EZ News 03/18/24

I'm _______, with today's episode of EZ News.

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Tai-Ex opening

The Tai-Ex opened up 23-points this morning from Friday's close, at 19,706 on
turnover of 8-billion N-T.

The market tumbled by over 250-points on Friday, following the release of a
mixed batch of data on the U-S economy - which dashed investor hopes that
America's central Bank will ease off on interest rate hike anytime soon.



----
Flash Mob Protesters Slam MOTC's Amendments to Traffic Act

Road safety activists have been taking to the streets of seven cities and
counties to protest a decision by the government to amend the Road Traffic
Management and Penalty Act and ease punishments for some traffic violations.

People to the streets of Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan,
Kaohsiung and Yunlin County for around 30 minutes.

The protests were organized by the Taiwan Vision Zero Alliance.

And participants called for improved road construction, adequate
complementary measures to the law, retraining procedures for drivers, reform
of how traffic regulations are enforced, and for the amendment draft to be
retracted.

The Cabinet approved the amendments to the Road Traffic Management and
Penalty Act two weeks ago.

----
Tsai Joins Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage for 6th Year

President Tsai Ing-wen has joined the annual Bai-Sha-Tun Mazu Pilgrimage for
a sixth consecutive year after it got underway at just past midnight in
Miaoli County.

Prior to the event getting underway , Tsai participated in a cleansing ritual
for the palanquin that bears a statue of the sea goddess Mazu on a nine-day
procession to the Chao-Tian Temple in Yunlin's Bei-Gang Township and back.

Holding a pot of burning incense, Tsai circled the palanquin several times to
cleanse it before the procession got underway.

Organizers say some 180,000 people have registered to participate in the
approximately 400 kilometer pilgrimage this year.

----
NKorea Fires Ballistic Missiles

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern
waters, days after the end of the South Korean-U.S. military drills that the
North views as an invasion rehearsal.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a parliamentary session today that
North Korea fired “a number of” ballistic missiles into the waters between
the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

He said no damage or injuries has been reported and denounced North Korea’s
repeated tests as acts that threaten the region.

----
C*US Biden and Trump Trade Barbs

US President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump took aim at each
other in speeches delivered over the weekend, as the two men prepare for a
widely expected rematch for the White House.

Our Washington correspondent Jagruti Dave has more

----
Uber to Settle with Australian Cabbies

Global rideshare giant Uber will pay $178 million to settle a long-running
dispute with Australian taxi and hire car drivers who lost out when the
company entered the Australian market.

A class action suit against Uber had been expected to go to trial in the
Supreme Court of Victoria today, but lawyers acting on behalf of 8,000 taxi
and hire car drivers said the case will be dropped because Uber agreed to the
financial settlement.

It’s the fifth-largest class action settlement in Australia’s history and
comes five years after the action was launched.

----

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 _____.

I'm _______, with today's episode of EZ News.



----

Tai-Ex opening



The Tai-Ex opened up 23-points this morning from Friday's close, at 19,706 on

turnover of 8-billion N-T.



The market tumbled by over 250-points on Friday, following the release of a

mixed batch of data on the U-S economy - which dashed investor hopes that

America's central Bank will ease off on interest rate hike anytime soon.







----

Flash Mob Protesters Slam MOTC's Amendments to Traffic Act



Road safety activists have been taking to the streets of seven cities and

counties to protest a decision by the government to amend the Road Traffic

Management and Penalty Act and ease punishments for some traffic violations.



People to the streets of Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan,

Kaohsiung and Yunlin County for around 30 minutes.



The protests were organized by the Taiwan Vision Zero Alliance.



And participants called for improved road construction, adequate

complementary measures to the law, retraining procedures for drivers, reform

of how traffic regulations are enforced, and for the amendment draft to be

retracted.



The Cabinet approved the amendments to the Road Traffic Management and

Penalty Act two weeks ago.



----

Tsai Joins Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage for 6th Year



President Tsai Ing-wen has joined the annual Bai-Sha-Tun Mazu Pilgrimage for

a sixth consecutive year after it got underway at just past midnight in

Miaoli County.



Prior to the event getting underway , Tsai participated in a cleansing ritual

for the palanquin that bears a statue of the sea goddess Mazu on a nine-day

procession to the Chao-Tian Temple in Yunlin's Bei-Gang Township and back.



Holding a pot of burning incense, Tsai circled the palanquin several times to

cleanse it before the procession got underway.



Organizers say some 180,000 people have registered to participate in the

approximately 400 kilometer pilgrimage this year.



----

NKorea Fires Ballistic Missiles



North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern

waters, days after the end of the South Korean-U.S. military drills that the

North views as an invasion rehearsal.



Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a parliamentary session today that

North Korea fired “a number of” ballistic missiles into the waters between

the Korean Peninsula and Japan.



He said no damage or injuries has been reported and denounced North Korea’s

repeated tests as acts that threaten the region.



----

C*US Biden and Trump Trade Barbs



US President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump took aim at each

other in speeches delivered over the weekend, as the two men prepare for a

widely expected rematch for the White House.



Our Washington correspondent Jagruti Dave has more



----

Uber to Settle with Australian Cabbies



Global rideshare giant Uber will pay $178 million to settle a long-running

dispute with Australian taxi and hire car drivers who lost out when the

company entered the Australian market.



A class action suit against Uber had been expected to go to trial in the

Supreme Court of Victoria today, but lawyers acting on behalf of 8,000 taxi

and hire car drivers said the case will be dropped because Uber agreed to the

financial settlement.



It’s the fifth-largest class action settlement in Australia’s history and

comes five years after the action was launched.



----



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 _____.