EZ News 01/09/25

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened down 0.6-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 23,407 on turnover of $6.3-billion N-T. Shares in Taiwan closed lower Wednesday as the bellwether electronics sector came under pressure in the wake of heavy losses suffered by tech stocks in the United States overnight. The market opened down as electronics heavyweights, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., slid following a 1.89 percent fall in the tech-heavy Nasdaq index overnight. That weakness continued to the end of the session as last ditch selling sent TSMC to the day's low. iRent Faces Scrutiny Over Data Collection Practices iRent car rental service is under fire for allegedly collecting excessive personal data, including spousal (配偶的) information, and sharing it with affiliated companies. The Highway Bureau has demanded corrections following complaints from the Consumers' Foundation. While iRent says users agreed to share their data, officials found its necessity unclear. The company has promised to stop sharing data within its group for marketing and will revise (修訂) its privacy policy, letting users opt in for data sharing. Inspectors are reviewing if iRent's practices comply with data protection laws. The company must submit evidence by January 17th for further investigation. US LA Battles Wildfires Wildfires are continuing to rage through Los Angeles, with tens of thousands of residents forced to evacuate. At least five people have died so far, with the fires spreading at an unprecedented (史無前例) pace. It's now the largest fire in the city's history. Ira Spitzer reports from LA. Israel Recovers Body of at Least One Hostage Israel’s military says troops have recovered the body of another hostage from Gaza. The military said on Wednesday that Yosef AlZayadni's body was recovered in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza. It said it was examining whether a second body was that of another hostage. The men were taken captive (俘虜) during Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel and Hamas have been considering a ceasefire deal that would free the remaining 100 or so hostages and would halt the fighting in Gaza. Israel believes a third of the remaining hostages are dead. However, AlZayadni was believed to still be alive before Wednesday's announcement. Canada Finance Minister on Trump 51st State Comments Canada's finance minister says U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s comments that Canada should become the 51st state are now counter productive. He says Trump was smiling when he made the comment at dinner at Mar-a-Lago with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in late November, but the joke is over. Trump has repeatedly floated the idea that Canada should join the United States as the 51st state, saying Tuesday he would not use military force to invade the country, which is home to more than 40 million people and is a founding NATO partner. Instead, Trump said he would rely on “economic force” as he erroneously cast the U.S. trade deficit with Canada as a subsidy (補貼). The U.S. relies on Canada for approximately 60% of its crude oil imports. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states, and is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn