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

22,005, on turnover of $4-billion N-T.

Shares in Taiwan closed sharply higher by about 230 points Wednesday as

buying was sparked by a rally on the U.S. markets overnight in the wake of

the softer-than-expected July producer price index (PPI) growth, which

reinforced (加強) hopes of a rate cut by the Federal Reserve.

Analysts say interest was seen among large-cap stocks across the board amid

improved sentiment, but gains were capped by stiff technical resistance ahead

of the 20-day moving average of 22,084 points by the end of the session.

Health experts are advocating for a version of the flu vaccine for those aged

65 and above.

Doctors point out that since last Friday, over 1 thousand 200 severe flu

cases have been recorded, marking the first severe summer flu outbreak in

seven years.

They say flu has become a year-round issue, which they attribute to

compromised (降低) immune systems from repeat COVID-19 infections.

They reccomend that Taiwan adopt enhanced recombinant flu vaccines for the

elderly, as these provide protection for a full year compared to the

six-month coverage of traditional vaccines.

The government has already procured flu vaccines for this year, but the

proposal for these enhanced vaccines will undergo a cost-benefit analysis…

…and could be reviewed by an expert committee in spring 2025.

From the US…

Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz says he's accepted an offer

to debate his Republican opponent (對手) JD Vance in October.

It's still unclear whether Vance has agreed to participate.

Ira Spitzer has more.

UNICEF says children in West and Central Africa are increasingly exposed to

extreme heat, creating health concerns.

The U.N. children's agency in a new report published on Wednesday says that

the frequency of heat waves in the region has more than quadrupled since the

1960s.

This leaves children more vulnerable to developing chronic (慢性的)

conditions and contracting infectious diseases that spread in high

temperatures, such as mosquito-borne malaria and dengue.

Central Africa is currently battling an outbreak of mpox, previously known as

monkeypox, an infectious disease that disproportionally affects children.

Officials at the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said

nearly 70% of mpox cases in Congo are in children younger than 15, who also

accounted for 85% of deaths.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global

emergency.

The UNICEF report called on governments to reduce carbon emissions to get

rising temperatures under control and protect children.

Harrassment

French prosecutors say they are investigating a complaint made by Olympic

boxing champion Imane Khelif for online harassment.

The Algerian boxer faced a torrent (連發，迸發) of criticism and false claims

about her sex during the Paris Olympics.

A statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office said Wednesday its unit for

combating online hate speech has opened a probe.

Under French law, it's up to investigators to determine which person or

organization may have been at fault.

The prosecutor's office didn’t name specific suspects.

Among those who posted misinformation about Khelif were Donald Trump, Elon

Musk and J.K. Rowling.

Khelif won gold in the women’s welterweight division, becoming a hero in

Algeria.

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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