EZ News 02/08/23

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 137-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 15,538 on turnover of 4.2-billion N-T. The market closed little changed on Tuesday after moving in a narrow range throughout the session ahead of a scheduled speech by U-S Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Investor interest in the bellwether electronics sector, especially large-cap semiconductor stocks, was muted (淡漠的), but old economy stocks in the biotech and tourism sectors got a boost from rotational buying to lend support to the broader market. **Premier Calls for Increase in Coronavirus Vaccination Rate ** Premier Chen Chien-jen is calling on the Central Epidemic Command Center to step up efforts to increase the coronavirus vaccination rate among the island's elderly population. According to Chen, the center needs to work more closely with local governments to boost vaccination rates among the elderly and those at higher risk of severe illness from the virus. The statement comes after health authorities released data showing that first booster shot coverage rate stands at 76.3-per cent, but second booster shot coverage is only at 22.4-per cent. The epidemic command center has repeatedly (反复) warned that the majority of people aged 65 years or older who have died from the coronavirus were either unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated against the disease. **Government Increases Donation to Turkey to US$2 million ** The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the government has increased its donation to Turkey to 2-million U-S following Monday's magnitude-7.8 earthquake. The government made a pledge of 200,000 U-S dollars in the immediate aftermath (後果) of the quake. According the foreign ministry, it chose to increase the donation after damage reports from areas devastated by the earthquake began to come in and as the death toll continues to rise. **NKorea Touts Military Strength ** North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lauded the “limitless strength” of his nuclear-armed military as he visited troops with his daughter to mark the 75th founding anniversary of his army. That's according to a state media account of his visit and its description of a speech Kim gave to encourage his troops. There have been signs North Korea is preparing to hold a massive (大量的) military parade, which could take place later today. The event could showcase the latest hardware of a growing nuclear weapons program that stokes the concern of North Korea's neighbors and the United States. **Google to Launch AI Chatbot ** Google has announced that it plans to launch a rival to the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT in the coming weeks. The tech giant has faced questions about whether its core (最重要的部分) search product will remain relevant given recent advances in AI technology. Silicon Valley correspondent Ira Spitzer 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