**Tai-Ex opening **

The Tai-Ex opened down 28-points this morning from Friday's close, at 15,452

on turnover of $2.4-billion NT.

The market remained under pressure today, after swinging between gains and

losses over the past several trading days, following forecasts for weak Asian

markets due to continuing concerns over continued aggressive action from the

US Federal Reserve.

**Man fined NT$17m in fraud case involving resale of 3,525 phones **

A customer of Chunghwa Telecom Co. has been ordered to pay the company $17

million NT in damages.

The New Taipei District Court says he was sued for reselling 3,525 cellphones

he had obtained under Chunghwa's preferential contracts.

The man, surnamed Lin, began running the scam in 2016, after he set up a

one-man company that purportedly was conducting research into the wireless

charging of iPhones, according to a court ruling issued on Feb. 13-th.

With the subscription contracts, Lin obtained (獲得) 3,525 cellphones,

including iPhone and Samsung Galaxy models, which he paid little or nothing

for.

He then resold the mobile phones to vendors and wholesale businesses at low

prices, according to the ruling.

In the civil case, the court ordered Lin to pay damages of $17.64 million NT,

which would accrue an annual interest rate of 5 percent if it is not paid in

full.

The case is subject to appeal.

**Lantern Fest Sees Over a Million Visitors on Closing Day **

The Taiwan Lantern Festival saw over a million visitors on closing day

yesterday.

Taipei's Department of Information and Tourism says as of 10pm last night,

the four main festival display areas and 12 districts in the city saw more

than a million visitors.

And officials say the five MRT stations near the festival grounds recorded

180-thousand riders yesterday.

The department says the city government mobilized over 50-thousand workers

over the 19-day-long festival, including over 20-thousand police officers,

and over 1-thousand medical and fire emergency personnel.

Officials say the festivities brought an increase in business of 10-to-30

percent for many of the districts involved.

(NS)

**NKorea Fires Missiles and Artillery **

North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles and artillery shells

toward its eastern waters.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected (發現，察覺) the two

missile launches from a western coastal town, just north of Pyongyang, this

morning.

It said South Korea has boosted its surveillance posture and maintains a

readiness in close coordination with the United States.

Japan's Defense Ministry said both missiles landed in the waters between the

Korean Peninsula and Japan.

It said Japan condemned the launches as a threat to the peace and safety of

Japan and the international society.

Also this morning, North Korea's long-range artillery units on its western

coast fired two rounds cross-country toward the eastern waters in response to

what its state media called the U.S.-South Korean aerial drills on Sunday,

according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency.

KCNA said the North Korean artillery rounds simulated strikes on targets up

to 395 kilometers away.

**Biden heads to Poland **

U-S President Joe Biden heads to Europe this week to mark a second year of

war by denouncing (駁斥) Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

He's also expected to publicly declare that the United States will support

Kyiv until the final moments of the conflict.

Shelly Adler reports.

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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