EZ News 07/13/23

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 33-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 16,995 on turnover of $5.1-billion N-T. Shares in Taiwan closed higher Wednesday as contract chipmaker TSMC got a boost from buying in the last few minutes of the session to climb out of its previous weakness. But the local main board remained in a narrow range throughout the session as market sentiment was cautious ahead of the release of the United States' June inflation figures, which are expected to influence (影響) moves by the Federal Reserve. **Military stages rehearsal for anti-takeover drill at Taoyuan airport ** According to the Ministry of National Defense, Taiwan's military on Wednesday morning held a rehearsal for an anti-takeover drill at Taoyuan International Airport. The drill at Taiwan's main international gateway is designed to test the armed forces' cross-branch coordination and emergency response capabilities, during a simulated Chinese invasion. In the rehearsal staged at a hanger of the Taoyuan International Airport, members of the Aviation and Special Forces Command and Army Airborne Special Forces acted as the red team invading force, with the blue team formed by ground troops from Sixth Army Corps serving as the defenders. The red team was originally set to arrive at the drill ground in Army helicopters, but decided to call them off, given the fact that nearby schools were hosting college entrance exams. After yesterday's rehearsal, the actual anti-takeover drill is scheduled to take place on July 26th, and will be the first such exercise staged at Taoyuan International Airport since it opened in 1979. **NKorea Kim Vows to Bolster Nuclear Capabilities ** North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to bolster (加固、提高) his country’s nuclear fighting capabilities as he supervised the second test-flight of a new intercontinental ballistic missile designed to strike the mainland U.S. North Korea's state media reported Kim’s comments a day after the launch of the Hwasong-18 missile. Kim was quoted as saying deepening U.S. and South Korean hostilities require "more intense efforts to implement the line of bolstering nuclear war deterrent.” According to KCNA, the Hwasong-18 missile was launched on a high angle to avoid neighboring countries. It flew a distance of about 1-thousand kilometers before landing in a targeted area in the open waters off the North’s east coast. The missile’s flight time is the longest recorded by any weapon launched by North Korea. **US VP Harris Makes History with Tiebreaking Votes ** **Return to **Table of contents US Vice President Kamala Harris has made history with tiebreaking votes in Senate. AP's Lisa Dwyer has more. **Kosovo to Reduce Police Numbers and Hold Mayoral Elections ** Kosovo’s government has decided to reduce by one-fourth the number of special police officers and also hold new mayoral elections in four Serb-majority municipalities. The move is a bid to defuse tensions with neighboring Serbia that flared anew in May. Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti said Wednesday that more officers would be withdrawn based on the continuous (連續的) evaluation of the situation. Kurti also said the government would formally declare holding new elections in the four Serb-majority municipalities. Violent clashes in late May sparked when new Albanian mayors took office left at least 30 international peacekeepers and more than 50 ethnic Serbs injured. 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