Episode Details

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



Tai-Ex opening
The Tai-Ex opened marginally higher this morning from yesterday's close, at
40,708 on turnover of 8-billion N-T.

The market posted a record daily gain of more than 1,700 points on Monday to
close above the 40,000-point mark for the first time.

Analysts says buying in the semiconductor industry was sparked by massive
spending proposed by major U-S cloud service providers last week and Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing was the largest beneficiary of that on Monday ..

… and saw its share price rose 6.56-per cent to close at a high of 2,275
N-T.




Premier directs ministries to assist shipping companies
Premier Cho Jung-tai has instructed government agencies to coordinate
assistance for Taiwan shipping company whose vessels are stranded due to the
blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the Cabinet, the directive was issues after the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs released data showing of the about 1,600 vessels from various
countries currently stranded (受困), eight are operated by Taiwan firms.

The Cabinet says Cho has asked the Ministry of Transport to coordinate with
the foreign ministry in contacting foreign governments and Taiwan shipping
firms, to offer assistance measures to enable the vessels to resume normal
operations as soon as possible.

However, the Cabinet has not released any details concerning how such
measures could be adopted.



Hon Hai's 2nd generation satellites launched successfully
Two second-generation satellites developed by Hon Hai has been launched
successfully into orbit from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

According to Hon Hai, the low-Earth orbit satellites PEARL-1A and PEARL-2B
have entered their intended orbits for expected on-orbit mission durations of
between one to three years.

The satellites have been primarily designed for payload technology
verification (驗証，確認) in communication and space science.

Hon Hai co-developed the satellites with the National Central University.



China Fireworks Explosion
State media in China says an explosion at a fireworks plant in a central
Chinese province has killed at least 21 people and injured 61 others.

China’s official news agency Xinhua says the blast occurred at a fireworks
plant in Changsha city of Hunan province on Monday afternoon.

Nearly 500 rescuers were deployed to the scene and evacuations were conducted
in danger zones.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the blast.



19 people jailed in France for facilitating a network of migrant smugglers
19 people in France received jail terms for facilitating (促進) a network of
migrant smugglers operating along the northern French coasts.

Prosecutors at the trial in the northern city of Lille (LEEL) said those
convicted worked as lookouts, masterminds, and drivers for smuggling gangs.

Ross Cullen reports.


Mauritania Lawmakers Sentenced for Insulting President
Two female opposition lawmakers in Mauritania have been sentenced to four
years in prison for insulting the president and inciting (煽動) violence.

Their lawyers say Monday that the charges stem from social media posts
accusing the president of discrimination against Black people and descendants
(後人) of slaves.