The Tai-Ex opened up 10-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 20,156

on turnover of $4.5-billion N-T.

The Tai-Ex lost ground on Thursday, as investors reacted to a downturn on

Wall Street overnight - which saw American markets slip further from recent

record highs.

The Ministry of Transport has passed the review of a revised plan for the

second phase of the Danhai Light Rail in Tamsui.

The plan will now be submitted to the Cabinet for approval.

The New Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems says construction of the

second phase of the Danhai light rail Blue Sea Line is set to be completed

within five years of the Cabinet granting approval for the project.

The Blue Sea light rail first phase opened in November of 2020.

The planned second phase of the line will link Tamsui M-R-T station with

Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf.

It initially included a section that ran through Tamsui Old Street.

But the rapid transit department modified (修改) the route due to protests

by local residents.

The new plan means the light rail line will run alongside the Tamsui River.

The planned line will have six stations and extend (延長) the operating route

of Danhai light rail to 6.6-kilometers.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has fired rockets with heavy warheads

at towns in northern Israel.

There were no media reports of Israelis hurt in Thursday's assault and the

Israeli military did not immediately offer comment on the attack.

Hezbollah says it used the heavy rockets against civilian targets for the

first time Thursday in retaliation for a series of deadly Israeli airstrikes

the day before.

The militant group says several paramedics were among those 16 killed.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, concerns have grown that

near-daily clashes along Lebanon's border could escalate into a full-scale

war.

Hezbollah says its attacks aim to keep some Israeli divisions (部隊) busy and

away from Gaza.

The one-time "king of crypto" has been sentenced to 25 years in prison having

been found guilty on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy (陰謀).

William Denselow has more from outside the courthouse in lower Manhattan.

Four of the largest school boards in the Canadian province of Ontario have

launched lawsuits against TikTok, Meta and SnapChat alleging the social media

platforms are disrupting student learning.

The lawsuits announced Thursday claim that platforms like Facebook and

Instagram are “designed for compulsive (強迫性的) use, have rewired the way

children think, behave, and learn.”

The school boards are seeking damages for disruption to student learning and

the education system.

Dozens of U.S. states, including California and New York, are also suing Meta

Platforms Inc.

They say Meta harm young people and contributes to a youth mental health

crisis.

The believe Meta knowingly and deliberately (故意地) designed features on

Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms.

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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