EZ News 03/07/23

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened marginally higher this morning from yesterday's close, at 15,763 on turnover of 2.4-billion N-T. The market rose on Monday as buying was sparked by the gains on Wall Street at the end of last week on the back of reduced concerns over rate hikes by the U-S Federal Reserve. The bellwether electronics sector led the broader market higher, while semiconductor stocks also rose as they enjoyed the upturn seen by U-S tech firms last Friday. **Defense Minister Warns China Could Enter 24-Nautical-Mile Limit ** Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng is warning that China could seek to use visit to Taiwan by high level foriegn officials as a pretext (藉口) to enter Taiwan's maritime baseline of 24-nautical miles. Speaking at a legislative hearing, Chiu said Beijing is actively looking for excuses to further encroach (侵犯) on Taiwan's territorial waters and airspace, and such visits could see China intensifying it's the military threat towards to the island. Chiu says along with entering Taiwan's maritime baseline, China could also seek to approach the island's territorial space of 12-nautical miles. The defense minister says that island's military is prepared for any possible military response from China and the armed forces will "restrain itself" from launching the first strike to avoid giving China an excuse to attack Taiwan. **Premier Attends Opening of Kaohsiung's New Cruise Terminal ** And, Premier Chen Chien-jen has attended (出席) the opening of Kaohsiung's new cruise liner terminal. The Kaohsiung Port Cruise Terminal is shaped like a whale and was built at a cost of 5-billion N-T. It took 10-years to complete and on Monday welcomed its first two cruise ships. The new cruise terminal will allow up 3,500 people to enter Taiwan every hour. It has automated voice-to-text translation kiosks in four languages and has 26 gates for customs inspection, up from 12 in the old terminal. **Iran Supreme Leader on Suspected Poisonings ** Iran’s supreme leader says that if a series of suspected poisonings at girls’ schools is proven to be deliberate, the culprits (罪魁禍首) should be sentenced to death for committing an “unforgivable crime.” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say on all matters of state, and Monday was the first time he spoke publicly about the suspected poisonings. The incidents began late last year and have reportedly sickened hundreds of children. Iranian officials only acknowledged them in recent weeks and have provided no details on who may be behind the attacks or what chemicals — if any — have been used. Unlike neighboring Afghanistan, Iran has no history of religious extremists targeting women’s education. **US FBI Offers Reward for Kidnapped Citizens in Mexico ** The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward to help find four US citizens who were kidnapped in a Mexican border city. The Mexican president says they crossed over from the US to buy medication (藥物) when they were attacked by gunmen on Friday. US correspondent Nick Harper 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