EZ News 01/04/23

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 37-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 14,186 on turnover of 1.9-billion N-T. The market bounced back from early losses on Tuesday, to close the first trading session of 2023 in positive territory, but turnover remained thin amid investor worries over a possible global recession this year. The bellwether electronics sector led the rebound, while old economy and new energy sector stocks also attracted buying on the back of government efforts to push renewable power development. **Tainan City Council Speaker Questioned in Vote-Buying Probe ** Newly-elected Tainan City Council Speaker Qiu Li-li has been questioned in connection with an investigation into vote buying. According to the Tainan District Prosecutors' Office, Qiu was questioned after authorities searched her residence and over 20 other locations. Those locations included the homes of Deputy Speaker Lin Zhi-zhan as well as city councilors Li Wen-chun, Zhang Shi-xian and Li Zhen-guo. Prosecutors says they opened the investigation into allegations of electoral manipulation after receiving a tip-off in November. Qiu beat incumbent Speaker Guo Hsin-liang in a vote on December 25 after in which Li Wen-chun, Zhang Shi-xian and Li Zhen-guo all broke party ranks with the K-M-T to back the D-P-P nominee. Reports at the time speculated that the three then-KMT councilors had been bribed. **Eslite to Close 24-hour Branch in Taipei's Xinyi District in December ** Eslite has confirmed that its 24-hour branch in Taipei's Xinyi District will close its doors in December. According to the bookstore chain, the pending (待辦的) closure comes after it failed to convince its landlord to extend the existing lease. Eslite says it will continue to promote (推廣) culture and humanities in Taiwan and provide a 24-hour service - and there is speculation that its nearby Songyan store will become Eslite's and Taiwan's only 24-hour bookstore. However, there has been no official confirmation of those reports. The Xinyi store first opened 24-hours a day in mid-2020 after the Eslite Dunnan store was closed. **China Criticizes COVID19 Requirements on Travelers ** The Chinese government has sharply criticized COVID-19 testing requirements being imposed on visitors from China and threatening countermeasures against countries involved. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson said at a daily briefing Tuesday that China believes the entry restrictions adopted by some countries targeting passengers from China lack scientific basis. China abruptly (突然) eased strict anti-virus measures in December, leading to a surge in cases. Countries including the U.S., U.K., India, Japan and several European nations have announced tougher measures on travelers from China. Many are worried about a lack of data from China and fear that new variants may spread. **NYC Machete Attacker to be Arraigned ** The 19-year-old accused on attacking 3 police officers with a machete near Times Square on New Years Eve is expected to be arraigned (傳訊) tomorrow, meanwhile his mother reached out to police last month to express concerns about him. AP correspondent Julie Walker reports. ((No Excerpting Sound)) 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