The Tai-Ex opened unchanged at 24,390 this morning from yesterday's close, at

13.80-billion N-T.

The market hit yet another new high on Thursday.

Investors were interested in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing - which

pushed its share price up by 3.35-per cent.

T-S-M-C's gains in the local stock market pushed its market capitalization to

28-trillion N-T.

It contributed around 284-points to the Tai-Ex's gains and boosted the

electronics index by 2.05-per cent.

The Tourism Administration says the number of international travelers to

Taiwan in April declined by 24.8-per cent compared with March.

The administration is attributing the decline to travelers canceling or

postponing plans to visit Taiwan following the April 3 earthquake.

Data shows that travelers from Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, South Korea and

Singapore cancelled the most trips.

According to tourism officials, promotional videos of safe traveling in

Hualien has been made.

The videos emphasize that with the exception of Taroko Gorge, most of

Hualien's attractions have not been effected (受到影響).

Official say they have also asked travel agencies to schedule alternative

attractions when making travel arrangements.

The head of the U.S. agency overseeing American humanitarian assistance

worldwide says Israel has agreed to use an improved system across the Gaza

Strip to ensure humanitarian workers and aid can more safely move around.

Samantha Power, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International

Development, said that Israel has also taken new steps to increase the flow

of aid through its port of Ashdod, just north of Gaza.

Humanitarian workers have complained throughout the war that the system by

which the Israeli military assures (保證) safe passage to aid has been a

failure.

Power said a system by which the U.N. and Israeli military communicate more

closely will be extended across Gaza.

Joe Biden has insisted that he is remaining (留下；保持) in America's

Presidential race, saying that he the "best qualified" person to defeat

Donald Trump.

Our Washington Correspondent Simon Marks reports.

A new U.N. report says the world’s population is set to peak in a few

decades.

The report on Thursday — World Population Day — says the number of people

in the world is expected to continue growing, then peak at 10.3-billion in

the 2080s.

After that, the report suggests the global population will decline to around

10.2-billion by the end of the century.

Researchers say this is due to several factors, including lower fertility

(生育力) levels in some fo the world's largest countries.

UN officials say “the peak is a hopeful sign", and could mean "reduced

environmental pressures from human impacts due to lower aggregate

consumption.”

But they stressed that even with slower population growth, people will still

need to individually reduce the impact of their activities to preserve the

environment.

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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