**Tai-Ex opening **

The Tai-Ex opened down 12-points this morning from Friday's close, at 15,514

on turnover of 2.6-billion N-T.

The market fell sharply on Friday as investors turned cautious ahead of the

release of U-S February jobs data, which is seen as one of the most important

factors expected to influence the Federal Reserve's ongoing rate hike cycle.

The local bellwether electronics sector came under heavy pressure, led by

large-cap semiconductor stocks, while a sell-offs were also seen in the old

economy and financial sectors, adding more downward pressure on the local

main board.

**Premier Thanks US Congress for Taiwan Lend-Lease Bill **

Premier Chen Chien-jen is thanking members of the U-S Congress for

re-introducing a bill aimed at authorizing Washington to lend or lease

defense equipment to Taiwan to deter Chinese aggression.

The "Taiwan Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2023," was put forth (提出)

by Senator Marsha Blackburn late last week and co-sponsored by fellow

Republicans Rick Scott and Marco Rubio.

The content bill is the same as the one sponsored by Blackburn last year.

That bill failed to make it through the Senate.

**MOHW to Extend Coronavirus Herbal Drug EUA to June 2024 **

Health Minister Hsueh Jui-yuan says the emergency use authorization for a

traditional herbal formula developed here in Taiwan to treat the coronavirus

will be extended until June 2024.

According to the health minister, the extension is aimed at buying more time

for the availability of Ching-Guan Yi-Hau before it can obtain formal drug

certification.

Hsueh says an expert group will be formed in the near future to complete the

drug certification process for the herbal formula before the E-U-A is

terminated.

The statement comes amid reports the Central Epidemic Command Center could be

disbanded (解散) by the end in June.

**SKorea US Begin Military Exercises **

The South Korean and U.S. militaries have begun their biggest joint military

exercises in years.

In apparent protest, North Korea said it conducted submarine-launched cruise

missile tests.

The launches on Sunday signal North Korea likely will conduct more weapons

testing during the U.S.-South Korean drills that are to run for 11 days.

Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his troops to be ready to

repel (擊退) its rivals’ “frantic war preparation moves.”

The South Korean-U.S. drills include a computer simulation and several

combined field training exercises.

The allies had scaled back such drills in past years to make room for

diplomacy and because of the pandemic.

**Nicaragua Vatican Suspends Relations **

Nicaragua ’s government says it has proposed suspending relations with the

Vatican days after Pope Francis compared President Daniel Ortega’s

administration to a communist or Nazi dictatorship amid a crackdown on the

Catholic Church in the country.

Relations between the church and the Nicaraguan government have been

deteriorating (惡化) since 2018, when authorities violently repressed

antigovernment protests.

Some Catholic leaders gave protesters shelter in their churches and the

church later tried to act as a mediator between the regime and the

opposition.

Pope Francis had remained largely silent on the issue, but in a March 10th

interview, he called Ortega’s government a “rude dictatorship” led by an

“unbalanced” president.

Nicaragua’s foreign ministry released a statement Sunday saying: “a

suspension of relations between the Republic of Nicaragua and the Vatican

State has been proposed.”

Ortega branded Catholic figures he saw as sympathetic to the opposition as

“terrorists” who had backed efforts to overthrow him.

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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