The Tai-Ex opened up 60-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 28,364

on turnover of 10.5-billion N-T.

The market gained solid ground on Monday after surpassing the 28,000 point

mark in early trading on the back of strong investor interest in electronic

and semiconductor heavyweights.

The U-S Congress has released a new draft of the National Defense

Authorization Act - which includes up to 1-billion U-S dollars in funding for

Taiwan-related security cooperation in 2026.

The new draft removes earlier language that would have invited Taiwan to

participate in the US-led Rim of the Pacific Exercise.

The bill will require the U-S defense secretary to "enable fielding of

uncrewed (無人的) and anti-uncrewed systems capabilities" with Taiwan by

March 1 of next year, and those systems must comply with the Taiwan Relations

Act and be usable by both U-S and Taiwanese forces.

The compromise version was produced after the U-S.Senate and House of

Representatives reconciled their separate versions into a unified bill.

Taiwan has launched a new clinical trial alliance aimed at coordinating

medical institutions nationwide to help patients gain faster access to

promising but not yet approved medicines.

The Taiwan Alliance of Clinical Trial Centers has been initiated by the

Taipei Medical University.

It brings together 32 medical and research institutions nationwide and is

backed by the government and aims to pool resources (共用資源), strengthen

coordination and enhance Taiwan's international competitiveness.

Health Minister Shih Chung-liang says the alliance is expected to boost

international collaboration by encouraging pharmaceutical companies to choose

Taiwan as a base for research and development.

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake has struck off northern Japan, injuring at least

30 people and triggering (觸發) a tsunami.

The quake hit late on Monday, about 80 kilometers off the coast of the Aomori

region.

The public broadcaster NHK says all tsunami warnings have now been lifted,

while waves up to 70 centimeters were reported.

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency says people were mostly injured by

falling objects.

Nuclear power plants are conducting safety checks, and some train services

are suspended.

The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of possible aftershocks and an

increased risk of a megaquake.

The US Supreme Court is hearing arguments on whether President Donald Trump

has the authority to fire a top Federal Trade Commission official - in a case

that could have far reaching consequences for independent regulators.

FTC commissioner Rebecca Slaughter was ousted earlier this year - told that

her service was "inconsistent (不一致的) with the Administration's

priorities".

Toni Waterman reports

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

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