**Tai-Ex opening **

The Tai-Ex opened up 33-points this morning from yesterday's close, at

16,995 on turnover of $5.1-billion N-T.

Shares in Taiwan closed higher Wednesday as contract chipmaker TSMC got a

boost from buying in the last few minutes of the session to climb out of its

previous weakness.

But the local main board remained in a narrow range throughout the session as

market sentiment was cautious ahead of the release of the United States' June

inflation figures, which are expected to influence (影響) moves by the

Federal Reserve.

**Military stages rehearsal for anti-takeover drill at Taoyuan airport **

According to the Ministry of National Defense, Taiwan's military on Wednesday

morning held a rehearsal for an anti-takeover drill at Taoyuan International

Airport.

The drill at Taiwan's main international gateway is designed to test the

armed forces' cross-branch coordination and emergency response capabilities,

during a simulated Chinese invasion.

In the rehearsal staged at a hanger of the Taoyuan International Airport,

members of the Aviation and Special Forces Command and Army Airborne Special

Forces acted as the red team invading force, with the blue team formed by

ground troops from Sixth Army Corps serving as the defenders.

The red team was originally set to arrive at the drill ground in Army

helicopters, but decided to call them off, given the fact that nearby schools

were hosting college entrance exams.

After yesterday's rehearsal, the actual anti-takeover drill is scheduled to

take place on July 26th, and will be the first such exercise staged at

Taoyuan International Airport since it opened in 1979.

**NKorea Kim Vows to Bolster Nuclear Capabilities **

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to bolster (加固、提高) his

country’s nuclear fighting capabilities as he supervised the second

test-flight of a new intercontinental ballistic missile designed to strike

the mainland U.S.

North Korea's state media reported Kim’s comments a day after the launch of

the Hwasong-18 missile.

Kim was quoted as saying deepening U.S. and South Korean hostilities require

"more intense efforts to implement the line of bolstering nuclear war

deterrent.”

According to KCNA, the Hwasong-18 missile was launched on a high angle to

avoid neighboring countries.

It flew a distance of about 1-thousand kilometers before landing in a

targeted area in the open waters off the North’s east coast.

The missile’s flight time is the longest recorded by any weapon launched by

North Korea.

**US VP Harris Makes History with Tiebreaking Votes **

**Return to **Table of contents

US Vice President Kamala Harris has made history with tiebreaking votes in

Senate.

AP's Lisa Dwyer has more.

**Kosovo to Reduce Police Numbers and Hold Mayoral Elections **

Kosovo’s government has decided to reduce by one-fourth the number of

special police officers and also hold new mayoral elections in four

Serb-majority municipalities.

The move is a bid to defuse tensions with neighboring Serbia that flared anew

in May.

Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti said Wednesday that more officers would be

withdrawn based on the continuous (連續的) evaluation of the situation.

Kurti also said the government would formally declare holding new elections

in the four Serb-majority municipalities.

Violent clashes in late May sparked when new Albanian mayors took office left

at least 30 international peacekeepers and more than 50 ethnic Serbs injured.

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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