EZ News 05/04/23

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 5-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 15,548 on turnover of $2.2-billion N-T. Shares in Taiwan moved lower Wednesday as turnover shrank ahead of the conclusion of a two-day policymaking meeting held by the U.S. Federal Reserve due later in the day. Caution continued throughout the session with many investors wary of financial woes (困難) in the U.S. banking sector, which pushed down shares on American markets overnight. **Taiwan ranked 35th in 2023 RSF press freedom index ** Taiwan has moved up three spots to 35th in the latest World Press Freedom Index released Wednesday. The 2023 edition of the index issued by Reporters Without Borders ranked Taiwan 35th out of 180 countries and territories evaluated based on the environment for journalism, compared to 38th the previous year. But RSF says the ranking does not represent (代表) improvement in Taiwan's media environment, and is actually due to the decline in press freedom in other countries. Taiwan's latest ranking placed it fourth in the Asia-Pacific region, behind New Zealand, Samoa, and Australia, but ahead of South Korea, Papua New Guinea, and Japan. The index's top three spots go to Norway, Ireland, and Denmark, in that order. The last three places are occupied by Asian countries, namely Vietnam, China, and North Korea. **Rwanda Flooding Leaves Dead and Missing ** A public broadcaster in Rwanda says at least 129 people have been killed in flooding amid torrential rain in the western and northern provinces of the country. The Rwanda Broadcasting Agency reported Wednesday that the death toll “continues to rise.” The governor of Rwanda’s Western province told reporters that a search for more victims was underway (正在進行的) following heavy rain Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Strong rainstorms last week caused flooding and mudslides that swept away several houses across the country. The Rwanda Meteorology Agency has warned that more rain is coming. Parts of East Africa also are seeing heavy rainfall. At least three people drowned in floods last week after a river burst its banks in Uganda. **US Fed Raises Interest Rates ** The US central bank has raised interest rates by a quarter percentage point - its 10th increase in 14 months. But it could be its last hike for a while as the Federal Reserve tries to calm (使鎮靜) fears about the stability of banks and the broader economy. Kate Fisher reports from Washington **Mexico Touts DomesticallyProduced COVID19 Vaccine ** Mexican officials are touting the country's domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine. The head of Mexico's government commission for science and technology said Wednesday the new vaccine would be approved for use as a booster shot. Mexico started developing the Patria vaccine in March 2020. But testing was slow, and the country wound up (最後) importing 225 million doses of vaccines. And vaccine uptake in Mexico dropped in late 2022 and 2023. 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