The Tai-Ex opened up 85-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 19,424

on turnover of $2.4-billion N-T.

Shares in Taiwan extended their losses Thursday from a session earlier,

falling more than 120 points, as market sentiment remained cautious ahead of

an investor conference scheduled by contract chipmaker TSMC to start after

the market closes.

Stocks outside the tech sector also largely moved in the doldrums (低迷) amid

uncertainties caused by tariff threats by Washington.

President Lai Ching-te is urging New Zealand to expand trade and business

opportunities with Taiwan.

Speaking during a meeting with a visiting New Zealand parliamentary

delegation, Lai said both sides can work together to "explore even more

diverse markets" - such as smart agriculture, food manufacturing,

biomedicine, the digital economy and clean energy.

Lai also called for Taiwan and New Zealand should deepen cooperation and

jointly advance their economies and industrial development in the face of

global challenges.

There have recently been calls for the government to seek market

diversification (多樣化) for Taiwan products in the wake of levies imposed by

the United States on Taiwanese goods earlier this month.

Nine-dan Go player Lin Chun-yen has captured his first Hai-Fong Tournament

title after 16 years on the professional-circuit.

He beat 6-dan Hsu Ching-en in the final match of a best-of-three series held

at Taipei's Hai-Fong Go Association.

It marked Hsu's third consecutive runner-up finish at the annual tournament,

which is one of eight major titles in Taiwan and the season opener for the

domestic pro Go circuit.

The victory was the 27-year-old's first major pro title in Taiwan in nearly

three and a half years.

Lin's next target is the Taiwan Mei-Jin title, where he faces 8-dan pro Chen

Qi-rui in a best-of-three semifinal series.

A federal judge has ruled that Google broke antitrust laws by maintaining an

illegal monopoly in the digital advertising space. The decision could force

major changes to one of the tech giant's biggest revenue streams.

Ira Spitzer reports.

Officials in southern Italy say that a cable car carrying tourists south of

Naples has crashed after the cable snapped, killing at least four people and

critically injuring one.

Italy’s alpine rescue was responding to the accident on Monte Faito on

Thursday.

The cable car accident happened just a week after the destination (目的地)

reopened for the season.

The cable car at Castellammare di Stabia is popular for its views of the

Mount Vesuvius volcano and the Bay of Naples.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni expressed her condolences for the victims and

their families and said she was in touch with rescuers.

She was in Washington, where she met with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Astronomers have detected possible chemical signs of life on a faraway

planet.

But they caution much more work is needed to confirm their findings.

The research, led by scientists at the University of Cambridge, found

evidence of compounds (化合物) that on Earth are only produced by living

organisms on the planet known as K2-18b.

The planet is 124 light-years away.

One light year is equivalent to about 9.5-trillion kilometers.

Scientists not involved in the research describe the findings as interesting,

but not nearly enough to show the existence (存在) of life on another planet

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

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