The Tai-Ex opened up 12-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 22,504

on turnover of $4.8-billion N-T.

Premier Cho Jung-tai instructed the Ministry of Economic Affairs to work

closely with local governments based on a draft plan to transform central

Taiwan into a smart manufacturing hub.

The premier issued the instruction during a weekly Cabinet meeting, at which

a draft plan to turn central Taiwan into a global hub of smart manufacturing

with existing industries and new businesses was approved.

The Cabinet says machinery and precision manufacturing industries in Taichung

will be transformed through the introduction of artificial intelligence to

improve production efficiency and integration of the supply chain.

A-I is also expected to also help the metal manufacturing business in

Changhua to reduce production costs, improve energy efficiency (效率) and

make operations more environmentally friendly.

While technologies will be introduced in Nantou and Yunlin to improve

efficiency in production and distribution of their respective agricultural

and aquacultural products.

Construction of the Taichung M-R-T's Blue Line has gotten underway at a

groundbreaking ceremony.

The city government has said the 24.7-kilometer line is scheduled for

completion in 2034.

Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen says the 20 station Blue Line will run from the

East District to the Port of Taichung, with future extensions planned to the

Mountain Line and Coastal Line areas.

The line will intersect the Green Line at City Hall, forming what Lu called a

"golden cross" - a project she described (形容) as central Taiwan's most

significant infrastructure development over the next decade.

Ukrainian forces claim to have stopped Russia’s advance into the northern

Sumy region, stabilizing the front line near the border.

Ukraine’s top military commander said on Thursday that this success (成功)

has prevented Russia from redeploying 50,000 troops, including elite units,

to other areas.

Russian officials have not commented on the claim.

Fighting continues along the 1,000-kilometer front line, with Ukraine relying

on drones to counter Russia’s slow but costly advances.

In Donetsk, Russia claims to have captured two villages as part of its

offensive.

Both sides are also launching long-range drone strikes, causing injuries and

damage across multiple regions.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth berated the press as Anti-Trump during a

briefing on Thursday, but offered no new details on the extent of the damage

caused by US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.

This comes after a classified preliminary assessment by US intelligence was

leaked (洩漏) to the media - suggesting the damage may not amount to complete

obliteration as the President claims.

Toni Waterman has more from Washington.

The United Kingdom is stepping back from funding a project to transmit power

generated by North Africa’s winds and sun via underwater cables and is

pivoting instead to projects seen as less risky.

The country’s Energy Security Department said on Thursday it planned to step

back from the $33 billion project due to a “high level of inherent risk,

related to both delivery and security.”

Xlinks said the project would provide an equivalent of 8% of Britain’s

current electricity needs, or roughly 7 million homes.

British officials plan to focus on other wind and solar projects to meet

their goal to generate (產生) all of the country's energy from renewable

sources by 2030.

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

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