**Tai-Ex opening **

The Tai-Ex opened marginally higher this morning from yesterday's close, at

15,967 on turnover of 2.8-billion N-T.

The market joined other regional indexes and gained ground on Monday, as

investors opted to ignore continuing worries about economic growth and

inflationary pressure and focused instead on upcoming earnings reports.

**MOFA to open Second Representative Office in Italy **

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it will soon establish a new

representative office in the Italian city of Milan.

When operational (運作，經營), the office which will be Taiwan's second the

country.

Foreign ministry officials the decision to open an office in Milan comes as

the government is seeking to facilitate closer trade and economic links with

that part of the country.

The office will also offer consular and emergency services to Taiwanese

expatriates living and working in the eight administrative regions in

northern Italy.

**Nine Hospitalized Following Gas Explosion in Taoyuan **

And,

Nine members of a family have been hospitalized following a gas explosion at

a residential building in Taoyuan.

According to the city's fire department, it received a report at 8:45 last

night of an explosion in a single story residence in the city's Zhongli

District.

Ten fire trucks and seven ambulances were dispatched (派遣) to scene.

Fire fighters say two adults and seven children, ranging in age from 1 to 14

years old, were in the house at the time of the explosion.

All nine family members managed to get out of the building, but the father

and two of his sons sustained burns.

An investigation into the cause of the explosion is now underway.

**Yemen Prisoner Swap Carried Out **

A Saudi-led military coalition has freed 104 more prisoners captured in

Yemen's war, a unilateral (單方的) release that followed an organized

prisoner swap amid renewed diplomatic efforts to halt the conflict.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it flew on Monday 96

released detainees from Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport heading to

Sanaa, Yemen’s capital.

Sanaa has been held for years by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Eight others went on a flight to Aden.

**US Man Charged with Shooting Black Teen **

Prosecutors in the US state of Missouri have announced charges against a

white man in his eighties, who is accused of shooting a black teenager.

Ralph Yarl's family says the 16 year old - who remains in the hospital -

rang the doorbell at the wrong house while trying to pick up his younger

siblings (弟弟妹妹).

US correspondent Ira Spitzer has more

**Kuwait Crown Prince Orders **

Kuwait’s crown prince has ordered its parliament again dissolved and new

elections for the country after a court decision reinstated lawmakers from

2020.

Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmed Al Jaber made the announcement in an address to the

nation Monday, calling it the will of the Kuwaiti people.

That's according to the state-run KUNA news agency.

Elections were scheduled within the next two months.

In March, Kuwait’s Constitutional Court threw out a 2022 election for

parliament, citing “discrepancies” in the decree (法令) dissolving the 2020

parliament for its ruling.

That briefly reinstated the former lawmakers.

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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