EZ News 04/30/24

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened up 12-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 20,508 on turnover of 4.6-billion N-T. The market closed sharply higher on Monday. Investor interest in the bellwether electronics sector spiked following rallies in U-S tech stocks on Wall Street at the end of last week. The upturn was also driven by the financial sector. Investors rushed to pick up finance heavyweights due to their general dividend payout plans. Government Seeking to Boost Agricultural Exports to US Deputy trade representative Jenni Yang says she will be pushing for more Taiwanese agricultural products to be exported to the United States during this week's trade talks in Taipei. The talks are taking place under the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade and began on Monday. Yang is leading Taiwan's delegation. The U-S side is headed by Assistant United States Trade Representative for China, Mongolia and Taiwan Affairs, Terry McCartin. According to Yang, the latest round of negotiations is focusing on issues concerning labor, environmental protection and agriculture (農業). Five Indicted over Taipei Building Partial Collapse And, The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office has indicted five people in connection with an investigation into the partial collapse of a residential building in Taipei's Dazhi District last year. The five include the head of the construction project responsible for the incident. The case stems from September 7, 2023. Underground excavation (挖掘) work at a Kee Tai Properties construction site caused a neighboring building to sink into the ground and six others to lean to one side. The incident resulted in hundreds of people from different households being evacuated and temporarily re-housed. US pressures for ceasefire In international news, The United States is stepping up pressure for a cease-fire deal in Gaza. Hamas officials are in Egypt to discuss the new proposal (提議). Sagher Meghani reports. < [CLIP] Slug: > UN Call for Sudan Arms Sale to Stop The United States is urging all countries supplying weapons to Sudan's warring parties to halt arms sales .. …. warning that history in the vast western Darfur region where there was a genocide 20 years ago "is repeating itself." U-S Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield says the only capital in Darfur not held by paramilitary forces, is "on the precipice of a large-scale massacre." Sudan plunged into chaos in mid-April 2023. Long-simmering tensions between its military and the R-S-F paramilitary group broke out into street battles in the capital, Khartoum. Fighting has since spread to other parts of the country, especially urban areas and the Darfur region. Britain's Duchess of Edinburgh Visits Ukraine Britain's Duchess of Edinburgh has become the first member of the Royal Family to visit Ukraine since the Russian invasion. She went on a one-day visit, on behalf of the Foreign Office, to "demonstrate solidarity with the women, men and children impacted by the war". The duchess paid her respects to those who had lost their lives in the town of Bucha during the Russian occupation. There was also a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. Britain's Royal Family has been unusually outspoken (直言不諱) in its support of Ukraine. King Charles marked the second anniversary of the invasion in February by warning of the "indescribable (無法形容) aggression" and the "unprovoked attack" by Russia. 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