Episode Details

Tai-Ex opening

The Tai-Ex opened down 19-points this morning from yesterday's close, at
17,401 on turnover of 2.4-billion N-T.

The market closed slightly lower on Monday as the bellwether electronics
sector lost ground on the back of growing concerns the U-S will tighten
controls on chip sales to China.

Despite the slump in investor interest in the bellwether electronics sector,
the transportation sector, in particular bulk cargo shippers, trended higher,
due to increasing freight rates, which lent some support to the broader
market.

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AIT Head Stresses Need to Combat Election Disinformation

American Institute in Taiwan Director Sandra Oudkirk is stressing that
Washington and Taipei are "on the frontlines" as they seek to tackle the
spread of disinformation.

Speaking at the National Taiwan University, where she delivered her
End-of-Year policy address, Oudkirk said both sides are working closely to
combat online information manipulation, as such threats are especially
worrisome in the context of democratic elections.

Oudkirk also said Washington and Taipei and other democratic partners
recently participated in the Global Declaration on International Information
Integrity Online and that declaration has now been joined by more than 30
countries.

The declaration was launched by Canada and Netherlands in September.

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Academia Sinica scholar Awarded Germany's Humboldt Research Award

A distinguished research fellow at Academia Sinica has been awarded the 2023
Humboldt Research Award by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany.

Wang Fan-sen, of the Institute of History and Philology, received the award
in recognition of his achievements and impact on historical scholarship.

Along with being a research fellow at Academia Sinica, Wang also currently
serves as chair professor at the National Cheng Kung University, National
Chengchi University, the National Taiwan Normal University and the National
Sun Yat-sen University.

The Humboldt prize is for internationally renowned scientists and scholars
who work outside of Germany in recognition of their lifetime's research
achievements.

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Putin Plans to Visit the UAE and Saudi Arabia

Russian media outlets are reporting that President Vladimir Putin plans to
visit the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia this week.

Russian state news agencies say that Putin will travel to the two countries
for a working visit, during which he will meet the Saudi crown prince,
Mohammed bin Salman.

The U-A-E is currently hosting the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

However, it's unclear whether Putin will attend the conference.

Putin currently risks arrest if he leaves Russia after the International
Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him in March for war crimes,
accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from
Ukraine.

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UN Concerned about Rohingya Muslims aboard Two Boats

The United Nations refugee agency is raising the alarm for an estimated 400
Rohingya Muslims believed to be aboard two boats reported to be out of
supplies and adrift in the Andaman Sea.

The agency is worried that all those aboard could die without efforts to
rescue them.

The captain of one of the boats says he had 180 to 190 people on board and
that the engine was damaged.

There is a seasonal exodus of Rohingyas, usua