EZ News 03/12/24

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened down 53-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 19,673 on turnover of $7.9-billion N-T. Shares in Taiwan closed lower Monday, led by large cap semiconductor stocks, in particular contract chipmaker TSMC, with selling sparked after U.S. chip stocks suffered a tumble at the end of last week. However, buying rotated to other tech stocks in the downstream segment with iPhone assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. in focus, while select old economy industries as well as the financial sector also attracted bargain hunting due to their relatively low valuations. Moon rock display from U.S. back at National Museum of History The National Museum of History says it has retrieved (取回) lunar samples which had been gifted to Taiwan by the late U.S. President Richard Nixon in 1969. It was first exhibited at the museum in Taipei in 1970, one year after Nixon gave it to Taiwan. The display and moon soil samples that came with it were then relocated to Academia Sinica's Institute of Physics for safekeeping, before being given to Taichung's National Museum of Natural Science in 1994. Those samples are now back at the Taipei museum and are part of a show marking its reopening on February 21st after a nearly six-year renovation. The wooden case display contains four moon rock fragments encased inside a piece of acrylic lucite semi-sphere. In the display, the lunar specimens are mounted above a flag of the Republic of China, Taiwan's legal name, which was flown to the moon and back on the Apollo 11 mission. (CNA-IG) US Assessing Export Controls on China The U.S. Commerce Secretary says Washington is constantly reviewing the need to expand export controls (出口管制) to stop China from acquiring advanced computer chips and manufacturing equipment that can be used to boost China's military. AP's Lisa Dwyer reports. UNESCO on Rebuilding Ukraine The United Nations cultural and scientific agency says Ukraine will need more than a billion dollars to rebuild its scientific infrastructure that was damaged or destroyed during two years of Russia's war on its neighbor. UNESCO says that some 1,443 scientific facilities, many attached to universities, have been damaged or destroyed along with 750 pieces of vital technical equipment, most of which is beyond repair. The war, now in its third year, has also depleted (耗盡的) the science sector of funds and dispersed Ukraine’s scientists, displacing many within the country and sending others into exile (流放). The report says the cost of rebuilding the sector currently stands at $1.26 billion US dollars. Sweden Flag Raised at NATO Headquarters Sweden’s national flag has been raised at NATO headquarters to cement the Nordic country’s place as the 32nd member. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Crown Princess Victoria and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attended the ceremony in Brussels. Sweden set aside decades of post-World War II neutrality (中立性) when it formally joined NATO on March 7-th. This comes more than two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine which persuaded Sweden's reluctant (勉強的、不情願的) public to seek safety under the alliance’s security umbrella. Finland joined last year in another historic move ending years of military nonalignment (不結盟狀態). 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