The Tai-Ex opened down 23-points this morning from yesterday's close, at

17,523 on turnover of $2.5-billion N-T.

Shares in Taiwan closed slightly higher Monday after investors rebuilt their

positions with political uncertainties removed following the presidential

election over the weekend.

The bellwether electronics sector led the upturn as investors resumed buying

after the election, while power development-related developers and biotech

stocks also moved higher on expectations that the ruling DPP, which won the

presidential vote, would continue to lend them support.

Two suspects, including a Pingtung ward chief, were indicted Monday by

prosecutors for buying signatures for business tycoon Terry Gou to help him

reach the level of endorsement (揹書) needed to run in Taiwan's Jan. 13-th

presidential election.

The Pingtung District Prosecutors Office says the ward chief, identified by

his last name Chiu, was found to have paid his wife, and another man $200 NT

apiece for their signatures late last year,

Chiu and the other man then worked with four others to gather over 30

signatures.

The two men are facing charges of "arranging bribes to compel a person to

sign the candidacy petition of a specified individual."

Iran says it launched strikes against a “spy headquarters and the gathering

of anti-Iranian terrorist groups” shortly after missiles hit an area near

the U.S. consulate in Irbil, the seat of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish

region.

Regional political figures said one of the strikes killed a prominent

(著名的、重要的) local businessman with a portfolio that included real estate

and security services companies, along with members of his family.

Soon after, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had struck “terrorist

operations,” including Islamic State targets in Syria “and destroyed them

by firing a number of ballistic missiles.”

Another statement said they had hit a headquarters of Mossad, the Israeli

intelligence agency, in the Kurdish region of Iraq.

Poland’s new Prime Minister Donald Tusk said crucial elections to choose

city mayors and provincial and county administration leaders would be held

April 7, with a runoff April 21.

The elections, announced Monday, will test the new pro-European Union

coalition government’s popular support, just six months after it won

parliamentary elections.

Tusk and his Cabinet took office last month, vowing to restore the importance

and powers of city mayors and local governments which the previous right-wing

government sought to limit.

Local administrations suffered slashed (削減) funding and stalled projects

and investments.

Tensions between the new government and the previously ruling Law and Justice

party have escalated with the latter blocking proposed bills in parliament.

Pope Francis insists that he is not thinking about retiring at the moment.

With the 87-year-old suffering from (遭受) a number of health issues last

year, there has been speculation that he could step back from his role, as

his predecessor Benedict the Sixteenth did in 2013.

Giles Gibson has more from Rome.

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 _____.

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