EZ News 09/15/22

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened down 11.3-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 14,647 on turnover of $2.5-billion N-T. The market lost over 230-points on Wednesday as investors reacted to disappointing inflation data from the U-S that sent the Dow Jones plunging by nearly 1,300 points on Wall Street overnight. Large cap tech stocks, in particular those in the semiconductor industry, led the decline on the main board, amid expectations the U-S Federal Reserve will adopt (採納) a more aggressive approach on interest rates as it takes steps to fight inflation. **US Senate Committee Passes Taiwan Policy Act ** The U-S Senate Foreign Relations Committee has passed the Taiwan Policy Act. Lawmakers voted to pass the bill after about 2-hours of discussions. The bill is aimed at increasing America's support for Taiwan, both militarily and economically, and it was introduced in June by Senates Bob Menendez and Lindsey Graham. Speaking after lawmakers voted, Menendez said there were only minor changes to the approved version and those changes were mainly symbolic (象徵性的). And he's stressing that the substance of Taiwan Policy Act remains unchanged. **CECC Approves Guidelines for Overseas Tour Groups ** The Central Epidemic Command Center says it has approved a series of guidelines for travel agencies organizing overseas tours. The statement comes after local media reported that that operating guidelines have been finalized, despite the continuing ban on organizing tour groups for overseas travel. The guidelines will not be implemented until the current domestic coronavirus outbreak has peaked and the ban on group overseas travel will only be lifted in full accordance with the government's border re-opening plan. According to center head, Victor Wang, the guidelines for overseas tour groups have been approved "in preparation" for future policy changes, which will be implemented (實施的) at later dates. **SKorea Arrests Woman Wanted in NZ ** Authorities say a woman has been arrested in South Korea on two murder charges from New Zealand, where the bodies of two long-dead children were found in abandoned (遺棄) suitcases. Authorities didn't immediately say if the 42-year-old suspect was the victims' mother. New Zealand police earlier told their South Korean counterparts that the mother might be in South Korea. South Korean police said they detained the woman after New Zealand requested her extradition. A court will now review whether she should be extradited. The bodies were discovered last month after a New Zealand family bought abandoned goods from a storage unit. Police said the children were between 5 and 10 years old and the suitcases had been in storage at least three or four years. **Macau Begins Negotiations for Casino Licenses ** The government in Macau is beginning negotiations with casino operators for new licenses in the world’s biggest gambling hub. But analysts say the process is facing unprecedented (史無前例) complications due to China’s strict COVID-19 restrictions. Richard Kimber reports from Hong Kong. **Czech Gov Unveils Plan to Help Businesses with Energy Costs ** The Czech government has unveiled a plan to help businesses cope with surging energy costs. Prime Minister Petr Fiala says the government is ready to use up to $1.2 billion US dollars for the program, which mainly aims to assist (幫助) larger firms with a high consumption of electricity or gas. The government already announced another plan to cap to cap electricity and gas prices for households, small businesses and the public sector. 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