EZ News 12/11/24

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened down 16-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 23,108 on turnover of 2-billion N-T. The market closed the day down on Tuesday after Nvidia pulled Wall Street lower overnight - and that resulted in the main board retreating to just above the 5-day moving average. First Agreement Under Taiwan-US 21st-Century Trade Initiative Takes Effect The first agreement under the Taiwan-US Initiative on 21st-Century Trade has officially come into effect. The Office of Trade Negotiations says the move marks a "significant milestone" in bilateral trade relations between Taipei and Washington. The agreement covers commitments to customs administration and trade facilitation, regulatory ( 監管) practices, rules for running domestic service industries, anti-corruption and small- and medium-sized enterprises. According to the Office of Trade Negotiations, the initial agreement received unanimous support from the U-S Congress and both sides will continue to discuss implementation (執行) details and share any concerns. Taipei Mayor Stressed Taipei-Shanghai Forum Aiming to Maintain Cross-Strait Peace Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an is stressing that his administration will be hosting Shanghai officials at next week's Taipei-Shanghai Twin City Forum to help promote peace across the Taiwan Strait. Speaking at a city government meeting, Chiang described the annual forum as a rare platform for official cross-strait dialogue (對話), which could help ease tensions between Taiwan and China. According to Chiang, Taiwan has had limited exchanges with China in recent years and he firmly believes it's "better to understand each other than to misunderstand." The 102-member Shanghai delegation to this year's forum is being led by Hua Yuan, one of the city's eight vice mayors. Israel Airstrikes Across Syria Israel carried out a wave of heavy airstrikes across Syria as its troops advanced deeper into the country. That's according to a Syrian opposition war monitor. Elsewhere on Tuesday, the Israeli defense minister announced that his forces had destroyed Syria’s navy. Israel acknowledged pushing into a buffer zone inside Syria following the overthrow of President Bashar Assad. But it remained unclear if its soldiers had gone beyond that area, which was established more than 50 years ago. Israel denied it is advancing on the Syrian capital of Damascus. Israeli officials have said they are striking military assets to prevent (防止) them from falling into the hands of extremists. US Files War Crimes Charges Against Syrian Military Officials The United States has filed war crimes charges against two high-ranking Syrian military figures who it accuses of torturing American citizens. It comes after the government of Bashar al-Assad collapsed (瓦解), with the former president fleeing the country. Nick Harper reports from Washington. NMacedonia Protests Against Air Pollution Protesters across North Macedonia have taken part in demonstrations to demand better air quality in cities that are among the most polluted in Europe. In the capital, Skopje, the protesters gathered Tuesday outside the Environment Ministry, some wearing gas masks to highlight the problem blamed by authorities for some 3,500 premature deaths annually. According to European Union health authorities, pollution levels in Skopje and other Macedonian cities often exceed World Health Organization's limits by more than four times. Pollution levels often spike during the winter months, with many urban households unable to afford (買得起) central heating, burning wood, old tires, plastic, and other waste materials. Protest organizers called for national action, demandingstricter government regulation of traffic and industry, citing decades of neglect. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. －－－－以下訊息由 SoundOn 動態廣告贊助商提供－－－－ 身障免牌照稅及駕照註銷一站式服務，民眾免奔波～ 包租公婆照過來，申報租賃所得且達租金標準可享房屋稅優惠，房東請記得114年3月24日以前向地方稅局申報！ 小小發票存雲端，愛心捐贈更溫暖！ 中市稅輕鬆FB： https://bit.ly/3ZnMv1Z 臺中市政府地方稅務局廣告 -- Hosting provided by SoundOn