EZ News 08/21/23

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 32-points this morning from Friday's close, at 16,414 on turnover of 3.9-billion N-T. The market moved lower last Friday, as investors reacted to fresh concerns the U-S Federal Reserve will raise key interest rates further following warnings that "upside risks" to inflation could lead to more rate hikes. The bellwether electronics sector was the focus of weakness on the main board, led by artificial intelligence development-related stocks, while the financial sector rose slightly amid lingering concerns over financial woes faced by Chinese debt-ridden companies. **US Calls on Beijing to Stop Pressuring Taiwan. ** The U-S State Department is calling on Beijing to cease pressuring Taiwan. According to a State Department spokesperson, the White House is urging Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with the island. The statement comes after the Ministry of National Defense reported that 45 Chinese aircraft and nine ships were detected operating around Taiwan from 6AM Saturday to 6AM in Sunday. Of that total, 25 aircraft crossed the median line (中線) of the Taiwan Strait. The U-S State Department says it will continue to closely monitor China's military exercises. **Dadaocheng Summer Festival Finale Attracts Over 100,000 ** The Taipei City Government says more than 100,000 people attended last night's finale of the Dadaocheng Summer Festival. City officials say more than 1,000 police officers were on duty to direct traffic. Strict traffic restrictions were in place last night ahead of the closing 8-minute long fireworks display and some local residents have complained (抱怨) about traffic problems due to the large number of people attending the event. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an is touting the decision to extend the summer festival this year from one weekend to 51 days - saying along with larger crowds, it also resulted in greater opportunities for local businesses. **Spain Wildfire Started Deliberately ** An official in Spain says it appears a wildfire that's forced thousands of evacuations on Tenerife was deliberately (故意地) started. AP correspondent Mimmi Montgomery reports. **Libya Central Bank Reunified ** Libya’s central bank has announced its reunification after being split for nearly a decade due to the country’s long-running civil war that resulted in two rival administrations, in the east and the west. The bank said in a statement Sunday that it has become a “unified (統一) sovereign institution” following a meeting in the capital, Tripoli, between the central bank governor and his deputy. The announcement came 19 months after the bank started a unification process. In 2014, it splintered along the country’s broader political fault lines. Libya was plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. **Russia Luna25 Crashes into Moon ** Russia's Roscosmos space agency says the Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the moon after it spun into an uncontrolled orbit, bringing a premature end to the country's first lunar mission since 1976. The pilotless spacecraft was aiming to be the first ever to land on the south pole of the moon, an area where scientists believe there could be important reserves of frozen water and precious elements. It was expected to land today. However, Roscosmos said it lost contact with the Luna-25 on Saturday after the spacecraft ran into difficulties and reported an “abnormal (異常) situation.” The Luna-25 was in a race with an Indian spacecraft to be the first to reach the south pole. 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