EZ News 09/25/24

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened up 137-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 22,569 on turnover of 8.9-billion N-T. The market gained more than 140-points on Tuesday as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing recouped early losses, which helped the broader market return to positive territory by the end of the session. Other heavyweights in the old economy sector, in particular those in the transportation industry also moved higher, adding momentum (衝力、動量) to the local main board -- which pushed the index past stiff technical resistance ahead of the 60-day moving average. 2025 Government Budget Bill Stalled A legislative review of the 2025 central government budget remains stalled after opposition lawmakers demanded the Cabinet revise its spending plan. The move effectively stops any further reviews of the budget outside of the Procedure Committee. D-P-P lawmaker Shen Fa-hui is describing the move as "unprecedented"(史無前例) arguing that the main task of the new legislative session is to review and pass the budget bill. However, K-M-T lawmaker Chen Yu-ren has been quick to point out that President Lai Ching-te and Premier Cho Jung-tai employed the same procedural tactic in the D-P-P's failed move to hold up the central government budget bill when they were lawmakers in 2008. Grounded Mirage-2000s Back in Operation Defense officials say the Air Force's fleet on Mirage-2000 fighter jets has returned to normal operations. The aircraft had been grounded (（飛機）停飛) for safety checks following a crash earlier this month. The resumption of normal flight operations came after the Air Force lifted the grounding order for all of Taiwan's 50-plus Mirage-2000s following the completion of a round of safety checks in the wake of the September 10 crash. The Air Force has said that preliminary indications are that one of the crashed fighter jet's engines lost thrust before the aircraft crashed. However, a full investigation into the incident is ongoing. Military aid to Ukraine The U.S. has unveiled its latest military aid package worth about $375 million for Ukraine. This comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy embarks (出發) on a visit to the United States… Sagher Meghani reports from Washington. Thailand Legalizes SameSex Marriage Thailand’s landmark marriage equality bill has been officially written into law, allowing same-sex couples to legally wed. The law was published in the Royal Gazette after endorsement by Thailand's king, and will come into effect in 120 days. This means LGBTQ+ couples will be able to register their marriage in January next year, making Thailand the third place in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal, to allow same-sex marriage. The bill, which grants full legal, financial and medical rights for marriage partners of any gender, sailed through (順利通過) both the House of Representatives and the Senate in April and June respectively. 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