EZ News 08/12/24

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened up 130-points this morning from Friday's close, at 21,599 on turnover of $5.1-billion N-T. Shares in Taiwan staged a technical rebound Friday last week after slumping a day earlier, helped by solid gains in American markets overnight. Market sentiment improved as investors were relieved by lower-than-expected weekly jobless claims in the United States. Led by TSMC, buying momentum continued Friday and spread to old economy and financial stocks to push the Taiex above 21,600 points before some investors moved to the sell side, capping the market's rise. Perseid meteor shower to peak on Monday: Taipei Astronomical Museum And finally, Stargazers are on the lookout tonight, as one of the three major meteor showers of the year is set to peak. The Taipei Astronomical Museum says the Perseid meteor shower may reach a maximum rate of 100 shooting stars per hour this evening. The museum forecasts that the meteor shower's radiant, that's the point in the sky from which meteors appear to originate (起源), will rise at around 8:30 p.m., but the best viewing time would be from 11 p.m. until sunrise the next day. For those who are not able to get outside, the museum will also set up video cameras on mountains to provide a live stream on YouTube accompanied by expert commentary, starting at 8 o'clock tonight. This year's Perseids have been active since July 17 and will continue until Aug. 24. Ukraine Acknowledges Military Action in Russia Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has indirectly acknowledged ongoing military actions in Russia's Kursk border region. Zelenskyy made the comment late Saturday in his nightly address. Ukraine’s incursion into Russia is into its sixth day Sunday. It's the largest such attack since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, and is unprecedented (史無前例的) for its use of Ukrainian military units on Russian soil. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that Russian forces engaged Ukrainian troops in 3 villages roughly 25 km from the Ukrainian border. US Biden on Dropping Out of Presidential Race US President Joe Biden says he dropped out of the Presidential race because he was worried internal Democratic party discussions about his fitness to serve (合適，勝任) would be a "distraction" to his re-election campaign. Our US Correspondent Jagruti Dave has more. Olympic Flame Out in Paris The Olympic flame has gone out in Paris, officially ending the 2024 Games as Los Angeles takes over for 2028. The French capital has handed over (把…交給) hosting duties for the Summer Games to the next city in line. For the closing ceremony, Hollywood star Tom Cruise descended from the top of the stadium to the “Mission Impossible” theme song, before taking the Olympic flag from star gymnast Simone Biles, putting it on the back of motorcycle and roaring out of the stadium. Next, Los Angeles will host the Olympics for the third time, with previous Games being held there in 1984 and 1932. It will be the first time the city will host the Paralympics. 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