**Tai-Ex opening **

The Tai-Ex opened up 50-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 15,854

on turnover of $3.2-billion N-T.

The market bucked the regional upward trend and lost ground on Thursday, as

investors remained cautious despite signs that U-S inflation is easing and

the Federal Reserve expects fewer interest rate hikes this year.

**MND to Recruit 5,000 More Military Police **

The Ministry of National Defense is seeking to double the number military

police officers in the coming years in an effort to strengthen (加強)

protection for the president and other senior government officials.

Reports say of the 210,000 troops in Taiwan's armed forces, only 5,000 are

military police offices.

That number is set to rise to 10,000 pending central government approval.

Taiwan's military police are a separate branch of the armed forces.

They are tasked with protecting government leaders, guarding strategic

facilities, and conducting counterintelligence operations.

**US Air National Guardsman Arrested Over Intelligence Leaks **

21-year-old US Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira has been arrested in

connection with the unauthorized removal and transmission (傳播) of

classified information.

The leaked material includes sensitive information regarding the war in

Ukraine, as well as on China and US allies.

Kate Fisher reports from Washington.

**UN Groups on Surge in Darien Gap Crossing **

Two U.N. groups say the number of migrants crossing the dangerous Darien Gap

between Colombia and Panama could soar to as many as 400,000 this year.

That would represent a huge increase from the 250,000 migrants estimated to

have crossed the roadless, jungle-clad route in 2022.

The U.N. agencies for refugees and migration said in a report Thursday that

around 100,000 people have already made the crossing so far this year.

If that trend (趨勢) keeps up, it could mean many more migrants seeking to

reach the United States through Central America and Mexico.

The groups called it “an unprecedented movement (of people) through the

Americas.”

**China Sandstorm to Continue Until Sunday **

Many areas in northern China are blanketed with floating sand and dust, and a

sandstorm is expected to sweep through parts of Inner Mongolia.

The National Meteorological Center says the sandy, dusty weather and strong

winds will last until Sunday, advising the public to take precautionary

(預防性的) measures to guard against poor air quality.

It renewed a blue alert for sandstorms, the least severe warning in the

country’s four-tier weather warning system.

The center's chief forecaster says the sandy and dusty weather began Sunday

in southern Mongolia.

As cold air moved southward, the weather spread to various regions including

northern and northeast China.

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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