EZ News 04/09/24

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened up 103-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 20,521 on turnover of 8.4-billion N-T. The market staged a technical rebound on Monday following last Wednesday's slump prior to the four-day Tomb Sweeping holiday. However, the gains were capped amid lingering investor concerns over when the U-S Federal Reserve's a rate-cut cycle will kick-in. 42 Buildings Listed as 'Code Red' Damage The National Land Management Agency says 42 buildings suffered severe damage from last week's earthquake. They have been listed as "code red." The agency's "code red" is the highest level of damage. Of the 42 buildings, 32 are in Hualien, two in Taipei, four in New Taipei, and four are in Taoyuan. According to land management agency, 70 buildings have been listed as "code yellow" for secondary damage. That includes 35 in Hualien, 13 in Taipei, seven in New Taipei City, 14 in Taoyuan, and one in Keelung. 690 other buildings don't currently (目前) fall into the color-coded warnings listing. But they are still being checked. UAV Makes 2nd Attempt to Pass Combat Readiness Tests A redesigned version of the locally developed Teng Yun 2 U-A-V has been undergoing (經歷、進行) combat readiness tests. The UAVs failed the tests last year. Sources are being cited as saying the "Cloud Rider 2" combat and reconnaissance drone entered the final testing stage for the second time in mid-March. However, the defense ministry has not released any information concerning when the testing will be completed. Reports have said results from the Teng Yun 2's unsuccessful first attempt to pass the final testing in March of last year indicated that there was "still room for improvement" in the drone's design. Iraq FM Accuses US of Greenlighting Strike on Consulate in Syria Iran’s foreign minister has accused the United States of giving Israel the “green light” for a strike on its consulate building in Syria. The strike killed seven Iranian military officials, including two generals. The minister reiterated Tehran’s vows that it will respond to the attack, widely blamed on Israel. The attack killed a senior military official in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force. It appeared to signify (表示、象征) an escalation of Israel’s targeting of military officials from Iran. And the incident worsened fears of the war spiraling into the rest of the Middle East. The Biden administration has insisted that it had no advance knowledge of the airstrike. Vatican doubles down on opposition to gender theory and sex changes The Vatican has doubled down (堅持) on its opposition to gender theory and sex changes. Giles Gibson has more from Rome. Haiti Recovers Hijacked Cargo Ship Haiti’s National Police says it has recovered a hijacked cargo ship laden with (裝滿的) rice following a gun battle with gangs that lasted more than five hours. Authorities said Sunday that two policemen were injured and an undetermined number of gang members killed in the shootout off the coast of the Port-au-Prince capital. Local media reports that the gangs kidnapped everyone aboard the ship and stole some 10,000 sacks of rice out of the 60,000 sacks it was carrying. Saturday's recovery was a rare victory for Haiti's underfunded police department. The department has struggled to stop gang violence following a spate of attacks that began Feb. 29. 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