The Tai-Ex opened down 194-points this morning from yesterday's close, at

30,746 on turnover of 11.3-billion N-T.

The market gained ground again on Wednesday as buying rotated to select tech

stocks that had been lagging behind semiconductor shares in recent sessions.

Lawmakers have begin public hearings to discuss impeaching President Lai

Ching-te.

The first hearing took place yesterday and a second hearing is scheduled for

today as part of the legislature's impeachment review process.

The Committee of the Whole Yuan will then hold formal (正式的) review

meetings on January 21 and 22.

The lead sponsors will use those meetings to explain the grounds for

impeachment and Lai will be invited to give a 15-minute statement followed by

questioning by lawmakers.

A second review meeting is scheduled for May, after which the impeachment

case will be put to a vote in the Legislative Yuan on May 19.

The impeachment needs a two-thirds majority of lawmakers for it to pass.

Taiwan's passport has risen three place in the latest Henley Passport Index

to move up to 33rd spot.

The rise means it returned to the same place it was in the rankings in

January of last year.

The index rank passports by the number of destinations its holder can travel

to without a visa.

The latest survey shows that Taiwan passport holders can travel to 139

countries and territories without a visa.

The Singaporean passport was ranked (排名) the most powerful with visa-free

access to 192 destinations out of a total of 227.

The Trump Administration says it will indefinitely halt visa processing for

immigrants from 75 countries, including Brazil, Russia and Iran.

The State Department says this latest restriction - which kicks in next week

- is aimed at people trying to quote .. "extract (強索) wealth from the

American people."

Toni Waterman has more from DC

Canada’s Pacific coast province of British Columbia is ending its three-year

experiment in decriminalizing possession (擁有) of small amounts of drugs.

British Columbia's health minister says the province is not seeking an

extension (延伸) of its agreement with Canada’s federal health agency that

allowed the decriminalization of small amounts of drugs for personal

possession.

The three-year pilot project, slated to end Jan. 31st, initially allowed

adults to possess up to 2.5 grams cumulatively of opioids, crack and powdered

cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.

But in 2024, the exemption was amended to restrict such possession to private

homes and places where homeless people are legally sheltering, as well as

designated health-care clinics and overdose prevention, drug checking and

supervised consumption sites.

The minister says the goal was to make it easier for people o come forward

and seek help, but it "hasn't delivered the results" officials hoped for.

That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____.

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