker Hong Shen-han is calling for voters to support the up-coming national referendum to lower the voting age to 18. Hong is describing the referendum as "a matter of equity (公平) and keeping up with the times." The referendum on whether to ratify a Constitutional amendment to drop the voting age from 20 to 18 will be held alongside the local government elections on November 26. The main political parties have all voiced their support for the proposal. However, several civic groups have been warning there is a chance that it could fail, as it requires around 9.65-million votes in its favor to pass. **Ghost Hawks Approach Carmelo Anthony ** And, Tainan T-S-G Ghost Hawks head coach Liu Meng-zhu says the team has approached N-B-A free agent Carmelo Anthony to play in the T-1 League. According to Liu, the team has opened talks with representatives of the former L-A Laker's power forward. The Ghost Hawks head coach says Taiwan Steel Group Chairman Hsieh Yu-min has been enthusiastically trying to make a deal happen for the sake of the team and the future of Taiwanese basketball in the international market. Anthony is a 10-time N-B-A all-star and is a free agent (自由球員) after being released by the Lakers at the end of the 2021-2022 season. U-S North Korea, and Japan The U.S., Japan and South Korea have vowed a unified response to North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile program. This arose after a meeting on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Cambodia. Karen Chammas reports. **Twitter-Musk ** Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk is further gutting the teams that battle misinformation on the social media platform as outsourced moderators learned over the weekend they were out of a job. Twitter and other big social media firms have relied heavily on contractors to track hate and other harmful content. But many of those content watchdogs have now headed out the door, first when Twitter fired much of its full-time workforce by email on Nov. 4 and now as it moves to eliminate an untold number of contract jobs. Twitter hasn't said how many contract workers it cut. The company gutted (損毀內部裝置) its communications department and hasn't responded to media requests for information since Musk took over. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 375-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,879 on turnover of $10.1-billion N-T. The market lost ground on Thursday after moved sharply higher the session earlier, as investors opted to step back following a decline on Wall Street overnight in the wake of America's indecisive mid-term elections. The bellwether electronics sector led the downturn throughout the session amid lingering concerns over the U-S Federal Reserve's hawkish rate hike cycle and ahead of the release of America's October inflation data. **Nauru's Newly Elected President to Visit Taiwan Next Week ** The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Nauru's newly elcted President Russ Joseph Kun will visit Taiwan next week. Kun will be heading a 20-member delegation of cabinet ministers and other officials for a six-day state visit. The delegation includes the country's justice minister, foreign minister, and deputy interior minister. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou says Kun and other members of his delegation will be holding talks with President Tsai Ing-wen, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and other senior government officials. According to Ou, the talks will focus on bilateral cooperation projects and topics of mutual interest. It will be Kun's first visit to Taiwan since assuming (就任) the presidency in late September. **Kuai Kuai Launches Grouper-Flavored Ricepuffs ** Local snackmaker Kuai Kuai has teamed up with the Pingtung County government to release a new grouper-flavored version of its popular ricepuffs. The move is the latest effort to boost domestic sales of the fish after China banned imports in June. China announced the suspension of grouper imports from Taiwan in June, citing prohibited chemicals and excessive (過多的) levels of a banned antibiotic in imports of the fish since last December. The Pingtung County government is praising the snackmaker for "breaking with tradition" to "bring grouper to the masses" and also lauding its support for the island's aquaculture industry. **UN Resolution Accuses Taliban of Violating Human Rights ** The U.N. General Assembly has adopted a resolution accusing the Taliban of violating the human rights of Afghan women and girls. It also says the Taliban have failed to establish a representative government and plunged the country into “dire (急迫的、悲慘的) economic, humanitarian and social conditions.” The resolution also points to persistent violence in the country since the Taliban takeover 15 months ago and the presence of terrorist groups such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State. Germany facilitated the resolution and had hoped the 193-member assembly would approve it by consensus. But a vote was requested and it was adopted 116-0, with 10 countries abstaining — Russia, China, Belarus, Burundi, North Korea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Nicaragua, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. **Twitter Sees Rise in Racial Slurs Since Musk Takeover ** A report finds that Tweets with racial slurs (種族污辱) have soared since Elon Musk took over Twitter. AP correspondent Norman Hall reports. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 82-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,556 on turnover of 3.8-billion N-T. The market moved sharply higher on Wednesday as strong investor interest pushed up Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by more than 4.5-per cent amid liquidity-driven buying. The semiconductor sector also got a boost from solid gains enjoyed by their counterparts on Wall Street overnight as concerns ease over the possibility of more aggressive rate hikes by the U-S Federal Reserve. **Biden to Discuss Cross-Strait Stability at US-ASEAN Summit ** A senior White House official says U-S President Joe Biden will emphasize (強調) the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait at a meeting with leaders of ASEAN countries this weekend. Biden will be traveling to Phnom Penh for the annual US-ASEAN summit and the East Asia Summit this weekend, before continuing on to Bali, Indonesia for the G20 leaders' summit next week. According to the U-S official, Biden will highlight Washington's "enduring commitment to the rules-based international order, including in the South China Sea," and talk about the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait at both summits. **Amnesty International Slams Plans to Fine Coronavirus-Positive Voters ** Amnesty International's Taiwan office is slamming plans to fine coronavirus patients who break their mandatory quarantine to vote in the upcoming local government elections. According to office secretary-general Qiu Yi-ling, prohibiting coronavirus-positive voters from casting ballots is a violation of legally protected political rights. The statement comes after the Central Epidemic Command Center said patients who break quarantine to vote will face a fine of up to 2-million N-T. However, Amnesty International Taiwan says current laws cannot justify the government decision's to prohibit an estimated 300,000 people from exercising (應用) their voting rights. **US Biden on Midterm Results ** US President Joe Biden says US Democrats are breathing a "sigh of relief" after not suffering massive losses in America's mid-term elections. But the race for the House of Representatives and the Senate remain evenly poised (平衡的), despite the Republicans failure to mobilize the tidal wave of voter support they were promising. From Washington, Simon Marks reports. **Cuba US Meeting on Consular Services ** Cuban and US State Department officials have met in Havana to discuss the expansion of consular and visa services on the island. Cuba issued a brief statement confirming the meeting took place Wednesday. The U.S. Embassy closed in 2017 following a series of health incidents. While a full reopening has yet to be announced, U.S. officials have said visa processing would resume (恢復) in January. A State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that Washington's delegation also discussed concerns about human rights in Cuba. The official said the US "urged the Cuban government to unconditionally release all political prisoners.” That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 62-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,410 on turnover of 2.8-billion N-T. The market gained ground on Tuesday for a second consecutive session, as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing continued its momentum in the wake of a further upturn by semiconductor stocks on Wall Street overnight. Buying was also seen among old economy stocks, in particular in the transportation sector, but many investors still opted to stay on the sidelines ahead of the release of U-S inflation data for October later this week. **Chung Shan Hospital Executives Indicted in Fake Chinese Checkups Case ** The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office has indicted former and current executives of the Chung Shan Hospital for allegedly facilitating fake high-end health checkups used by Chinese nationals to enter Taiwan. Those indicted include former hospital presidents Lee Wei-cheng and Hsieh Shi-ming, as well as current hospital vice president Lee Shi-ming. Three other travel agency operators have also been indicted (被起訴) for working with the hospital to forge health checkup receipts for Chinese nationals to facilitate entry applications to Taiwan between 2016 and 2020. According to the prosecutors' office, the defendants earned 17-million N-T from the fake checkups that helped 24,600 Chinese national come to Taiwan during the four-year period. **Family of Taiwanese Man Killed in Ukraine Leaves to Bring Him Home ** And, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says relatives of a Taiwanese man killed fighting in Ukraine are heading to the country to identify his body and deal with related matters. According to ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou, officials issued the family members with the necessary travel documents and helped them book a flight to Eastern Europe in order to help members of Tseng Sheng-guang's family reach Ukraine as soon as possible, Ou also says that foreign ministry personnel in Ukraine will be assisting the family complete the necessary procedures (程序) in as quicker time as possible. Tseng flew to Ukraine in June to join the International Legion of Ukraine's territorial defense forces and was confirmed to have been killed in fighting near near Luhansk on Novmber 2. **US Midterm: Exit Polls Show Inflation Top Issue ** Polls are starting to close in the US Midterm elections, with exit polls showing inflation and abortion (墮胎) are the top issues for voters. Nick Harper reports from Washington. **NASA Postpones Moon Rocket Launch ** NASA is again postponing the launch of its new moon rocket because of a storm threatening the Florida coast. Fuel leaks have kept the rocket grounded since August. Then Hurricane Ian forced the rocket back to the hangar at Kennedy Space Center. NASA was aiming to launch the test flight early next Monday. But the space agency said Tuesday said it was moving the next attempt to at least next Wednesday because of Tropical Storm Nicole, which could hit Florida's Atlantic coastline as a hurricane. The rocket will send an empty crew capsule (太空艙) around the moon and back in a flight test before astronauts climb aboard in a couple years. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Subject: E*Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 51-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,274 on turnover of 2.7-billion N-T. The market gained ground on Monday as investor sentiment got a boost from a rise on Wall Street at the end of last week on the back of reduced concerns over future interest rate hikes by the U-S Federal Reserve. The bellwether electronics sector led the upturn, while investor interest also spread to old economy and financial sector stocks to push the market over the 13,200-point mark by the close of the trading day. **St. Kitts and Nevis PM in Taiwan ** The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis is visiting this this week for talks with senior government officials. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this talks will be focuing on bilateral cooperation projects. Terrance Drew will be meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen, Premier Su Tseng-chang and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. Drew will also be visiting the Mainland Affairs Council, the Environmental Protection Administration and the National Health Insurance Administration during his four-day trip. Speaking at Taoyuan International Airport on his arriva, Drew decribed Taiwan and St. Kitts as being "friends and partners in international development" and said his visit aims to "strengthen the bonds (團結在一起) of friendship between the two allies." **CECC to Receive Shipment of Moderna Updated Coronavirus Vaccine ** The Central Epidemic Command Center says it will take delivery of a shipment of 600,000 doses of Moderna's second-generation coronavirus vaccine tomorrow. The vaccine targets the original (原本) virus and the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. According to epidemic command center head Victor Wang, new vaccine's rollout is likely to start on November 18 and the doses will be made available as a booster for people aged 12 years are older. Wang says the government has so far only ordered 600,000 doses of the new Moderna vaccine, and he's not saying whether more doses will be ordered in the future. **American Aid Worker Shot Dead in Iraq ** Two police officials say assailants shot dead an American aid worker in Baghdad. The man was shot as he drove through the capital's central Karrada district on the east bank of the Tigris River but the reason for the killing was not immediately clear. No one immediately claimed (認領) responsibility for the killing. U.S. Embassy officials when contacted by The Associated Press said they had only just heard about the shooting and had no information. Two security officials confirmed a U.S. citizen who worked for an international aid organization had been killed without giving his name. **Greece Exxon Mobil Set for Gas Prospecting Project ** Greece's prime minister says U.S. energy giant Exxon Mobil is poised to start a delayed gas prospecting project off southwestern Greece. The move comes amid tensions over offshore rights between Greece and Turkey and as Europe seeks alternative energy sources due to the war in Ukraine. The exploration project has been heavily criticized by environmental groups, which argue that the deep-sea prospecting would have unbearable (不堪忍受) consequences to endangered Mediterranean whales and dolphins. Critics also highlight the potential risk of spills, and say the project, if successful, would increase Greece use of fossil fuels amid the planet climate change crisis. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 83-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,109 on turnover of $3.5-billion N-T. **Traffic jams have eased on number 1 freeway ** Traffic jams have eased on the southbound lanes from Wu-du to Xi-zhi, in New Taipei, on number one freeway as both lanes finally opened at 3:30 AM today. Highway officials say while serious congestion still appeared at around 7 AM, the situation has since improved a great deal. The real-time freeway map online is flashing green for the section right now. The road was blocked by tens of thousands tons of fallen rocks last Tuesday and Wednesday as the embankment collapsed due to torrential rain, forcing officials to close the entire section on Thursday. But the closure caused huge traffic jams in Keelung city and the Xi-zhi District as drivers tried to get onto alternative road. Officials opened one lane of the section on Friday, but congestion persisted (續) through the weekend. Transport Minister Wang Guo-cai says it'll take 6 months to shore up the slope along the freeway, but it won't affect traffic. (JL) **Pakistan Khan Says Protest March to Resume Tuesday ** Pakistan's former prime minister says a protest march (遊行) towards the capital will resume on Tuesday, despite his being wounded by gunfire last Thursday. AP correspondent Naomi Schanen reports. **Mexico Fireworks Explosion Leaves Injured ** Officials in Mexico say a fireworks explosion at a Day of the Dead celebration injured 17 people. The accident occurred Saturday in the township of Huejutla in Mexico's Gulf coast region. The municipal government says residents of the village of Tehuetlan were celebrating the end of a regional (地區性) holiday when a pile of fireworks was set alight and exploded, showering the surrounding crowd in sparks and explosions. The township says two pregnant women and three children were among the injured. One of the girls suffered second-degree burns. **Migrant Ship Still in Italy Port ** The captain of a charity-operated migrant rescue ship has refused Italian orders to leave a Sicilian port after authorities refused to let 35 migrants disembark. Italy’s new far-right-led government is targeting foreign-flagged rescue ships. The Humanity 1 was ordered to vacate (空出、離開) the port of Catania on Sunday after disembarking 144 rescued migrants. They included women with children, more than 100 unaccompanied minors and people with medical emergencies. The German charity that operates the vessel said the captain refused “until all survivors rescued from distress at sea have been disembarked.” Another ship with 572 rescued migrants arrived at the port for the same vetting process, but two other ships carrying hundreds are still at sea. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 45-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 12,942on turnover of $2.83-billion N-T. **Taiwan to further ease border rules for China, Hong Kong, Macau residents ** The Mainland Affairs Council says Taiwan will further relax its entry restrictions on Chinese students and Hong Kong and Macau residents with effect from Nov. 7-th, as part of its gradual lifting of its COVID-19 control measures. The council says starting Nov.7-th, Chinese students will again be allowed to enter Taiwan for short-term study and exchange program. Meanwhile, people from Hong Kong and Macau will be allowed entry for work in office-based positions and for participation in religious activities. The MAC says Taiwan will also reopen its borders to tour groups of five to 40 people from Hong Kong and Macau, for visits of up to 15 days. Currently, only Chinese students in undergraduate or graduate programs in Taiwan are allowed into the country, while Hong Kong and Macau residents can obtain entry permits only to visit relatives or attend family funerals. **IEA Warns EU of Energy Shortages ** The International Energy Agency has warned that Europe could run low on gas in the next year. The agency warned that unless drastic (劇烈的) measures are taken, the continent could see shortages (短缺) as early as summer 2023. Our correspondent Alex Cadier reports from Brussels. **Australia Offers Million for Indian National Whereabouts ** Australian police have offered a 1 million Australian dollar reward for information on the whereabouts of an Indian national who is suspected of murdering a woman on a tropical beach four years ago before returning to his homeland. Police say Queensland state officers who speak Hindi and Punjabi are waiting in Cairns to be contacted (聯繫) from India via WhatsApp or online about where 38-year-old Rajwinder Singh can be found. Singh was a nurse working at Innisfail, south of Cairns, when the body of 24-year-old Toyah Cordingley was found on a beach north of Cairns in October 2018. Singh flew home to India the day after Cordingley’s body was found and police believe he remains there. **NATO Urges Turkey to Allow Finland Sweden to Join ** NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is urging Turkey to set aside its reservations over Finland and Sweden joining the military alliance. He insisted on Thursday that the two Nordic countries have fulfilled their security commitments to Ankara. Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in the months after Russia invaded Ukraine, abandoning their longstanding policies of military nonalignment. Turkey has threatened to block the process unless the Nordic neighbors meet its demands to crack down on individuals the Turkish government considers terrorists. Turkey's foreign minister says his government wants to see more concrete steps from the candidate countries. All 30 NATO member countries must ratify (批准) Finland and Sweden's accession. Only Turkey and Hungary haven't yet done so. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 115-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 12,986 on turnover of $2.93-billion N-T. **2.3 million households set to benefit from hiked tax ceiling ** The Ministry of Finance has announced that it is raising Taiwan's basic living expense tax deduction for 2022. The deduction is now $196-thousand NT. Taiwan's 2017 Taxpayer Rights Protection Act stipulates that individuals should not be taxed on the amount they need to cover basic expenses, which is set at 60 percent of the median per capita disposable income (可支配所得) from the preceding year. The MOF estimated that 2.3 million households will benefit from the tax-deductible allowance for basic living expenses, saving over $1.5 billion NT, when they file an income tax return in May next year. **Leopard cat Lulu confirmed as having given birth to 2 new cubs ** Researchers have confirmed that a young adult leopard cat named Lulu has given birth to two new cubs after recent images showed them in Nantou County. The Endemic Species Research Institute says images of the leopard cat family were taken on October 12th by motion-activated cameras installed by the institute. The images showed Lulu with the two young cubs in a mountainous area of Nantou's Xinyi Township. It was the first time the three leopard cats were filmed together since Lulu was electronically tagged and released into the wild in February 2019 in Xinyi Township, one of the native leopard cats' original habitats where the institute operates a rehabilitation center. **NKorea Fires Missiles ** North Korea has fired at least three missiles including a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile, after firing more than 20 missiles yesterday. The Japanese government initially said at least one of the missiles flew over its northern territory, but later revised its assessment, saying there were no overflies (飛過. vi. 飛越上空). The government did issue evacuation alerts and temporarily halted trains as a result. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the North firing a missile it presumed as an ICBM from an area near its capital Pyongyang around 7:40 a.m. Then two short-range missiles were fired from the nearby city of Kacheon that flew toward its eastern waters. **UK Food Prices Surge ** Food prices in the UK are surging (快速上漲) at their fastest rate on record. The figures, published by the British Retail Consortium (財團), deal another blow to the public who are already facing increased energy costs. Laura Makin-Isherwood has more. **US Seeks to Oust Iran from UN Gender Equality Body ** The United States says it will seek to oust Iran from the U.N.’s premiere global body fighting for gender equality. Vice-President Kamala Harris made the announcement of the U.S. intention to work with other countries to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women on Wednesday. She said Iran is “unfit” to serve on the commission and its presence “discredits the integrity (正直、廉正)” of its work. The US accused Iran of systematic violation of the rights of women and girls, pointing out as proof its ongoing brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrators who took to the streets in September after the death of a 22-year-old woman taken into custody by the morality police. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 4-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,033 on turnover of $2.1-billion N-T. **Chinese panda experts arrive to examine Taipei Zoo's Tuan Tuan ** Two panda experts from China have arrived at Taipei Zoo to examine the health of an 18-year-old male giant panda, Tuan Tuan, diagnosed with a brain lesion in September. The Taipei Zoo says the Chinese veterinarians from the Wolong National Nature Reserve in China's Sichuan Province went directly to examine Tuan Tuan after arriving at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Tuesday evening. The Zoo says the experts will explain the results of their examination of Tuan Tuan at a 2 p.m. press conference today. The zoo said a recent MRI scan showed that a lesion on Tuan Tuan's brain had grown and was also exerting (施加) pressure on other parts of the panda's brain. **Award-winning actress Ma Chi-chin dies at 80 ** Veteran screen performer Ma Chi-chin has died at the age of 80. Those close to her say she passed peacefully and her family was with her. Ma had a storied (歷史上有名的) career following her on-screen debut in 1959, winning Best Leading Actress at the 20th Golden Bell Award in 1985 for her performance in "Last Night Stars." Semi-retired in recent years, Ma's last film appearance was in 2006's "Silk," where she played the mother of "Dune" star Chang Chen. More recently, the veteran actress made a cameo in the TV series "The Love Song" in 2016. **NKorea Fires Missiles ** North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea, prompting South Korea to issue an air raid alert on its eastern island. The launches came hours after North Korea issued a veiled (不明言的) threat to use nuclear weapons to get the U.S. and South Korea to “pay the most horrible price in history”. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said one of the missiles landed in the international waters 26 kilometers south of the Koreas’ eastern sea border and 167 kilometers northwest of South Korea’s Ulleung island. It said it has issued the air raid alert on the Ulleung island. **Brazil Bolsonaro Speaks After Election Defeat ** Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro has finally addressed the country nearly two days after losing a presidential runoff race to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro didn't say that he would contest (爭辯) the election but also didn't acknowledge he was defeated. William Denselow reports from Rio de Janeiro. **Canada Plans to Increase Immigrant Numbers ** Canada has unveiled plans for a big increase in the number of immigrants entering the country, as it seeks to address a critical labor shortage. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser revealed the new plan which puts a heavy emphasis on admitting more permanent residents with needed work skills and experience. The new plan envisions (想象、預想.) a flood of new arrivals that will see 465-thousand people come in from outside the country in 2023. And that will rise to 500-thousand in 2025. By comparison, the immigration department says 405,000 permanent residents were admitted last year. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 17-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 12,933 on turnover of 2.4-billion N-T. **12 Crew Members Missing from Panama-flagged Freighter ** A Panama-flagged cement freighter has sunk off the coast of Changhua, and 12 crew members are reported missing. The freighter experienced engine failure east of the Changhua Offshore Wind Farm in the afternoon yesterday. Its 17 Indonesian crew members abandoned the ship before it sank later that evening. No oil leak was reported. The Maritime and Port Bureau says five crewmen have been located, while the Coast Guard has dispatched (派出) ships to search and rescue the remaining 12 missing people. **Taiwan's fertility rate to fall to world's lowest by 2035: NDC ** The National Development Council is forecasting that Taiwan is set to replace South Korea as the country with the world's lowest fertility rate in the next decade. The NDC predicts that the average number of children women have during their childbearing (生育) years could fall to a historic low of 0.8 in 2022, and reach 1.12 by 2035. That's lower than the 1.18 forecast in South Korea. In addition, the NDC indicates although the share of the population in Taiwan aged 15 to 64 is still at its peak, it is set to decline rapidly. As the median age of the population rises, the low birth rate will cause a decline in the ratio of the working-age population, leading to a shortage of workers, while increasing the burden on the younger generations who support the dependent population. **India Arrests 9 After Bridge Collapse ** Police in western India have arrested nine people as they investigate the collapse of a newly repaired 143-year-old suspension bridge. The collapse Sunday evening in Gujarat state plunged hundreds of people into a river, killing at least 134. Security video showed hundreds of people clinging (緊緊抱著) to the broken structure and trying to make their way to safety. The pedestrian bridge had reopened just four days earlier after more than six months of repairs. Officials said it was overloaded with people drawn to the attraction during the Hindu festival season. **US Pelosi Husband Attacker Charged ** Federal prosecutors have charged the man accused of attacking the husband of US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi with a hammer at the couple's San Francisco home. The attack sent Paul Pelosi to the hospital with a fractured skull (顱骨骨折) although he expected to recover. Ira Spitzer reports from San Francisco. **China Module Docks at Space Station ** China’s third and final module docked with its its permanent space station. Mengtian was blasted into space on Monday from a launch center on the southern island province of Hainan aboard a Long March-5B Y4 carrier rocket. Mengtian is the second laboratory module for the space station, connecting to a core (核心) module where the crew lives and works. The module is currently populated by two male and one female astronauts. Monday's launch is uncrewed. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 74-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 12,862 on turnover of $2.5-billion N-T. Asian shares opened with some gains today, after a rally on Wall Street Friday last week, as investors await interest rate decisions from central banks, including the Federal Reserve. (NS) **Number of SMEs in Taiwan hits new high in 2021: MOEA ** The Ministry of Economic Affairs has issued a white paper reporting that the number of small- and medium-sized enterprises in Taiwan hit a new high in 2021. That's up more than 3 percent from a year earlier. According to the MOEA, the number of firms with paid-in capital of no more than $100 million NT or fewer than 200 regular employees totaled 1.5 million in 2021. SMEs also accounted for nearly 99-percent of Taiwan's total 1.6 million enterprises in 2021. Around 80 percent of SMEs were in the service sector, with 46 percent in the wholesale or retail businesses. Meanwhile, manufacturing, wholesale/retail, and construction were the top three employers among SMEs. The MOEA said the government was determined to provide assistance, including financing, technology research and development, courses for business start-ups, and export promotions to SMEs while encouraging them to attain (至少) net-zero emissions and digital transformation goals. **India Bridge Collapse Death Toll Rises ** Local media say at least 60 people have died and many are feared injured after a cable bridge collapsed into a river in the western Indian state of Gujarat on Sunday evening. The Gujarat state minister says 60 people have died so far and 17 people were admitted to hospitals. Local media reports said over a hundred people plunged into the Machchu river when the bridge in the state’s Morbi district collapsed. The 19th-century, colonial-era bridge had reopened four days ago after renovation (裝修). Officials said the bridge gave way because it could not handle the number of people on it. **US Biden Congratulates Brazil's LuladaSilva ** US President Joe Biden has congratulated Brazil's former left wing leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after he narrowly beat the incumbent (現任) president Jair Bolsonaro in the country's election. Jagruti Dave has more from Washington. **NMacedonia Pushes Back Migrants from Greece ** Police in North Macedonia say nearly 400 migrants have been prevented from entering illegally into the country from neighboring Greece in the past four days during a joint operation led by the European Union’s law enforcement agency. Police said in a statement that a total of 389 migrants, most of them from Syria and Afghanistan, were pushed back to Greece from Oct. 25 to Oct. 29, after having been spotted (看見、認出 ) in the border area between the countries. North Macedonia’s interior minister said during the first nine months of 2022, attempts to cross illegally from Greece increased by 7% compared to the same period last year. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 52-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 12,874, on turnover of $2.1-billion N-T. The market gained ground on Thursday, to edge closer to a return to the 13,000 point mark, as investors awaited an update on the U-S economy. **Government Plans to Review Online News Revenue Proposals ** Minister of Digital Affairs Audrey Tang says the government is set to review proposals for the distribution of revenue for news content published on digital platforms. According to Tang, her office will be meeting with representatives from local news media outlets and international digital platforms to discuss the issue in the coming weeks. The statement comes as media outlets and lawmakers have been pushing the government to introduce legislation aimed at ensuring that news media companies receive payment for content published online. Tang says the planned talks will be focusing on issues related to how much digital platforms should pay in compensation (賠償) for the revenue losses. The Ministry of Culture is currently looking into how much revenue local broadcast news outlets have lost due to their content having been published on online platforms. **Moscow Accuses Kiev of Making Bio Weapons ** Russia has accused Ukraine and the United States of operating a biological weapons program. At a United Nations Security Council meeting Washington's representative firmly (斷然、堅決的) rejected the accusations as an attempt to justify its war in Ukraine. UN members also met to discuss nuclear issues in Ukraine including allegations that Kiev is developing dirty bombs. William Denselow reports from UN headquarters in New York. **US Blinken on Haiti Crisis ** Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. and Canada will work together to “cut the insecurity knot” that has allowed gangs to create a humanitarian crisis in Haiti. But neither Blinken nor Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly committed (承諾) their country to leading a military force to the Caribbean nation. Blinken told a news conference in Ottawa during his first visit to Canada, that the issue is a "work in progress" Blinken said Canada and the U.S. agree that “more likely needs to be done” to support the Haitian national police to restore their grip on security. **IMF Announces Loan Agreement with Egypt ** The International Monetary Fund has reached a deal with the Egyptian government that paves the way for the country to access a $3 billion loan. IMF officials on Thursday announced a staff agreement between the Egyptian government and IMF leaders. The 46-month deal includes a series of agreed-upon economic policies that Egypt would implement that would, in turn, allow it to access a loan of around $3 billion. In the hours before the announcement, Egypt’s central bank announced a series of key rate increases. The Egyptian economy has been hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine, events that have disrupted (打亂了) global markets and hiked oil and food prices worldwide. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 79-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 12,808 on turnover of $2.5-billion N-T. The Tai-Ex closed in positive territory on Wednesday, as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing staged a technical rebound and other tech stocks also made gains following a rally on Wall Street overnight. Market watchers say bargain hunters also opted to pick up some financial and old economy stocks, which helped to prop up the broader market. However, investor sentiment remained cautious amid lingering concerns over a possible further aggressive rate hikes by the U-S Federal Reserve. **Kinmen Bridge to Open to Traffic Sunday ** Transport Minister Wang Kuo-tsai says the Kinmen Bridge will open to traffic this Sunday. A final inspection was carried out Monday and the Kinmen County Government was informed about its findings on Tuesday. The Freeway Bureau says the inspection covered areas such as road drainage (引流), traffic engineering, traffic control systems, and lighting. And according to the transport minister, all relevant requested improvements will be completed by tomorrow. The 4.8-kilometer Kinmen Bridge is Taiwan's first cross-sea bridge and runs west to east from Hou-Tou in Lie-Yu Township to Ci-Hu in Jin-Ning Township. **France Macron Vows Pension Reform ** French President Emmanuel Macron is vowing to implement (實施) a pension reform that would eventually raise the retirement age by three years to 65 and make younger generations work longer. In an interview, Macron said the changes will start being applied next year and the minimum retirement age to get full pension will be gradually increased from 62 now to 65 by 2031. Yet he says he is “open” to discussion with workers' union the retirement age and making potential amendments to the proposals. A proposed pension overhaul sparked nationwide strikes and protests at the end of 2019 during Macron’s first term. Macron was reelected for a second term in April. Gambia Lawmakers Call for Compensation for Child Deaths Caused by Cough Syrup Gambian lawmakers are calling for compensation (賠償) for the families of 70 children who authorities believe may have died after taking a contaminated cough syrup imported from India. The special legislative session on Wednesday comes several weeks after the World Health Organization issued an alarm about four cold and cough syrups that were sold in Gambia. Authorities began investigating back in August after a number of children died from acute kidney injuries. The WHO says the cases “have been potentially linked” to medicine made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited in India. Gambia's Select Committee on Health, said if a link is confirmed “Gambia must sue.” **US Woman Sues Over Homeless Feeding Ban ** From the US…. A woman is suing over a ban (禁止) against feeding homeless people in parks. Lisa Dwyer has that story. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

MOFA Welcomes New UK PM Rishi Sunak Taiwan Delegation Eyeing Tech Cooperation with Latvia and Lithuania Italy-Politics Brittany Griner's prison sentence Chlorox recall Pine-Sol products -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Tai-Ex Opening Vice President to Visit Palau to Boost Two-Way Travel Man Ordered to Pay Damages for Paint Attack on Denise Ho China Huawei Britain Politics Russia Ukraine Dirty Bomb Leslie Jordan -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 15-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 12,931 on turnover of $1.9-billion NT. The Tai-Ex followed other regional markets and lost ground on Thursday, after Wall Street fell, reversing course after two days of gains. **CEC Defends Voting Ban on People in Coronavirus Quarantine ** The Central Election Commission is defending its decision not to allow people with the coronavirus and their close contacts from casting ballots in next month's local elections. Speaking at a legislative hearing, commission chairman Lee Jin-yong said the bans are not unconstitutional, as restrictions on the movement of positive cases and their contacts are in accordance with the Communicable Disease Control Act. According to Lee, the Council of Grand Justices has previously ruled that such restrictions do not violate the Constitution. The statements comes as lawmakers have been debating whether the ban infringes (侵權) on voter's rights and contravenes Article 23 of the Constitution on protecting individual's rights and freedoms. **US Military Has Proof of Iranian Forces in Crimea ** The U.S. military says it has proof that Iranian forces are on the ground in Crimea, supporting the Russian military attacks against Ukrainian targets. AP correspondent Jackie Quinn reports. **Chad Protesters Clash With Security Forces ** Chadian security forces have opened fire on anti-government demonstrators in the country’s two largest cities killing at least 60 people. Authorities imposed a curfew after Thursday’s violence, which came amid protests in the central African nation against interim leader Mahamat Idriss Deby’s two-year extension of power. France, the African Union and others swiftly condemned (譴責) the security crackdown on the demonstrators. A Chadian government spokesperson says 30 people were dead in the capital. Organizers of the march, though, placed the toll higher, at 40, with many wounded by bullets as well. There was no independent corroboration of the figures given by the two sides.. Another 32 protesters were killed in Chad’s second-largest city, Moundou, according to an official in the city’s morgue. **WHO Investigating Complaints Against Syrian Office ** Staffers at the World Health Organization’s Syrian office have alleged that their boss mismanaged millions of dollars, plied government officials with gifts, and acted frivolously as COVID-19 swept the country. More than 100 confidential documents, messages and other materials obtained by The Associated Press show WHO officials told investigators that the agency’s Syria representative engaged in abusive behavior, and consistently (一貫的) misspent taxpayer funds. Some of the allegations include the representative throwing a party that cost more than $10-thousand US dollars of WHO funds, mostly to honor her own achievements, as well as hiring underqualified relatives of government officials, and meeting with Russian military officials, which would violate the W-H-O's neutrality as a UN organization. Complaints from at least a dozen personnel have triggered one of the biggest internal WHO probes in years, at times involving more than 20 investigators. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 64-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 12,913 on turnover of $4.2-billion N-T. The market lost ground to fall below the 13,000-point mark on Wednesday on the back of futures-led selling throughout the session despite a rise on Wall Street overnight. The decline came as foreign institutional investors opted to once again to dump Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing shares in the spot market in a bid to profit in futures trading. T-S-M-C's share price fell below 400 N-T, after losing 2.83-per cent to drop to 395.5 N-T during the trading day. **27 Undocumented Migrant Workers and 3 Employers Arrested in Hsinchu ** The National Immigration Agency says 27 undocumented migrant workers have been detained in Hsinchu County as they were about to leave their homes to go to work. According to the agency, they were living in rented units in small secluded (僻靜) alleys in the county's Zhubei City and Hukou Township, and they were hiring private vehicles to take them to work. Along with detaining the undocumented migrant workers, three of their employers have also been arrested. The immigration agency says the undocumented migrants were illegally employed at construction sites, and the employers are facing charges of violating the Employment Service Act. Arrangements are currently being made to deport the 27 undocumented migrant workers. **Gov and Enterprises Celebrate Sanitation Workers ** Several local governments and businesses celebrated their sanitation workers yesterday. New Taipei held a ceremony yesterday and thanked its 5-thousand sanitation staff, with New Taipei Mayor Hou You-yi personally awarding over 100 workers for excellence on the job. The Changhua County government also expressed gratitude for its cleaning crews, and held a competition for sanitation-related (與衛生有關的) designs, such as remote-controlled trash compactors, and creating fertilizer from garden waste. (NS) **Ukraine Accuses Iran of Violating UN Ban ** Ukraine is accusing Iran of violating a U.N. Security Council ban on the transfer of drones capable of flying 300 kilometers. Ukraine’s U.N. Ambassador invited U.N. experts to visit the country to inspect Iranian-origin drones being used by Russia against civilian targets. Russia and Iran denied Wednesday that the drones are Iranian. The UN reportedly held a closed council meeting yesterday, requested by Britain, France, and the United States on Iran's sale of drones to Russia. Russia is believed to have sent waves of Iranian-made Shahed drones into Ukraine to strike at power plants, residential buildings and other infrastructure (公共建設) in Kyiv and other cities. **US Trump Knowledge of Capitol Riot Claims ** From the US….. A judge says Trump knew his voter fraud claims were false. AP correspondent Lisa Dwyer reports. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 28-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,096 on turnover of 2.5-billion N-T. The market staged a technical rebound on Tuesday to close above the 13,100 point mark, as investors were encouraged by a rally on Wall Street overnight. Buying was seen almost across the board, led by contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and the bellwether electronics sector as a whole, as tech stocks on U-S markets made a significant (明顯的) bounce-back. **Premier Tests Positive for Coronavirus ** Premier Su Tseng-chang has tested positive for the coronavirus. According to the Cabinet spokesman Luo Bing-cheng, the Premier tested positive after feeling ill while at the Legislative Yuan. He is now at home and will quarantine for seven days and is only showing mild symptoms of the disease. The Cabinet spokesman says Su will be conducting (進行) any subsequent responsibilities virtually. The Presidential Office says Su last met with President Tsai Ing-wen on October 15 at the Central Epidemic Command Center - and Tsai remains in good health. **King Mswati III of Eswatini to Visit Taiwan for 18th time ** The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says King Mswati III of Eswatini will visit Taiwan later this week. It will be his 18th trip to the island, but his first since the beginnig of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the foreign ministry, King Mswati III will arrive in Taiwan tomorrow. He will be welcomed by President Tsai Ing-wen with a military salute (軍禮) before holding talks at the Presidential Building and meeting with Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. The delegation will also meet with officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The foreign ministry has not said how long the king and his delegation will stay in Taiwan. **NKorea Fires Artillery Near SKorea Sea Boundaries ** North Korea fired artillery shells near its sea boundaries with South Korea late Tuesday, a day after the South began annual military drills. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says today that North Korea fired about 100 shells off its west coast and 150 rounds off its east coast. It said the South Korean military broadcast (播放) messages several times asking North Korea to stop the firing, but there were no reports of violence between the rivals. An unidentified spokesperson for the North Korean People’s Army’s General Staff issued a statement describing the latest artillery firings as a response to South Korea’s own artillery training that it claimed took place earlier Tuesday in an eastern border region. Seoul didn’t immediately confirm it had conducted any artillery drill near the border on Tuesday. **US Biden Promises Abortion into Law if Dems Keep Congress' ** U.S. President Joe Biden is promising to put the right to an abortion into law if the Democrats keep control of Congress. It comes three weeks before Americans head to the polls in the midterm elections..which could shift (轉移) the balance of power in Washington. U.S. correspondent Gabrielle Fahmy reports. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 109-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,075 on turnover of 3.4-billion N-T. The market lost ground on Monday as investors opted to move to the sell side following heavy loses on Wall Street at the end of last week on renewed fears of a further aggressive rate hike by the U-S Federal Reserve. The bellwether electronics sector led the downturn, as government-led funds are believed to have stepped in, picking up large-cap non-tech stocks in the petrochemical and financial sectors to limit losses by the end of the session. **Cabinet Setting Out Tougher Rules Restricting Use of China Tech ** The Cabinet is reportedly working on a series of regulations aimed at tighten protocols restricting the use of China-made tech by government agencies. Reports say the equipment being targeted by the regulations includes China-made telecom hardware and software as well as digital billboards and video display systems used by state-owned and affiliated (附屬) agencies. The move is being backed by the Ministry of Digital Affairs. According to the ministry, the stepped-up restrictions will be based on amendments to current laws that already limit the use of products by government agencies that pose a threat to national information security. **CEOC Reports 414 Cases of Damage as Rain Battered Island ** The Central Emergency Operation Center says 414 cases of damage to public infrastructure and private property have been reported since Tropical Storm Nesat moved away from Taiwan on Monday. The incidents included damage to roads and infrastructure facilities. A total 243 were reported in Taipei and 126 cases reported in New Taipei cities. The center has now lowered disaster level to Level 2 as the rains are now easing (緩和). However, the Central Weather Bureau is warning that chances of extremely heavy rain or heavy rain remain high in regions north of Taoyuan and in the northeast into today. **US House panel: Trump's bills to Secret Service 'exorbitant' ** Documents released by House committee shows Donald Trump's private companies charged (收費) high rates for the Secret Service to stay at Trump properties during his presidency. The AP's Ed Donahue reports. **UN Chief Calls for End of Hostilities in Tigray ** The United Nations chief is demanding an immediate end to hostilities in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region and withdrawal of Eritrean forces fighting alongside the government. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters Monday that “violence and destruction have reached alarming levels” and “civilians are paying a horrific price.” He warned that “the situation in Ethiopia is spiraling (不斷上升) out of control" and stressed that “there is no military solution” to the nearly two-year conflict between Tigrayan forces and the federal government. Guterres called for an urgent resumption of talks between the two sides and said the U.N. will support African Union efforts. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 139-points this morning from Friday's close, at 12,988 on turnover of 2.7-billion N-T. The market closed up over 300-points on Friday, as it followed other global indexes and gained ground after Wall Street rebounded from a slump caused by higher-than-forecast inflation numbers. **Government Reaffirms Sovereignty in response to Xi Speech ** The Presidential Office is reiterating that it represents a "sovereign (統一) and democratic country." The statement comes in response to comments by Xi Jinping in a major speech at the opening of the 20th congress of the Communist Party of China. Xi said Beijing will continue to strive for peaceful "reunification" with Taiwan, but will never promise to renounce the use of force and the "one country, two systems" model remains "the best means" of achieving "reunification." The Presidential Office says President Tsai Ing-wen's national security team is closely monitoring the Party Congress and stressed that mainstream public opinion here in Taiwan has clearly rejected the "one country, two systems" idea. **CEOC Reports 268 Incidents as Rain Batter Island ** The Central Emergency Operation Center reported a total of 268 incidents, mostly concerning flooding and roadside trees, as the periphery of Tropical Storm Nesat batter (重擊) the island with heavy rains on Sunday. According to the center, 208 of those incidents were reported in the north and in Yilan. The Ministry of Transport says landslides required the closure of sections of the Northern Cross-Island Highway, the Central Cross-Island Highway and the Southern Cross-Island Highway. While the Council of Agriculture issued mud and landslide warnings for 69 areas in Taipei, New Taipei City, Yilan, Taoyuan, and Hsinchu and Hualien counties. **Salvadoran Judge Orders Arrest for Dutch Journalists Killings ** A Salvadoran judge has ordered the provisional arrest of several retired high-ranking members of the armed forces accused of having participated in the killings of four Dutch journalists in 1982. According to the Associated Press, those facing arrest orders include a former a defense minister and former director of the now-defunct treasury police. The killings took place during the height of El Salvador's civil war between the government and rebel guerrillas. The Dutch TV journalists had linked up with leftist rebels and planned to spend several days behind rebel lines reporting. But Salvadoran soldiers armed with assault rifles and machine guns ambushed (伏擊) them and the guerrillas. In March, relatives of the victims, and representatives of the Dutch government and the European Union demanded that El Salvador bring to justice those responsible for the murders. **Gates Foundation Pledges 1.2Billion to Eradicate Polio ** The Gates Foundation wants to end polio worldwide. AP correspondent Shelley Adler reports. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 213-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,024 on turnover of $3.9-billion N-T. The Tai-Ex came under heavy pressure on Thursday - to close at its lowest level in two years. Market watchers say investors opted to cut their holdings ahead of the release of September's U-S consumer price index amid lingering concerns over the Federal Reserve hawkish rate hike cycle. While investor sentiment also remained cautious about the tech sector ahead of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing's investor conference - that opened after the market closed. **TPP Lawmaker's Master's Degree Revoked ** The De-Ming University of Science and Technology has revoked a master's degree conferred on Taiwan People's Party lawmaker Tsai Bi-ru for improper citations. According to the university, the thesis violated (違反) academic ethics. Tsai received the degree from a part-time master's program at the university's Management Information System Department in 2019. The moves comes after former Taoyuan City councilor Wang Hao-yu claimed in mid-August that he had notified the university that there were improper citations in Tsai's master's thesis. The university said it received an anonymous report that Tsai's thesis was extremely similar to an article published by one other person and immediately formed a seven-member committee to conduct a review. Four review meetings were held and the committee determined there was a violation of academic ethics in Tsai's thesis and recommended Tsai's master's degree be revoked. Tsai says she respects the decision, but is accusing the committee of failing to provide sufficient explanations on how she had violated academic ethics. **US Jan 6th Committee Votes to Subpoena Trump ** The committee investigating the Jan 6th attack on the US Capitol has voted to subpoena former president Donald Trump. The committee says it has enough evidence to push for criminal charges, against multiple individuals, relating to the attempts to overturn (翻轉) the 2020 presidential election. Nick Harper reports from Washington. **UN Guterres Letter to Financial Leaders ** The United Nations chief has sent a letter to finance ministers and central bankers from the world's 20 leading economies. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in Thursday's letter that the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of the war in Ukraine and escalating climate emergencies ``are wreaking havoc on economies across the globe.'' Guterres urged financial leaders to change course and steer a global economic recovery that includes developing countries that have been hardest hit by these events, along with the rising cost of living, tightening financial conditions, and unsustainable (不可持續的) debt burdens. The letter comes ahead of next month's Group of 20 summit in the Indonesian resort of Bali. Guterres says the U.N. system and its partners have proposed a ``stimulus'', which calls for ``a massive increase in public sector commitments towards development, humanitarian and climate mitigation and adaptation by just 2% of global GDP''. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 27-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,108 on turnover of 2.5-billion N-T. The market closed slightly lower on Wednesday as government-led funds were believed to have intervened ( 介入、調解) to lend support to the local main board amid ongoing global volatility. However, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing still saw its share price fall below 400 N-T for the first time in more than two years. **MND Vows 'No More Teslas' Following Musk China Comments ** Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng says the military will not purchase any more Teslas following comments by Elon Musk last week that the island become a Chinese special administrative zone. Speaking at a legislative hearing, Chiu told lawmakers that the military currently owns seven Tesla Model 3s and 12 other electric vehicles, which were acquired from local carmaker Luxgen brand e-cars for environmental reasons. Chiu said if the decision to purchase the Teslas is causing concern, the defense ministry will not buy anymore of those cars. Deputy Chief of Staff of Logistics Major General Hsu Jin-teng has said all the Teslas used by the military had their eight cameras disabled (使無效使失去能力,) for security reasons. **WBSC Under 23 Baseball World Cup to Begin at Tianmu Stadium ** And, The opening ceremony of the W-B-S-C Under 23 Baseball World Cup takes place this evening at the Tianmu Stadium in Taipei. The ceremony begins at 5:45PM and will be followed by the opening game at 6:30 -- when Taiwan meet Colombia. Twelve teams are participating in the Under 23 Baseball World Cup - which begins with a two group round-robin stage and the top three teams from each group advance to the next round. Taiwan is in Group A with Colombia, Germany, Japan , South Africa, and defending champion Venezuela. Group B consists of Australia, Cuba, South Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands and Puerto Rico. Games will be played at the Tianmu Stadium in Taipei, the Taichung Intercontinental Stadium and at the Dou-Liou Stadium in Yunlin County. **NKorea on Missile Tests ** North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un has supervised tests of long-range cruise missiles, which he described as a successful demonstration of his military's expanding nuclear strike capabilities and readiness for ``actual war.`` The comments were carried in state media today. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said the two missiles during Wednesday's tests flew for nearly three hours above its western seas, and showed that they can hit targets 2,000 kilometers away. Kim after the tests praised (稱讚) the readiness of his nuclear combat forces, which he said were fully prepared for ``actual war to bring enemies under their control at a blow'' The tests on Wednesday extended a record number of weapons demonstrations this year by North Korea. South Korean officials say Kim may also conduct a nuclear test in the coming weeks or months. **UN Passes Resolution Condemning Russian Annexation ** Members of the United Nations General Assembly have overwhelmingly (壓倒性地) passed a resolution condemning Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian territories. The vote comes after Russia vetoed a similar resolution at the UN Security Council late last month. William Denselow reports from UN headquarters in New York. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 29-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,077 on turnover of 3-billion N-T. The Tai-Ex tumbled to its lowest close in two years on Tuesday as investors scrambled to dump large cap electronics stocks on the back of heavy losses seen in the tech sector on Wall Street overnight. Market watchers say investors were once again concerned about possible further rate hikes by the U-S Federal Reserve. While the announcement last week by the U-S Department of Commerce that it would expand restrictions (限制) on exports of I-C and related production equipment also placed downward pressure on the local tech sector. **20 Tour Groups Scheduled to Arrive in Taiwan Tomorrow ** The Tourism Bureau says 20 tour groups will be arriving in Taiwan tomorrow, the day the government lifts all coronavirus quarantine border restrictions. According to the bureau the tour groups are from Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia. They have a combined total of 244 tourists. Central Epidemic Command Center head Victor Wang says the government has no plans to reverse (撤銷) its coronavirus policies, despite concerns that the current domestic outbreak is "still at a plateau." **Taiwan Lantern Festival to Return to Taipei ** The Taiwan Lantern Festival is returning to Taipei for the first time in 23 years next year. The Tourism Bureau says it believes the festival will be one of the first major events held in the capital after mandatory quarantine regulations are lifted for arrivals and the island welcomes back tourists. According to the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism, the festival will be taking place from February 5th through 19th and is expected to be the biggest in the event's more than 30-year history. City officials say it will have four exhibition areas, one central installation (裝置物) and six other major installations as part of a 300-lantern collection covering 168 hectares. **Russia Launches New Attacks on Ukraine ** Russian forces have carpeted Ukraine with a fresh barrage of missiles and munition-carrying drones. The bombardment came a day after strikes across the country killed at least 19 people and knocked out power across the country. The U.N. human rights office says the ``particularly shocking'' attacks could amount to (相當於) war crimes. The leaders of the Group of Seven industrial powers also condemned the attacks and said they would ``stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes.'' Their pledge defied Russian warnings that Western assistance would prolong the war and the pain of Ukraine's people. Russia launched the attacks in retaliation for a weekend explosion that damaged a bridge linking Russia to the Crimean Peninsula. **Dame Angela Lansbury Obit ** Dame Angela Lansbury — star of the US TV crime series 'Murder, She Wrote' — has died at the age of 96. Jody Jacobs looks back at her career. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 308-points this morning from Friday's close, at 13,394 on turnover of 5.2-billion N-T. The market tumbled almost 190-points last Friday as investor sentiment turned cautious prior to the release of U-S September jobs data and concerns that Federal Reserve will continue to implement (實施) its rate hike cycle policy. Selling focused on large-cap tech stocks on the local main board, in particular in the semiconductor industry amid fears over an increase in fund flight caused by a stronger U-S dollar. **Tsai Urges Respect for Taiwan's Sovereignty in National Day address ** President Tsai Ing-wen says military confrontation in the Taiwan Strait is "absolutely not an option" and is calling on Beijing to respect the island's sovereignty. Speaking outside the Presidential Building as she market National Day, Tsai said Beijing should not make any misjudgment (誤判) on account of Taiwan's vigorous democratic system," nor should it attempt to "exploit (利用) the competition between our political parties." According to Tsai, such actions will not benefit cross-strait relations and will only push the two sides further apart. Tsai went on to stress that "armed confrontation is absolutely not an option for our two sides." **National Day Fireworks Display in Chiayi Attracts 250,000 ** And, Chiayi County Magistrate Weng Zhang-liang some 250,000 people saw last night's National Day fireworks display. The fireworks display was held at the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum - where some 53,000 people gathered to see the show - while some 200,000 others watched it from surrounding (周圍) areas. According to the county government, the 25,000 fireworks were set off, while attendees also got to see 360-degree water dance featuring a light sculpture projection together with a sound and light show. Six-hundred drones were also used to used to light-up what the Chiayi County's Tourism Bureau is calling the largest R-O-C flag to have ever been displayed at the event. **UN States Ｍeet on Russia Annexation of Ukraine Territories ** An emergency session is being held at the United Nations General Assembly to debate what a number of countries say is Russia's illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories. William Denselow has more from UN headquarters in New York. **Philippines Rights Activsits Call for Release of Opposition Senator ** Human rights activists have pressed their call for the immediate release of a former Philippine opposition senator after she was taken hostage in a rampage by three Muslim militants in a failed attempt to escape from a maximum-security jail. Police killed three militants linked to the Islamic State group behind Sunday's rampage in which a police officer was stabbed and former Sen. Leila de Lima briefly held hostage. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International on Monday expressed deep alarm over the jail violence in the national police headquarters. De Lima has been detained since 2017 on drug charges she says were fabricated (捏造的) by former President Rodrigo Duterte and his officials in an attempt to muzzle her criticism of his deadly crackdown on illegal drugs. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

TaiEx opening down International Student '0+7' Policy Set for October 13 Airport Travelers to See Discounted Fares on MRT Lines Fired police sergeant attacks Thai day care center, kills 36 Biden announces sweeping softening of US marijuana laws -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 64-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,865 on turnover of 2.1-billion N-T. The market extended gains from a session earlier on Wednesday, rising more than 200 points, as investors took cues from another surge on Wall Street overnight. Buying focused on top stocks in terms of market capitalization, in particular those in the bellwether electronics sector, which pushed up share prices across the board, as sentiment improved amid eased fears over aggressive U-S Federal Reserve rate hikes. **Over 50,000 New Coronavirus Cases Reported for the First Time Since June ** The Central Epidemic Command Center is reporting 54,874 new domestic coronavirus infections. That's the first time the daily number has exceeded (超過) 50,000 since late June. The daily tally has now risen week-on-week for 10 consecutive days. Epidemic command center head Victor Wang says the increase shows that the current wave of infections is peaking and could rise further. However, Wang is insisting the rise in new cases will not affect the government's plans to lift mandatory quarantine for arriving travelers from next Thursday. **Three Allies Call for Taiwan's Inclusion in ICAO ** The representatives of three of Taiwan's allies are calling for the island's participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization. Representatives from Belize, Eswatini and Tuvalu spoke up in support of Taiwan during a plenary (全體出席的) session of agency's triennial assembly, which is on-going in Montreal. Belize's representative called for Taiwan to "be given the opportunity to have meaningful participation" - arguing that "no country should be left behind." Eswatini's representative told delegates that his country believes that "all international civil aviation stakeholders that administer any political airspace should be part of such an organization." While Tuvalu's representative said his country fully supports "the full inclusion of all nations in assemblies as we need to advocate a joint community for the betterment of our world." **US Russia China Faceoff Over NKorea ** North Korea has launched another ballistic missile just days after sending one over Japan for the first time in five years. It came as members of the United Nations Security Council clashed over North Korea's recent military activity. The UN Secretary-General has called this week's missile launch reckless (魯莽) and a violation of UN resolutions. William Denselow has more from UN headquarters in New York. **Nobel Prize Chemistry Announced ** This year's Nobel Prize in chemistry has been awarded to Americans Carolyn R. Bertozzi and K. Barry Sharpless, and Danish scientist Morten Meldal for developing a way of ``snapping molecules together`` that can be used to design better medicines. They were cited for their work on click chemistry, which has been used to make cancer drugs, map DNA and create materials that are tailored (量身定制) to a specific purpose. A week of Nobel Prize announcements kicked off Monday, and will continue today with literature. The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced Friday and the economics award on Monday. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 151-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,727 on turnover of $4-billion N-T. The market made a strong comeback on Tuesday, as a rally on Wall Street overnight and expectations the U-S Federal Reserve will ease the pace of its rate hike cycle both sparked heated buying. Investors rushed to pick up large-cap tech stocks with a focus on semiconductors, which drove the local board higher throughout the session. **Indonesians Stuck on Cargo Ship in Kaohsiung to Allowed to Disembark ** The Maritime and Port Bureau says eight Indonesian crewmen on a cargo ship that has been docked in Kaohsiung Port since February will be allowed to leave the vessel once a relief crew arrives in Taiwan. According to the bureau, nine Burmese sailors will relieve (換班) the Indonesian crewmen, who have been stuck on the vessel for over seven months. The Ministry of Transport says the Burmese nationals are currently having their visas processed by Taiwan's representative office in Myanmar and are expected to arrive in Taiwan soon. However, the ministry has not given an approximate date for their arrival. The Indonesian crewmen have been on the Togo-registered "Jian Ye" since it was towed into Kaohsiung Port in February after the vessel lost power near Taiwan's territorial waters. **Passport Applications Surge ** The Bureau of Consular Affairs says the number of passport applications and renewals has soared (飆升) since the government announced that quarantine regulations for arrivals would be lifted on October 13. According to the bureau, prior to the coronavirus pandemic, it processed an average of 1.7 million passport applications per year. However, that number has fallen to 300,000 a year - with the lowest number of applications and renewals being 233,000 reported in 2021. The bureau says it processed 386,000 passport applications as of September 30 his year and there's been an average of around 3,000 applications per day. And the bureau has been seeing an average of 5,300 applications over the past week. **Estonia PM on Moscow's Nuclear Threat ** Estonia's prime minister says the West mustn't give in to Moscow's nuclear threats or premature (過早的) peace proposals but stand firmly in support of Ukraine as the invaded country fights to rid its occupied territories of Russian soldiers. Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told The Associated Press in an interview that ``very dangerous'' calls for negotiations and peace in Ukraine have come from ``very prominent people.'' She didn't specify anyone by name, but her comments followed Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeting a contentious proposal for ending the war. Kallas says Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats to defend Russian territory ``with any means at our disposal'' must be taken seriously but not lead to attempts at appeasement. **SKorea Missile Malfunctions During Drill ** South Korea says one of its missiles malfunctioned (故障) and fell during a drill. AP correspondent Norman Hall reports. **Bangladesh Power Out ** A failure in Bangladesh's power grid plunged much of the country into a blackout. The state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board said power transmission (輸電系統) had failed in the eastern part of the country, cutting electricity in Dhaka and other big cities. Officials said restoring power could take hours. Bangladesh has seen several power shortages since the government suspended operations of all diesel-run power plants to reduce costs for imports as prices have soared. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 146-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,447 on turnover of 4.-billion N-T. The market extended losses from Friday's session on Monday, losing more than 120 points as investor concerns continued over the U-S Federal Reserve's rate hike cycle. The slump also came despite the Financial Supervisory Commission announcing measures at the end of last week to tighten short-selling rules amid global market volatility (易變). **German Lawmaker Lauds Taiwan's Democratic Development ** The visiting chairman of the German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group says Taiwan should be proud of its democratic development. Klaus-Peter Willsch made the statement during a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen at the Presidential Office. The German lawmaker also lauded (讚美) Taiwan for playing a major role in the world's semiconductor industry - saying "the world's industries will face serious problems without Taiwan's semiconductors." Willsch is heading a seven-member delegaiton to Taiwan consisting of lawmakers from six different political parties on a five-day visit. The delegation will also be meeting with lawmakers and visit the Tainan Science Park for talks on trade and investment, high-tech industry, and supply-chain security. **National Day Fireworks Display to Feature 25,000 Fireworks ** Chiayi County Tourism Bureau Director-General Hsu You-ren says this year's National Day fireworks at the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum will feature 25,000 fireworks. According to Hsu, in addition to the fireworks the event will feature a 360-degree water dance featuring a light sculpture projection together with a sound and light show during the 45-minute performance. Hsu says the audience will also be entertained by drone acrobatics with musical accompaniment from Taipei Sinfonietta & Philharmonic Orchestra. Some 12,000 free parking spaces are being made available near the museum, as county government officials are expecting a large turnout (到場人數). **NKorea Launches Missile Over Japan ** North Korea has reportedly fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan. The Japanese prime minister's office said at least one missile fired from North Korea flew over Japan and was believed to have landed into the Pacific Ocean. Officials say the missile landed in waters outside the country's exclusive economic zone after a 22-minute flight. Japanese authorities issued a ``J-alert'' to residents in northeaster regions to evacuate to buildings nearby, the first such alert since 2017. Trains were temporarily suspended in Japan's Hokkaido and Aomori regions before their operations were resumed after a government notice that the North Korean missile appeared to have landed into the Pacific. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida strongly condemned the launch, calling it a "reckless (魯莽) act". South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol has called a National Security Council meeting to discuss the launch and says the North's ``reckless nuclear provocations'' would meet the stern response of the South and the broader international community. **Swedish Geneticist Wins Nobel for Physiology ** A Swedish geneticist has won the Nobel Prize for medicine. Svante Paabo pioneered (首創) the use of ancient DNA to unlock secrets about human evolution. Jody Jacobs has more from New York. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 65-points this morning from Friday's close, at 13,359 on turnover of 2.5-billion N-T. The market fell by over 100-points on Friday, as other regional indexes sank again after German inflation spiked higher, Britain's Prime Minister Liz Truss defended a tax-cut plan that rattled investors and data showed that Chinese manufacturing has weakened. **More than 141,000 Free Flu Shots Administered on First Day of Rollout ** The Centers for Disease Control says more than 141,000 people received a flu shot on Saturday, when the government launched this year's free vaccination program. That figure was a 14-per cent increase from last year. C-D-C Deputy Director-General Zhuang Ren-xiang is attributing the higher number to there being less conflict with the administration of coronavirus vaccines. People being vaccinated against the coronavirus at this time last year were advised (建議) to wait at least seven days before getting a seasonal flu shot. However, the C-D-C this year has said that flu shots can be given at the same time as other vaccines, including coronavirus vaccines, but not on the same limb. **Mercury to Drop in North this Week ** The Central Weather Bureau says a seasonal northeasterly wind system is expected to begin affecting (影響) the north from Wednesday - when daytime temperatures are expected to drop by between 7 and 8 degrees. According to the weather bureau, the mercury in northern Taiwan is forecast to range from between 25 and 26 degrees - and that'll be a marked decline from the daytime highs of 34 to 35 degrees seen over the past week. The seasonal northeasterly wind is also expected to bring brief showers to areas north of Taoyuan as well as to northeastern Taiwan, while sporadic rainfall is forecast for Hualien and Taitung from Wednesday. Those weather conditions will last into the weekend. **Haiti Sees Cholera Outbreak ** Haiti's government says at least eight people have died from cholera for the first time in three years. The cases are raising concerns about another potential catastrophic epidemic like the one that broke out a decade ago and killed nearly 10,000 people. The cases were reported in a community in southern Port-au-Prince and in a seaside slum (貧民窟) where thousands of people live in cramped, unsanitary conditions. The deaths announced Sunday come as a lack of fuel and ongoing protests shut down the availability of basic services across Haiti, including medical care and clean water, which is key to helping fight cholera and keep patients alive. **Brazil Presidential Candidates Head into Runoff Vote ** Brazil's top two presidential candidates will face each other in a runoff vote after neither got enough support to win outright. With 98.8% of the votes tallied on Sunday's election, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had 48% support. Incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro had 43.6% support. Brazil's election authority said the result made a second round vote between the two candidates a mathematical certainty (必然的事). Nine other candidates were also competing. **King Charles Not to Attend Climate Summit ** King Charles III has decided not to attend (參加) the international climate change summit in Egypt next month. AP correspondent Zerya Shakely reports. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 125-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,410 on turnover of $3.1-billion N-T. The market gained ground on Thursday following a rise on Wall Street overnight on the back moves by the Britain's central bank to forcefully to stop a budding financial crisis. **CECC Receives 4th Shipment of Second-Generation Moderna Coronavirus Vaccine ** The Central Epidemic Command Center has taken delivery of the fourth shipment of Moderna's second-generation coronavirus vaccine. Command center head Victor Wang says the 605,000 doses will be part of a new rollout plan scheduled for October 3, when it the second-generation coronavirus vaccine will be made available to more people. From next Monday, the booster vaccine will also be available to frontline medical workers, airport personnel and flight crews, everyone aged between 50 and 64, as well as those 18 and above who need to travel abroad (國外) for work or diplomatic reasons. **EPA to Ban PVC in E-Commerce Packaging Next July ** The Environmental Protection Administration says online retailers will be banned from using packaging materials containing P-V-C from July of next year. The ban comes amid a rise in environmental concerns over the surge (上升) in online shopping packaging waste. According to the E-P-A, materials containing P-V-C will be banned in packaging for e-retail businesses, and all packaging materials must contain a certain amount of recycled paper or recycled materials beginning July 1, 2023. The E-P-A says online shopping sales produced over 3,000 metric tons of plastic packaging waste and 54-thousand metric tons of paper packaging waste. All those sales and packaging emitted a total of 78-thousand metric tons of carbon dioxide. **UK PM Defends Cutting Taxes ** The UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has defended (辯護) her government's decision to cut taxes - saying Ministers took action at a difficult time. Laura Makin-Isherwood reports from London. **Nigeria Presidential Candidates Sign Peace Accord ** Presidential candidates in Nigeria have signed an accord (協議) committing to a peaceful campaign for the 2023 election. Nearly all of the 18 candidates for president signed the pact at an event in Abuja, the nation's capital, on Thursday. Similar peace accords have been struck in every general election cycle since 2015. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is due to leave office in May after completing his second term and has promised peaceful voting to elect his successor. **UK Reveals First King Charles Coins ** Meanwhile…. Britain's Royal Mint has unveiled the first coins to feature (使…成為主要的特征) the portrait of King Charles III. Britons will begin to see Charles' image in their change from around December, as 50-pence coins depicting him gradually enter circulation. The Royal Mint says the new monarch's effigy was created by British sculptor Martin Jennings and has been personally approved by Charles. In keeping with a centuries-old tradition, the king's portrait faces to the left, the opposite direction to his mother's, Queen Elizabeth II. A separate memorial 5-pound coin remembering the life and legacy of Elizabeth will be released Monday. Charles ascended to the throne Sept. 8 upon the death of his mother, Britain's longest-reigning monarch. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 84-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,550 on turnover of 3.2-billion N-T. The Tai-Ex joined other regional markets and lost ground on Wednesday, following a wobbly session on Wall Street overnight, as markets churned over the prospect of a possible recession. **US Speaks Up for Taiwan's Participation at ICAO Assembly ** The U-S Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is calling for Taiwan's inclusion (包括、加入) in the International Civil Aviation Organization on the opening day of the agency's assembly in Montreal, According to Buttigieg, the U-S believes "all of international civil aviation's most important stakeholders, particularly those who would administer critical aerospace, like Taiwan, should have the opportunity to participate meaningfully. Germany's Ministry for Digital and Transport, Stefan Schnorr, also called on the global aviation body to include all parties involved - saying it should "include those that are not members." However, he did not mention Taiwan by name. Civil Aeronautics Administration Director-General Lin Jun-liang is heading a delegation to Montreal this week, to promote Taiwan's inclusion in the International Civil Aviation Organization. **Inbound Visitors can Travel if Tour Group Members Contract Coronavirus ** The Central Epidemic Command Center says members of inbound tour groups will be allowed to continue traveling in Taiwan, even if other members of their group test positive for the coronavirus during their trip. However, they will need to take a rapid test and obtain (獲得) a negative result every two days. The statement comes as the ban on inbound and outbound tour groups as well as for mandatory quarantine for arriving visitors is set to be lifted as part of a new "0+7" policy on October 13. The "0+7" policy will replace the current "3+4" policy - but all arrivals must observe seven days of self-conducted epidemic prevention measures, and will be allowed to outside if a test taken within the past two days returned a negative result. **Iran Drone Bombing Leaves Dead and Wounded ** An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed at least nine people and wounded 32 others. The Kurdish Regional Government's Health Ministry said the strikes Wednesday came as demonstrations continued to engulf (吞噬) the Islamic Republic after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who was detained by the Iranian morality police. Local officials say Iran's attacks targeted Koya, some 65 kilometers east of Irbil. Iraq's Foreign Ministry and the Kurdistan Regional Government have condemned the strikes. Hurricane Ian Makes Landfall in Florida Florida's governor Ron De Santis is warning that "nasty" days are ahead as Hurricane Ian makes landfall in the US state. Forecasters said cities at the heart of the storm were facing extremely (極其) dangerous winds and rains, as officials warned it was too late to evacuate in some places. Our US correspondent Kate Fisher reports That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Tai-Ex opening down Premier Expresses Condolences to Families of Coronavirus Victims Tourism Bureau Could Issue Subsidies to Quarantine Hotels Ukraine's president: No talks with Putin if its land annexed Hurricane Ian knocked out power across all of Cuba -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Weekly Coronavirus Infections Decline by 3% New Taipei Seeking Gold Label Designation for Marathon Security tightens in Tokyo NASA's DART mission successfully slams into an asteroid -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Third Batch of Moderna Next-Gen Vaccine Arrives in Taiwan Government Thanks Marcos for Cross-Strait Peace Appeal AI Educational Center in New Taipei Italian far-right leader strikes moderate tone after vote US Box office reports -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Taipei MRT Wenhu Line glitches CWB Warning Two Tropical Depressions Could Develop into Tropical Storms *Pompeo to Make Second Trip to Taiwan Next Week Mexico proposed that India and the Vatican lead dialogue to seek a peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine US and S. Korea Joint Military Drills -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Novavax Coronavirus Vaccine Shipment Arrives FSC Touts Banks Growing Bilingual Services Putin orders partial military call-up, sparking protests Trump inflated his wealth Federer on GOAT debate in AP Interview: How can you compare? -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Magnitude 4.7 Quake Rattles South and Southeast Quake Simulation Our world is in peril': At UN, leaders push for solutions Official: Canada likely to drop vaccine requirement to enter United Airlines grounds 25 planes after missed inspections -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

CECC Forecasting Latest Coronavirus Wave to Peak Next Week Number of People Injured in Weekend Earthquakes Rises to 164 Ukraine warns of 'nuclear terrorism' after strike near plant Leaders call for action to address global education Nigeria battles worst floods in years; 300 killed in 2022 -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 68-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 14,602 on turnover of $2.6-billion N-T. The market closed marginally higher on Thursday, after Wall Street posted modest gains overnight. **Pig Carcass Found in Kinmen Tests Positive for African Swine Fever ** The Council of Agriculture has imposed a one-week ban on the transport of pork products from Kinmen to other parts of Taiwan. The move comes after a pig carcass that washed up on the outlying island tested positive for African Swine Fever. According to the Kinmen County government, a Coast Guard patrol found the carcass of a on the shoreline near Jinning Township's Housha Village. Disease control officials collected samples from the carcass, and then burned and buried it on site. Tests of those samples by the National Institute for Animal Health showed it had been infected with African Swine Fever. Animal health officials have been inspecting pig farms located within a 3-kilometer radius of where the carcass was found, but no trace of the disease has been found. The Kinmen County government says it's not unusual to find pig carcasses among garbage that occasionally washes ashore (上岸) in Kinmen, due to its close proximity to China. **US Judge Rejects DOJ Request to View MaraLago Material ** A federal Judge has rejected the US Justice Department's request to resume reviewing classified material it seized from former president Donald Trump's Mar a Lago home. The Florida court also appointed a neutral (中立) third party suggested by Trump's legal team to oversee the process. US correspondent Ira Spitzer has more. **Haiti Investigates Police Killings ** Haiti's National Police says it is investigating the recent slaying of three officers that it blames on gang members. The agency says a gang called ``Ti Makak,'', killed the officers Tuesday in Laboule, a largely gated community just south of Port-au-Prince. The area is also the site of recent turf wars (地盤爭奪) between gangs that have led to other killings in the area, including two journalists in January and a former senator who worked for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor in August. Police said Wednesday that they had opened an investigation into the killings of the officers. **Mexico Gov: Train Poses No Threat ot Skeleton ** Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History says a prehistoric human skeleton found recently in a flooded cave system along the country's Caribbean coast was actually registered by the institute in 2019 and will not be threatened by a nearby tourist train project. Earlier this week, archaeologist Octavio del Rio said he and fellow diver Peter Broger saw the shattered skull and skeleton partly covered by sediment (沉積物) in a cave. They reported it to the institute, which had not publicly spoken of the find until its statement Thursday. The institute says that scientific analysis has still not been carried out on the remains, but that it is 400 meters from the path of the government's Maya Train project and not threatened. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 11.3-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 14,647 on turnover of $2.5-billion N-T. The market lost over 230-points on Wednesday as investors reacted to disappointing inflation data from the U-S that sent the Dow Jones plunging by nearly 1,300 points on Wall Street overnight. Large cap tech stocks, in particular those in the semiconductor industry, led the decline on the main board, amid expectations the U-S Federal Reserve will adopt (採納) a more aggressive approach on interest rates as it takes steps to fight inflation. **US Senate Committee Passes Taiwan Policy Act ** The U-S Senate Foreign Relations Committee has passed the Taiwan Policy Act. Lawmakers voted to pass the bill after about 2-hours of discussions. The bill is aimed at increasing America's support for Taiwan, both militarily and economically, and it was introduced in June by Senates Bob Menendez and Lindsey Graham. Speaking after lawmakers voted, Menendez said there were only minor changes to the approved version and those changes were mainly symbolic (象徵性的). And he's stressing that the substance of Taiwan Policy Act remains unchanged. **CECC Approves Guidelines for Overseas Tour Groups ** The Central Epidemic Command Center says it has approved a series of guidelines for travel agencies organizing overseas tours. The statement comes after local media reported that that operating guidelines have been finalized, despite the continuing ban on organizing tour groups for overseas travel. The guidelines will not be implemented until the current domestic coronavirus outbreak has peaked and the ban on group overseas travel will only be lifted in full accordance with the government's border re-opening plan. According to center head, Victor Wang, the guidelines for overseas tour groups have been approved "in preparation" for future policy changes, which will be implemented (實施的) at later dates. **SKorea Arrests Woman Wanted in NZ ** Authorities say a woman has been arrested in South Korea on two murder charges from New Zealand, where the bodies of two long-dead children were found in abandoned (遺棄) suitcases. Authorities didn't immediately say if the 42-year-old suspect was the victims' mother. New Zealand police earlier told their South Korean counterparts that the mother might be in South Korea. South Korean police said they detained the woman after New Zealand requested her extradition. A court will now review whether she should be extradited. The bodies were discovered last month after a New Zealand family bought abandoned goods from a storage unit. Police said the children were between 5 and 10 years old and the suitcases had been in storage at least three or four years. **Macau Begins Negotiations for Casino Licenses ** The government in Macau is beginning negotiations with casino operators for new licenses in the world’s biggest gambling hub. But analysts say the process is facing unprecedented (史無前例) complications due to China’s strict COVID-19 restrictions. Richard Kimber reports from Hong Kong. **Czech Gov Unveils Plan to Help Businesses with Energy Costs ** The Czech government has unveiled a plan to help businesses cope with surging energy costs. Prime Minister Petr Fiala says the government is ready to use up to $1.2 billion US dollars for the program, which mainly aims to assist (幫助) larger firms with a high consumption of electricity or gas. The government already announced another plan to cap to cap electricity and gas prices for households, small businesses and the public sector. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 199-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 14,695 on turnover of 3.3-billion N-T. This morning's decline comes after renewed (重新開始的) inflation fears in the U-S triggered the biggest selloff on Wall Street in two years overnight. The Tai-Ex extended gains from the previous session on Tuesday, but turnover remained thin and the main board also met with stiff technical resistance ahead of the 15,000-point mark. **US Senate Committee Expected to Pass Taiwan Defense Bill ** The U-S Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to pass Taiwan Policy Act of 2022 early tomorrow morning Taiwan time. The bill is aimed at increasing America's support for Taiwan and was introduced in June by Senates Bob Menendez and Lindsey Graham. The bill promotes the renaming of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington to the "Taiwan Representative Office" and requires the appointment of the director of the American Institute in Taiwan to be subject to (以……為條件的) the approval of the Senate. It also calls for the "negotiating" of a bilateral free trade agreement with Taiwan and the use of a Foreign Military Financing Program and other measures "to accelerate the modernization of Taiwan's defense capabilities." **Japan to Relax Entry Rules for ROC Passport Holders Today ** Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that R-O-C passport holders living in Taiwan will be able to apply online for visas to travel there on business or for family visits or group travel from today. Under the new rules, Taiwanese nationals will need a Japanese organization, such as a company, school or a private group, to register their personal information and vouch for them in Japan's Entrants, Returnees Follow-up System. After receiving a "certificate of completion" for registration, people will be able to use the Japan eVisa website to complete the rest of their visa application. The application can be processed (處理) in around five working days. **Queen Elizabeth Arrives at Buckingham ** The body of Queen Elizabeth II has arrived at Buckingham palace where thousands of people had gathered (聚集) in the rain to watch the arrival of the UK's longest serving monarch, who died last week at the age of 96. She will remain at the palace overnight Tuesday before moving to Westminster Abbey on Wednesday, where she will lie in state for four days ahead of her funeral on Monday. Olly Barratt is at Windsor castle… **Canada Makes Queen Funeral Day Holiday ** Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Sept. 19 will be a holiday so that federal employees can mourn Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her state funeral. Trudeau also said he's working with the provinces on a possible public holiday for other workers but Canada's two most populous provinces declined (拒絕) to make it a holiday. The late queen was the head of state for 45% of Canada's existence and visited the country 22 times as monarch. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 88-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 14,895 on turnover of 2.9-billion N-T. The market gained more than 200 points on Monday as investor sentiment (情緒) improved on the back of gains on Wall Street at the end of last week. Those gains were led by large cap tech stocks, in particular semiconductor heavyweights, which moved higher amid eased investor concerns over another rate hike by the U-S Federal Reserve later this month. **Economics Minister Pledges 2.5GW of New Solar Power Capacity ** Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua says the government will add 2.5-gigawatts of solar power generation capacity (容量) this year. If the government managed to achieve that goal, it will be the most installed in a single year. According to Wang, a total of 1.1-gigawatts of solar capacity was installed in the first seven months of this year and it's hoped that 1.4-gigawatts can be installed in the final five months of the year. Wang says adding new solar power capacity of 2.5-gigawatts this year would top the previous annual high of 1.883-gigawatts in 2021 Data shows that solar power accounted for 2.7-per cent of all electricity produced here in Taiwan in 2021 and 3.3-per cent of all power produced in the first seven months of this year. **Number of Furloughed Workers Falls ** The Ministry of Labor says the number of furloughed workers fell by 3,020 last week on the back of a tentative (暫定的) recovery in domestic tourism. According to the ministry, figures show that the number of workers placed on furlough programs stood at 16,872 as of Wednesday of last week and that was down from the 19,892 from the previous week. While the number of companies implementing (實施) unpaid leave programs fell to 2,605 from 2,990 during the same period. The decline is being attributed to a slight recovery in domestic tourism, due to the summer vacation, and the easing of concerns over the coronavirus situation. **Kremlin Faces Questions Amid Ukraine Offensive ** The Kremlin, facing mounting questions about the country's invasion of Ukraine, has sidestepped questions about whether Vladimir Putin has confidence in his defense minister. Russian officials now say their forces are outnumbered 8 to 1 by the Ukrainian army in some parts of the country and are conceding (承認) that they have lost territory they previously seized there. In Moscow, there's been growing criticism of the Russian army's performance in Ukraine on state television, and questions raised about Vladimir Putin's decision to invade. Julia Chapman has more from Kyiv. **ExAfghan Parliament Member Calls on UN to Push for Women's Rights ** A former member of Afghanistan's parliament is urging the world to label the Taliban a ``gender apartheid'' regime because of its crackdown on human right. Naheed Farid, a women's rights activist who was the youngest-ever politician elected to parliament in 2010, told a U.N. news conference Monday that as a result of severe (苛刻的) restrictions on women's rights, she is hearing more stories of Afghan women choosing to take their life out of hopelessness and despair. She expressed hope that world leaders meeting next week for their annual gathering at the U.N. General Assembly would make time to meet and listen to Afghan women living in exile. Farid accused the Taliban of using women as a ``bargaining chip'' to demand legitimacy, funds, and aid from the international community. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 127-points this morning from last Thursday's close, at 14,711 on turnover of 3.5-billion N-T. The market gained ground on Thursday ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday three-day weekend - closing up 173-points as investor optimism got a boost from a rally on Wall Street, as it was on track to break a three-week losing streak. **Typhoon Muifa 10AM ** The Central Weather Bureau says the periphery of Typhoon Muifa will bring heavy rain to the north and center today, as its passes the island. New Taipei and Taoyuan could see "extremely heavy rain," while "heavy rainfall" is expected in Taipei, Taichung, Keelung, Yilan, Hsinchu County, Miaoli, and Nantou. The weather bureau says the storm is not forecast to make landfall here and will be closest to the island today and tomorrow. Muifa is currently located some 300-kilometers south-southeast of Taipei and is moving in a northerly direction at 7-kilometers-an-hour. Muifa is forecast to have moved away from Taiwan tomorrow evening at the earliest, as it moves into the East China Sea to threaten (威脅) the Shanghai area. **Tsai Lauds U18 Women's Basketball Team ** President Tsai-Ing-wen is lauding the performance of Taiwan's Under 18 women's basketball team for its performance at the Asian Youth Women's Basketball Tournament in India. Writing on her Facebook page, Tsai described the team's performance as "brilliant (傑出的)" -- saying although they failed to beat Australia and Japan, she believes the squad will do better next year at the under 19 Youth Women's World Cup next year. Tsai went on to say the team is the "pride of Taiwan." Taiwan finished second in Group B with a 2-1 record, and beat New Zealand 77-67 in the semifinal match. However, they lost 70-61 to Australia in the semi-final. **US Marks 9/11 ** Events are taking place across the United States marking the 21st anniversary of the attack on 9/11. William Denselow has more from New York. **Mexico Fireworks Explosion Leaves Dead and Injured ** One person is dead and 39 are injured after a stray fireworks explosion at a town festival just west of Mexico City. The township of Tianguistenco said Sunday the blast occurred late Saturday during an annual village celebration. The municipal government said at least five people were in serious condition, and seven others were still hospitalized. The remaining 27 people injured in the blast were treated (治療) and released. **Sweden Election Votes Counting ** An exit poll projected that Sweden's ruling left-wing Social Democrats have won the most votes in a general election while a right-wing populist party had its best showing yet. The exit poll published by Swedish public broadcaster SVT projected (預計) that the left had a slight edge over the right, with 176 seats to 173. The center-left Social Democrats are Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson's party. There are eight parties running to win seats in Sweden's 349-seat parliament. The final outcome will only be known once votes are counted. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **E*Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 37-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 14,447 on turnover of 3-billion N-T. The market tumbled on Wednesday, losing more then 260-points, as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing came under heavy pressure amid speculation that its major clients have cut chip orders. T-S-M-C's losses contributed to about 135-points alone to the decline on the main board. **Another Delegations of US Lawmakers Arrives in Taiwan ** A delegation of U-S lawmakers has arrived in Taiwan on a previously unannounced trip and is meeting with senior government officials today - including President Tsai Ing-wen. The eight-member delegation is being led by Representative Stephanie Murphy, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee. According to the American Institute in Taiwan, the delegation will be staying in Taiwan until tomorrow as part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region. A-I-T says delegation will be discussing "US-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, global supply chains and other significant issues of mutual (相互的) interest." It is the seventh U-S congressional delegation to have visited Taiwan so far this year. **Death Penalty Sought in Police Murder Case ** The Tainan District Prosecutors' Office says it is seeking the death penalty for a man charged with the killing of two police officers last month. According the prosecutors' office, it has charged Lin Hsin-wu with aggregate larceny, murder, robbery, and illegal use of firearms and knife. Prosecutors says Lin showed no sympathy for the two police officers he had stabbed, but instead chose to steal a firearm and two magazines of bullets from one of them, before walking away and leaving them to die. Office spokesman Hsu Chia-long says Lin admitted the he was aware (知道的) he had killed the police officers during questioning. Justice Minister Tsai Qing-xiang is voicing his support for the prosecutors' decision to seek the death penalty. **SKorea Proposes Restarting Family Reunions ** South Korea has proposed a meeting with North Korea to resume reunions of families separated by war. Seoul's unification minister said Thursday that South Korea hopes that responsible officials of the two Koreas will meet in person as soon as possible for a candid (坦率) discussion. It's unclear if North Korea would accept the offer because it has already rejected the new South Korean government's offer to provide massive aid in return for denuclearization. The two Koreas ban millions of people separated since the 1950-53 Korean War from visiting each other. Reunions were last allowed in 2018. **Canadian Stabbing Suspect Arrested ** After a 4 day manhunt, Canadian police have arrested the suspect in a series of (一系列) knife attacks over the weekend that left ten people dead. Most of the victims belonged to an indigenous community. North American correspondent Ira Spitzer has more **Philippines Ends Outdoor Mask Mandate ** Philippine officials say President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved a recommendation (擬議) to end the mandatory wearing of masks outdoors across the country. The interior secretary says Philippines and Myanmar are the last countries in Southeast Asia to ease the compulsory wearing of masks outdoors, though he encouraged the elderly and those with other illnesses to continue masking up in public areas. The Philippines imposed one of the longest lockdowns in the world, which caused its worst economic recession in decades and deepened poverty, hunger and unemployment. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 119-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 14, 557 on turnover of 2.1-billion N-T. The market closed marginally higher on Tuesday despite lingering investor concerns over increased fund outflows and a hawkish U-S Federal Reserve continuing to affect market sentiment. The market breached the five-day moving average of 14,778-points early in the session, but quickly leveled off as investors sought to lock in gains. **MOFA Calls on Countries to Support UN Inclusion ** The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the government will again be calling on Taiwan's diplomatic allies and like-minded countries to voice their support for the island's inclusion (被包括) in the United Nations system. The statement comes as the annual U-N General Assembly is set to begin next week in New York. Foreign ministry Secretary-General Lily Hsu says her office is asking 'friendly nations' to speak up during the upcoming General Assembly and send a letter to U-N Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Hsu says delegation of lawmakers will visit New York to advocate for Taiwan's U-N, while Taiwan's representative office in New York will be holding a series of events promoting inclusion in the U-N system. **Police Detain Suspect in Dismemberment Case ** Police in New Taipei have detained a suspect wanted in connection with the dismemberment of a man, whose torso (軀幹) and left foot were found in an apartment in the city's Yonghe District. According to the police, the suspect has confessed to killing his 54-year-old brother on September 1 after being repeatedly asked to lend him money. Law enforcement authorities say they believe the suspect stabbed his brother to death in his sleep, before dismembering him and later dumping his limbs and head into a garbage truck. The suspect is expected to be charged with homicide, tampering with and the illegal disposal of a dead body. **UN Security Council Meets to Discuss Zaporizhzhia Concerns ** The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said recent attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine are unacceptable (不可接受). William Denselow reports from UN headquarters in New York. **Australia Navy Given Clearance to Visit Solomon Islands ** Australia says its navy ships have been given clearance to resume visits to the Solomon Islands, which had last week announced a temporary block on all military vessels during a review of its approval processes. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed that military ships from New Zealand and Fiji would also be allowed to visit the South Pacific nation. But that means military ships from the U.S., Britain and other countries still won't be able to dock (停靠) at a time that many nations are concerned about the Solomon Islands increasing security ties to China. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 44-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 14,705 on turnover of 1.5-billion N-T. The market closed marginally lower on Monday, as it entered consolidation (合併) mode on the back of lingering investor concerns over a pending rate hike by the U-S Federal Reserve. And although the main board failed to rebound after it came off a high, large-cap semiconductor stocks showed resilience, preventing the market from falling further. **ACIP Approves Updated Moderna Vaccine as Booster ** The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has approved the use of Moderna's second-generation coronavirus vaccine as a booster shot for recipients at high risk of infection or severe disease. The updated vaccine targets both the original virus from 2020 and the Omicron BA.1 subvariant. According to committee convener (召集人) Lee Bing-ing, experts have agreed to recommend the vaccine for use as a booster for two types of "vulnerable groups." Those "vulnerable groups" are people aged 65 and abov, adults aged 18 and above with compromised immune systems and for use among people at high risk of infection, such as front-line medical workers and airport and port employees. **CTiTV to Sue Robert Tsao, as UMC Threatens Counter Suit ** Chung Tien Television has filed a defamation lawsuit against United Microelectronics founder Robert Tsao. The lawsuit seeks 500-million N-T in damages and comes after Tsao referred to the media group last week as a "bandit station" during a press conference. Tsao was asked by a Chung Tien reporter whether his description of China's zero-coronavirus policy as "extremely stupid" also applied to Taiwan's former Health Minister Chen Shih-chung, who had maintained a similar policy for much of the pandemic. Tsao dismissed that question as a "trap" and went on to describe Chung Tien as "bandit station" and refused to answer anymore questions from the reporter. Tsao says he plans to countersue (反訴) Chung Tien for 5-billion N-T for making false accusations against him. **Canadian Police Continue Hunt for Other Stabbing Suspect ** Police in Canada say 31-year-old Damien Sanderson, one of the suspects wanted in connection with a series of stabbings in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, has been found dead and that the wounds did not seem to be self-inflicted. Police say they are still hunting for his brother 30-year-old Myles Sanderson who may have sustained (承受、受到) injuries. Here's Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police Ten people were stabbed to death on Sunday and 18 others were injured in what's being described as one of Canada's deadliest attacks. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared his condolences yesterday. Authorities have said some of the victims were targeted and others appeared to have been chosen at random on the James Smith Cree Nation and in the town of Weldon in Saskatchewan province. They have given no motive for the crimes. **Venezuela Drug Bust ** The armed forces of Venezuela have carried out what authorities say is the largest marijuana bust of the last 10 years in the South American country. Officials say members of the armed forces intercepted (截獲) a vessel carrying more than 2-thousand-800 kilos of marijuana, as well as almost 8 kilograms of cocaine, and extra motors. They say the vessel had departed Colombia and was en route to the island of Martinique. Twelve men traveling on the boat were arrested. Hernandez says all are Venezuelans. That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn