EZ News 10/15/24

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened up 108-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 23,084 on turnover of $5.9-billion N-T. Shares closed higher on Monday despite Chinese military drills around Taiwan. Large-cap tech stocks appeared resilient amid optimism toward an investor conference scheduled by TSMC Thursday, where the chipmaker could give positive leads in the current boom of an artificial intelligence era. MAC condemns China's sanctioning of Taiwan businessman, lawmaker The Mainland Affairs Council on Monday condemned China over its sanctioning of Taiwanese businessman Robert Tsao and DPP Legislator Puma Shen, calling the move detrimental to cross-strait relations. In a statement, the MAC said the Republic of China is a sovereign country and that attempts to undermine (破壞) a free and democratic society will only drive the two sides further apart. It made the remarks after China announced earlier in the day the imposition of sanctions including an entry ban on Tsao and Shen for being "Taiwan independence die-hards." The Taiwan Affairs Office in China may have been referring to the Kuma Academy, a war-preparedness organization established by Shen and supported by Tsao, the founder of contract chipmaker United Microelectronics Corp. In 2022, Tsao made aT$1 billion NT donation to the academy, a volunteer civilian training organization with a mission to "prepare a pre-war mentality for civilians and cultivate self-defense capability." UN Concerned as Israel Fires on UN Peacekeepers The U.N. Security Council expressed “strong concern” as Israel has fired on and wounded U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon during intensified fighting. It reiterated its support for their role in supporting security in the region. The statement Monday is the first by the U.N.’s most powerful body since Israel began firing on the positions of the peacekeeping force. The U.N. peacekeeping chief told reporters that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres confirmed Monday that peacekeepers will remain in all their positions even as Israel has urged the peacekeepers to move north. Israel has been escalating its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon across a U.N.-drawn boundary (邊界) between the two countries. Hurricane Helene clean-up efforts hampered by 'armed militia' groups Hurricane relief workers in the US state of North Carolina have been evacuated following threats from 'armed militia'. This comes as US authorities are trying to stem a flow of false claims circulating (散佈) about the government's response to recent storms - including some made by former president Donald Trump. Sally Patterson reports. Kenya Protests Against Nuclear Plant Dozens have rallied against a proposal to build Kenya’s first nuclear power plant in one of the country’s top coastal tourist hubs. Muslim for Human Rights led the march Friday in the town of Kilifi to the county governor’s office where they handed him a petition (請願書,) opposing the construction of the plant. Kilifi County is also home to Arabuko Sokoke forest, which is on the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage sites, as a significant natural habitat for the conservation of rare and endangered species. The construction of the plant is set to begin in 2027 and be operational by 2034, at a cost of about $3.8 billion US dollars. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn