The Tai-Ex opened up 356-points this morning from yesterday's close, at

33,128 on turnover of 10.8-billion N-T.

The market rebounded on Tuesday and added 661-points on Tuesday, but

investors remained wary of the continuing tensions in the Middle East,

despite international crude oil prices finally falling.

Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen is heading to the U-S today for an 11-day visit.

Lu has said the trip is aimed at strengthening city-to-city exchanges and

engaging with (與…互動) Taiwan expats.

According to Lu, her March 11 to 21 trip will cover five states, primarily on

the U-S East Coast, with planned stops including Boston, New York City,

Washington, D.C., and Seattle.

Lu is slated to meet members of the U-S House of Representatives and sign a

memorandum of understanding with the Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce of North

America.

Lu also says the issues to be discussed with U-S officials include energy

stability, regional security and global trade.

The Central Weather Administration says there was brief snowfall on Jade

Mountain earlier this morning -- as the mercury at its weather stations there

dropped to minus 8.9-degrees.

The weather administration says accumulated snow was only minimal (極少的)

and quickly turned to ice or frost.

However, the administration has issued cold surge advisories today.

Very cold or cold advisories are in effect for areas of New Taipei, Taoyuan,

Hsinchu County, Miaoli County, and Kinmen - where there's the chance of

temperature remaining, or dropping below 10-degrees.

The advisories are in effect through late this morning.

The U.S. says it has taken out multiple Iranian vessels as the Islamic

Republic vows to block the region’s oil exports.

The U.S. destroyed 16 mine-laying Iranian vessels, though President Donald

Trump said in social media posts that there were no reports of Iran planting

explosives in the Strait of Hormuz.

The American military released the figure, along with unclassified (非機密的)

footage of some of the vessels, after Trump earlier warned Iran against

laying mines in the strait.

The escalation came Tuesday as concerns grew about Iran's threats to stop

tankers from using a waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil is

shipped.

A landslide at a mining site in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo

has forced hundreds of people to flee the area.

Locals say nine people have died and several houses have been destroyed.

The landslide was triggered by (觸發於) heavy rainfall at the Rubaya coltan

mines.

Chris Ocamringa has more from Kinshasa…

A monitoring watchdog says press freedom across the Americas dropped sharply

in 2025, with more killings, arrests and intimidation (恐嚇) of media

workers.

The Inter American Press Association on Tuesday released its annual

Chapul-tepec Index of Freedom of Expression and the Press covering 23

countries.

It ranked Venezuela and Nicaragua as countries without freedom of speech.

The group links rising attacks to more authoritarian leaders.

It says Venezuela sees widespread self-censorship, and Nicaragua locks

censorship into law.

It says El Salvador uses lawsuits and probes to pressure reporters.

It describes worsening violence in Ecuador and Haiti.

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

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