EZ News 12/30/22

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 99-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 14,184 on turnover of $1.92-billion N-T. **Ex-Denmark PM and NATO secretary general to visit Taiwan next week ** The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Former prime minister of Demark and ex-NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will visit Taiwan next week, to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen. MOFA says Rasmussen has been calling on democratic countries to enhance (提高、增強) cooperation with Taiwan, to build democratic reliance amid the expansion of authoritarianism, adding that his upcoming visit was a clear demonstration of his strong support toward Taiwan. Rasmussen in 2017 founded the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of democracy and free markets across the globe. In his current role, he hosts the annual Copenhagen Democracy Summit, which was first held in 2018. During his scheduled stay from January 3rd to 5th, Rasmussen will also meet with Vice President William Lai and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, as well as lawmakers and think tank scholars. (TT) **MOL expands scope of online work permit applications for foreign nationals ** A government online work permit application system for foreign nationals has been expanded to cover cram schools, art-related jobs, and the adult children of work permit-holding foreign professionals. The Workforce Development Agency's "EZ Work Permit" website has been handling applications from local companies to employ foreign managers, as well as from sports- and art-related agencies to hire international talents. Now, cram schools may also create an account on the EZ Work Permit website, to apply for work permits and to renew (更新) the permits of their foreign employees online. The Ministry of Labor says that unlike offices with regular government business hours, the online service is operational 24/7, and should take seven working days or less to process and issue permit applications. (TT) **US Biden Signs Bill ** US President Joe Biden has signed a $1.7 trillion bill funding government operations. AP correspondent Norman Hall reports. **Brazil da Silva Names Amazon Activist as Minister of Environment ** Brazil’s President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced Thursday that Amazon activist Marina Silva will be the country’s next minister of environment. The announcement signals the new administration will prioritize cracking down on illegal deforestation in the forest even if it means running afoul of powerful agribusiness interests. Lula has promised to end all deforestation by 2030. This would be a sharp turnabout (徹底變化) from the policies of the outgoing president, Jair Bolsonaro, who pushed for development in the Amazon. Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon reached a 15-year high in the year ending in July 2021, though the devastation slowed somewhat in the following 12 months. **Vivienne Westwood Obit ** English designer Vivienne Westwood has died at 81. Her fashion house announced her death Thursday on its social media platforms, saying she died peacefully in South London surrounded by friends and family. A cause was not immediately disclosed (公佈). Westwood’s fashion career began in the 1970s with the punk (龐克) explosion, when the onetime primary school teacher's radical approach to urban street style took the world by storm. But she went on to enjoy a long career highlighted by activism and a string of runway shows and museum exhibits. 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