EZ News 05/16

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex ended the trading day down on Monday, despite gains in other regional markets, as investors here remain concerned about a possible recession in the U-S after Wall Street lost ground on Friday. **Taipei Mayor Vows to Hold Construction Company Accountable for Sinkhole ** Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an says he will hold a construction company and project contractor accountable (應負責任的) for damage caused by a massive sinkhole that appeared on a street next to a construction site in the city's Xinyi District. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting, Chiang says the sinkhole is believed to been caused by a nearby construction project, but the city government was still investigating the exact cause of the hole. City government officials say ground-penetrating radar is now being used to check the affected area for possible holes or soft soil layers and building examinations will be completed within a week. **Petitions on Shorter Workweek and Reduced Working Hours to Get Response ** Two petitions posted on an online public policy participation platform calling for a shorter workweek and reduced (減少) working hours have passed the 5,000 signature threshold required to get a government response. One of the petitions asks that the government make Taiwan the first country in Asia to implement a three-day weekend. While the other seeks to revise Article 30 of the Labor Standards Act to lower the number of working hours to six or seven daily, or to between 30 and 35 hours per week. The Ministry of Labor says discussions on both petitions will be held and responses issue in late June or early July. **Croatia Sees Flooding Amid Heay Rain ** Hundreds of soldiers have been deployed in Croatia to help people in parts of the country hit by floods. Heavy rain in recent days caused some rivers to overflow (溢出) their banks, flooding homes, roads and public buildings in some towns. Authorities said some 300 army troops stepped in on Monday to help people in need and to bolster flood defenses. Floods were also reported downstream in northwestern Bosnia. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said his government would provide all necessary funding and aid. Meteorologists in Croatia said more rain was expected in the coming days. **Japan Under Pressure to Improve LGBT Rights ** Japan is coming under mounting international pressure to improve LGBT rights ahead of this weeks G7 summit in Hiroshima. The government, so far, has declined (謝絕) to respond to a video by 15 diplomatic missions calling on it to take action on marriage equality. Chris Gilbert reports from Tokyo. 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