Episode Details

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News.



Tai-Ex opening
The Tai-Ex opened down 0.6-points this morning from yesterday's close, at
23,407 on turnover of $6.3-billion N-T.

Shares in Taiwan closed lower Wednesday as the bellwether electronics sector
came under pressure in the wake of heavy losses suffered by tech stocks in
the United States overnight.

The market opened down as electronics heavyweights, such as Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., slid following a 1.89 percent fall in the
tech-heavy Nasdaq index overnight.

That weakness continued to the end of the session as last ditch selling sent
TSMC to the day's low.


iRent Faces Scrutiny Over Data Collection Practices
iRent car rental service is under fire for allegedly collecting excessive
personal data, including spousal (配偶的) information, and sharing it with
affiliated companies.

The Highway Bureau has demanded corrections following complaints from the
Consumers' Foundation.

While iRent says users agreed to share their data, officials found its
necessity unclear.

The company has promised to stop sharing data within its group for marketing
and will revise (修訂) its privacy policy, letting users opt in for data
sharing.

Inspectors are reviewing if iRent's practices comply with data protection
laws.

The company must submit evidence by January 17th for further investigation.



US LA Battles Wildfires
Wildfires are continuing to rage through Los Angeles, with tens of thousands
of residents forced to evacuate.

At least five people have died so far, with the fires spreading at an
unprecedented (史無前例) pace.

It's now the largest fire in the city's history.

Ira Spitzer reports from LA.



Israel Recovers Body of at Least One Hostage
Israel’s military says troops have recovered the body of another hostage
from Gaza.

The military said on Wednesday that Yosef AlZayadni's body was recovered in
an underground tunnel in southern Gaza.

It said it was examining whether a second body was that of another hostage.

The men were taken captive (俘虜) during Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

Israel and Hamas have been considering a ceasefire deal that would free the
remaining 100 or so hostages and would halt the fighting in Gaza.

Israel believes a third of the remaining hostages are dead.

However, AlZayadni was believed to still be alive before Wednesday's
announcement.



Canada Finance Minister on Trump 51st State Comments
Canada's finance minister says U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s comments
that Canada should become the 51st state are now counter productive.

He says Trump was smiling when he made the comment at dinner at Mar-a-Lago
with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in late November, but the joke is over.

Trump has repeatedly floated the idea that Canada should join the United
States as the 51st state, saying Tuesday he would not use military force to
invade the country, which is home to more than 40 million people and is a
founding NATO partner.

Instead, Trump said he would rely on “economic force” as he erroneously
cast the U.S. trade deficit with Canada as a subsidy (補貼).

The U.S. relies on Canada for approximately 60% of its crude oil imports.

Canada is the top export destinat