**Tai-Ex opening **

The Tai-Ex opened up 12-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 16,648

on turnover of 3.6-billion N-T.

The market rose on Monday - gaining 131-points - as investors took cues from

the news that U-S President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have

reached a final agreement on a deal to raise America's national debt ceiling.

**10AM - Typhoon Mawar Wrap **

A sea warning is in affect for Typhoon Mawar.

The warning currently covers the Bashi Channel and waters off southeastern

Taiwan.

The storm is currently located some 470-kilometers east-southeast of Eluanbi,

at the island southernmost tip, and moving in a north-northwesterly direction

at 7-kilometers-an-hour.

Mawar has a radius of 300-kilometers and is packing sustained wind speeds of

155-kilometers-an-hour, with gusts of up to 191-kilometers-an-hour.

The Central Weather Bureau says the storm is expected to veer in a more

northerly direction and begin moving away from Taiwan.

However, the storm's outer rim (外緣，邊緣) is forecast to bring a

significant amount of rainfall to the Yilan and Hualien areas tomorrow.

**TPP Confirms Ko Wen-je's Japan Visit **

The Taiwan People's Party has confirmed that its founder (創辦人) and

presidential candidate Ko Wen-je will travel to Japan next week.

According to party secretary-general Zhou Tai-zhu, Ko will visit Japan from

Sunday through Thursday of next week and will be holding talks with senior

administrative and legislative officials.

Zhou has not released any further details concerning the names of the senior

officials Ko will be meeting with, but says the talks will be focusing on

international and cross-strait affairs.

The T-P-P secretary-general also says he will be accompanying Ko along with

former Taipei deputy mayor Vivian Huang.

**China Launches Manned Mission **

China has doubled down (加倍下注) on its space ambitions with the launch of

the Shenzhou-16 manned mission, saying it plans to put astronauts on the moon

before 2030.

Nina-Maria Potts reports from Hong Kong:

**SAfrica Appoints Judge to Investigate Arms Supply to Russia Accusations **

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a judge to oversee an

inquiry into allegations that the country supplied arms to Russia on a ship

that docked secretly at a naval base in December.

The allegations were made this month by the United States’ ambassador to

South Africa, who said he was sure that weapons and ammunition were loaded

onto the Russian-flagged cargo ship when it docked at the Simon’s Town naval

base near Cape Town.

South Africa has denied there was any government-sanctioned deal to provide

weapons to Russia, although it hasn’t categorically (斷然地) ruled out that

an unofficial transaction took place involving another entity.

South Africa could be in breach of international law and its own laws

regarding weapons sales if it is found to have supplied arms to Moscow for

the war in Ukraine.

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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