The Tai-Ex opened down 189-points this morning from yesterday's close, at

33,484 on turnover of $9.9-billion N-T.

Shares in Taiwan rebounded sharply Thursday, posting the fifth-largest

single-day gain on record, as bargain hunters returned after reports the

United States and Iran could enter negotiations eased geopolitical concerns.

Among major technology stocks, chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

rose 1.88 percent to close at $1,900 NT, and other large-cap tech firms also

advanced.

Memory-related stocks staged a strong rebound as well, while shipping stocks

moved in the opposite direction.

Analysts say investors will continue to monitor developments in the Middle

East, including the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, while the long-term

growth outlook for Taiwan's artificial intelligence supply chain remains

intact (完好) despite potential technical corrections.

Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung has signed an agreement to avoid double

taxation and donate funds to cover the maintenance costs of Tuvalu's first

undersea cable.

Lin is currently visiting Tuvalu as a special envoy of President Lai Ching-te.

According to the foreign minister, the agreement was signed during a banquet

hosted by Tuvalu's Prime Minister Feleti Teo, and is expected to boost trade

and encourage Taiwanese investment in Tuvalu.

Lin also donated funds to cover the maintenance costs for Tuvalu's first

undersea cable, to help ensure (確保) the country's communications resilience

during the banquet.

Lin and his delegation arrived in Tuvalu on Wednesday on what is his third

trip to the Pacific ally.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the United States and its allies

in the Middle East are seeking Ukraine’s expertise in countering (對抗)

Iran’s Shahed drones.

Zelenskyy says various countries, including the United States, have

approached Ukraine for help in defending against the Iranian drones.

He said he has spoken in recent days with the leaders of the United Arab

Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait about possible cooperation.

Russia has fired tens of thousands of Shaheds at Ukraine since it invaded its

neighbor just over four years ago.

Iran has responded with the same type of drones to joint U.S.-Israeli strikes

on Iranian targets.

The US Defense Department has formally labelled (標記為) the artificial

intelligence firm Anthropic a supply chain risk, following a dispute over its

efforts to limit how the government could use its products.

Anthropic has said it intends to challenge the label in court.

Ira Spitzer reports from San Francisco.

Swaths of Cuba remain without power nearly a day after a massive blackout hit

the western part of the island in the latest outage blamed on a fragile

(脆弱的) electric grid and a lack of fuel.

Crews worked overnight to repair a broken boiler at one of Cuba’s largest

thermoelectric plants.

Officials have warned that it could take three to four days for power to be

fully restored.

State media reported on Thursday that 52% of customers in Havana have power,

as well as 30 hospitals and 10 water supply stations.

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

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