**Tai-Ex opening **

The Tai-Ex opened up 9-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 15,827

on turnover of 1.8-billion N-T.

The market closed slightly lower on Wednesday despite recouping most of its

early losses sparked by remarks from U-S Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell

- who warned that America's central bank could continue its current rate hike

cycle.

Foreign institutional investors turned cautious about further rate hikes by

the U-S Fed, but local investors remained willing to pick up bargains on the

local main board during the day's trading session to lend some support to the

broader market.

**Kevin McCarthy Confirms Tsai Meeting **

U-S House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has confirmed that he will meet with

President Tsai Ing-wen in the United States early next month.

However, McCarthy says that meeting does not preclude (排除) a possible trip

to Taiwan at a later date.

The U-S House speaker is also dismissing reports that the meeting in

California is being held to avoid possible confrontation with China and that

both sides were uneasy that a visit would severely increase cross-strait

tensions if he were to visit Taiwan

According to McCarthy, Beijing can't tell him where or when to go and the

Taiwan president just happens to be in America.

U-S State Department spokesman Ned Price is describing Tsai's travel as

"transit" rather than a "visit" to the United States.

**More Newborns Eligible for NT$6,000 Cash Handouts **

The Ministry of Finance has announced that babies born to Taiwanese citizens

before the end of this year will be eligible (有資格的) to receive one-off

cash payments of 6,000 N-T drawn from the government's 2022 tax surplus.

The ministry had previously said that only children born within six months

following the starting of disbursement of the tax rebates would be included

in the groups eligible for the payments.

However, the eligibility criteria has now been expanded to cover newborns

born by December 31, 2023.

Reports say the expansion of the cash handout program will require around

200-million N-T in additional funding.

**Malaysia Summons Former PM for Abuse Allegations **

Malaysia's anti-graft agency has summoned former prime minister Muhyiddin

Yassin following allegations of abuse in stimulus programmes launched under

his leadership of the country.

He's denied the accusations and described them as a political vendetta

(仇殺、仇殺).

Patrick Fok reports.

**UN Criticizes Taliban Repression of Women and Girls **

The United Nations says that since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the

country has become the most repressive (嚴厲的, 強硬的) in the world for

women and girls.

The U.N. mission to Kabul said in a statement released Wednesday that

Afghanistan’s new rulers have shown an almost singular ( 特別的，奇特的)

focus on imposing rules that leave most women and girls effectively trapped

in their homes.

The special representative of the U.N. secretary-general and head of the

mission to Afghanistan, says it's ""been distressing to witness their

methodical, deliberate, and systematic efforts to push Afghan women and girls

out of the public sphere.”

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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