The Tai-Ex opened down 94-points this morning from yesterday's close, at

34,228 on turnover of 11.1-billion N-T.

The market plunged more than 700-points on Tuesday following a sell-off

sparked by sky-rocketing international crude oil prices due to the U-S and

Israel's war with Iran.

Economics Minister Kung Ming-hsin says the government has secured sufficient

natural gas supplies for this month and there will "absolutely be no power

rationing."

The statement comes amid concerns that escalating hostilities in the Middle

East could trigger rationing.

According to Kung, gas shipments for early March have already passed through

the Strait of Hormuz, while supplies for the second half of the month have

been secured from "alternative (可供替代的) markets."

Speaking at a legislative hearing, Kung told lawmakers that he hopes the

conflict will be short-lived and the government use of coal-fired power

generation will be "a last resort."

And,

The Centers for Disease Control is advising people heading to Tokyo to attend

World Baseball Classic games to take precautions against measles, flu and

infectious gastroenteritis.

The C-D-C is citing elevated disease activities in Japan for the warning.

According to C-D-C spokesman Lin Ming-cheng, travelers should be aware of a

rise in measles cases in Japan, which have reached their highest cumulative

(累計) total for the same period since 2020, while flu activity in Japan also

remains at a high level.

Lin is also warned travelers about infectious gastroenteritis in Japan,

saying the country recorded an average of 8.02 cases per clinic in the eighth

week of the year, the highest for the same period in five years.

President Donald Trump says the US will start offering insurance and navy

escorts to tankers travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, as oil and gas

prices spike due to the war in Iran.

About 20% of the world's oil and roughly (大概) a third of its Liquefied

Natural Gas passes through the narrow waterway off of Iran's coast.

Toni Waterman has more

Four former Argentine navy officers are on trial for the 2017 sinking of the

ARA San Juan, which killed 44 crew members.

Prosecutors say the officers neglected duties and ignored serious maintenance

problems.

The submarine vanished (消失了) on Nov. 15, 2017, during a trip after a

training exercise.

The crew reported water entering batteries, then lost contact.

Investigators say water reached a battery tank and triggered a short circuit

and fire.

The submarine then plunged and imploded (內爆) at extreme depth.

Relatives of the deceased crew members argue that the current trial falls

short of achieving true justice.

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

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