EZ News 03/19/25

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened down 26-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 22,245 on turnover of 4.1-billion N-T. The market closed up on Tuesday, as buying was sparked by a rally on Wall Street overnight on hopes that the U-S Federal Reserve will cut interest rates after the release of worse-than-expected retail (零售) sales data in February. MND send Quadrennial Defense Review to LY for review Defense Minister Wellington Koo is slated to meet with members of the Legislative National Defense Committee later today to answer quesitons about the Quadrennial Defense Report. The report was sent to the Legislative Yuan yesterday for review. This report focuses on the need to building strong defenses and a multilayered deterrence (威懾), while also elaborating on military cooperation with the United States. The report has to be submitted to the the Legislative Yuan within 10 months of the presidential inauguration. CDC seeing an end to flu epidemic The Centers for Disease Control says the ongoing influenza epidemic is expected to end in late March. According to the C-D-C, a total of around 108,000 outpatient and emergency visits due to flu-like illness were reported from March 9 through 15 .. .. and that figure indicate (顯示) a downward trend, but still an ongoing epidemic. The C-D-C says the most common respiratory pathogen in the community is the flu virus, with the majority being influenza type A. C-D-C Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui says that the flu epidemic remains at a "critical point" and "still requires continued monitoring." UN Guterres Shocked at Israel's Gaza Strikes The United Nations Secretary General has expressed shock at the overnight Israeli attacks on Gaza. Israel launched a series of air strikes on the enclave (飛地) on Monday night ending an almost two month ceasefire. Jody Jacobs reports from New York where the Security Council ismeeting on the matter. Mali Withdraws from FrenchSpeakingCountry Alliance Mali has withdrawn from a global alliance of French-speaking countries, days after two of its neighbors took the same step. In a letter seen by The Associated Press on Tuesday, Mali’s foreign ministry accused its French counterpart of “selective application of sanctions” and “contempt for Mali’s sovereignty.” On Monday, the alliance's spokeswoman said Burkina Faso and Niger had also decided to remove their countries from the organization, which had already suspended the membership of the three countries over military coups in recent years. Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are now all ruled by military juntas that have severed diplomatic ties with France and expelled (驅逐) French troops while building security partnerships with Russia instead. The three will have six months to discuss the terms of their withdrawal from the alliance before it becomes final. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn