EZ News 03/21/24

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened flat this morning at 19,784 on turnover of 5.5-billion N-T. The market closed lower on Wednesday - as early gains lost momentum amid investor caution ahead of the conclusion of the U-S Federal Reserve's two-day policymaking meeting. Selling emerged as the Tai-Ex closed in on the 20,000-point mark, which took a toll on large-cap semiconductor stocks, as investors opted to pocket gains form recent sessions to push down the broader market to negative territory. Foreign Minister Stresses Taiwan's Presence in Haiti Unaffected by Unrest Foreign Minister Joseph Wu says Taiwan's projects in Haiti are continuing as normal and there are no signs that unrest in Port-au-Prince will affect bilateral relations. According to Wu, diplomatic cooperation with Haiti also appears to be solid (堅固的), as political leaders there likely to take charge following the establishment of a transitional council are all in close contact with Taiwan. Speaking at a legislative hearing, the foreign minister told lawmakers that his office has evacuation contingencies ready and rehearsed, but there is currently no need to withdraw Taiwan nationals from the county. Central Bank Releases Presidential Inauguration Commemorative Coins The central bank has has released commemorative coins to celebrate the upcoming May 20 inauguration of President-elect Lai Ching-te and Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim. The coins feature images of Lai and Hsiao on one side and the insignia (徽章) of the Presidential Office on the other. The gold coin costs 72,000 N-T, while the silver version is priced at 1,800 N-T. However, only 10,000 gold coins and 50,000 silver coins are being made available. According to the central bank, the images embossed (浮雕的) on the coins are based on photographs provided by the offices of the incoming president and vice president. Japan Opposition Calls for Testimony in Fundraising Skimming Case Opposition lawmakers in Japan are calling for ruling LDP members to give a sworn testimony (宣誓證詞) before parliament over allegations of skimming from fundraising proceeds. Senior LDP members are accused of failing to report more than four million dollars of ticket sales to fundraising events. Chris Gilbert reports from Tokyo. UN Warning on EWaste U.N. agencies have warned that waste from electronics is piling up worldwide while recycling rates remain low and are likely to fall even further. The agencies are referring to “e-waste,” which is defined as discarded devices with a plug or battery, including cellphones, e-cigarettes, laptop computers and solar panels. It does not include waste from electronic vehicles. In a new report released Wednesday, the U.N.’s International Telecommunications Union and research arm UNITAR said nearly 62 million tons of “e-waste” was generated in 2022. They said some contained hazardous (危險的) elements like mercury, as well as rare Earth metals coveted by tech companies. And they say it’s on track to reach 82 million tons by 2030. 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