EZ News 07/03/23

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 31 -points this morning from Friday's close, at 16,946 on turnover of 4.4-billion N-T. The market lost ground on Friday, despite other regional indexes closing the day up after Wall Street ended higher overnight on the back of news that America's economy grew at a 2-per cent annual rate in the first three months of the year. That figure was much stronger than the 1.3-per cent rate earlier estimated. **Tainan Dengue Fever Cases Rise to 158 ** The Tainan Public Health Bureau says the number of dengue fever cases in the city has now risen to 158 after 28 new cases were confirmed on Sunday. According to city health officials, all of the new cases are related to areas with a high risk of transmission of the disease. City health authorities are now urging residents to clean up vector (昆蟲媒介) mosquito-breeding sites by getting rid of stagnant water, throwing out unused containers and destroying mosquito eggs. The total number of domestic dengue fever case since June 13 now stands at 211. Only 88 cases of the mosquito-borne disease were recorded for the whole of last year. **TPass Passengers Not Eligible for TRA Delay Compensation ** The Taiwan Railways Administration is stressing that passengers using the newly introduced regional T-Pass on its trains will not be eligible for compensation in the event of delays. According to the railways administration, as the contactless cards offer unlimited (無限) journeys on not only T-R-A trains but also other forms (形式) of public transport, it will be impossible to break down the cost. One of the T-Pass' covers Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung and Taoyuan, another covers Taichung, Changhua, Nantou and Miaoli, and a third can be used on public transport in Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung. The 30-day unlimited transport pass can be used for railway, M-R-T, bus, light-rail, and ferry journeys as well as YouBike rentals. **Syria Israel Exchanges Airstrikes ** The Syrian military says Israel carried out airstrikes on areas near the central Syrian city of Homs causing material damage but no casualties. A Syrian anti-aircraft missile exploded over Israeli territory, the Israeli military said, prompting another round of strikes early Sunday. Syrian state media quoted an unnamed military official as saying that the air defenses shot down some of the missiles fired by Israeli warplanes flying over neighboring Lebanon. Israel, which has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment (牢固確立;) in Syria, has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets in government-controlled parts of neighboring Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges them. **Australia Changes Psychiatrist Prescriptions ** Australia has become the first country to allow psychiatrists to prescribe certain psychedelic (迷幻的) substances to patients with depression or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. AP correspondent Karen Chammas reports. **Thailand Elephant Returning for Medical Care ** An ailing elephant that Thailand presented to Sri Lanka more than two decades ago has returned to his native land for medical treatment Sunday following allegations the animal was badly abused while living at a Buddhist temple. The male elephant was flown directly from the South Asian island nation’s capital to northern Thailand on a cargo plane. A six-person team, including two veterinarians and four trainers, accompanied the elephant on the flight, which took about six hours. The 4-ton animal traveled in a specially built container. Video footage of his arrival in Chiang Mai province showed the elephant conscious and appearing calm. 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