The Tai-Ex opened down 54-points this morning from yesterday's close, at

31,584 on turnover of 11-billion N-T.

The market hit yet another new closing high as Monday on the back of

continuing strong shows by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing.

T-S-M-C saw its share price climb to a record high of 1,780 N-T in intraday

trading, before closing 1.15-per cent higher at 1,760 N-T.

Defense Minister Wellington Koo has briefed members of the Legislative

Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on weapons systems the

military hopes to procure under the 1.25-trillion N-T special defense budget.

According to Koo, the defense ministry is seeking to purchase more than

200,000 U-A-Vs, as well as precision artillery (精準火炮), long-range

missiles, air defense missiles and anti-tank missiles

Koo told lawmakers during the closed-door session that he will be given a

detailed explanation in regards the weapons systems being eyed by the defense

ministry, when the special defense budget has been referred to committee

review.

And,

The Central Weather Administration says, a strong continental cold air mass

will send temperatures drop to as low as 8-degrees in some areas this week.

The cold front will move south from this afternoon and strengthen from

tomorrow through Thursday.

Lows tomorrow and Thursday in the north are forecast to fall to between 12

and 13 degrees.

While the mercury could drop to between 13 and 14 degrees overnight in the

center and south.

The cold air mass is expected to weaken starting Saturday - when daytime

temperatures will rebound (反彈).

Activists say the bloody crackdown on demonstrators taking part in nationwide

protests in Iran killed at least 4,029 people.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency offered the toll today, saying more

than 26-thousand people have been detained in the crackdown.

It said of the dead, over 3-thousand-700 were demonstrators, and nearly 30

were children.

It fears many more may have been killed.

The agency has been accurate (準確的) in previous unrest in Iran and relies

on a network of activists on the ground to confirm each death.

This comes as a U.S. aircraft carrier, which days earlier had been in the

South China Sea, passed Singapore overnight to enter the Strait of Malacca.

This puts it on a route that could bring it to the Middle East.

The FBI is reportedly asking agents to volunteer for a deployment to

Minnesota, as clashes between anti-ICE protestors and federal agents

intensify.

The Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security have beefed

up (加強) their presence in Minneapolis after an immigration officer shot and

killed Renee Good - a US citizen and mother of three - in her car two weeks

ago.

Toni Waterman has the story.

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

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