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Tai-Ex opening
The Tai-Ex opened down 53-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 43,172 on turnover of 11.9-billion N-T.
The market tumbled (大跌、暴跌) on Wednesday after heavy selling in major tech stocks triggered a decline that sent the benchmark index back to below its monthly moving average and erased all of the previous session's gains.
Two leading House Republicans to meet with KMT chair
Two leading U-S House Republicans are meeting with K-M-T Chair Cheng Li-wun in Washington,
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, and Young Kim, who leads a subcommittee (小組委員會) overseeing East Asia policy have both said they will sit down with Cheng.
Mast has admitted he doesn't have specific expectations for the meeting.
While a spokesperson for Kim, says the lawmaker plans to encourage Cheng and the K-M-T to support more defense spending to show Taiwan's commitment to self-defense and deterrence (嚇阻、威懾).
NGO warns large fish disappearing from Taiwan's coasts due to overfishing
Greenpeace Taiwan says research shows that smaller fish are making up an increasing share of Taiwan's inshore and offshore catches (近海與離岸漁獲), a trend the group says indicates larger fish are becoming rarer due to overfishing.
According to the study, the proportion of fish caught before reaching "Lm50" — or the length at which 50 percent of a species reaches sexual maturity
(性成熟) — rose from 77.7-percent in 2022 to 93.3-percent in 2025.
Researchers say the survey points to severe overfishing and shows that without effective management measures, fish populations could face bottleneck
effects (瓶頸效應) that result in progressively smaller fish.
Iran latest
Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens (飛彈警報器) early Thursday morning after Iran threatened to retaliate (報復、反擊) over a new round of U.S. airstrikes
targeting the Islamic Republic.
Bahrain's urged the public to seek shelter.
Iran’s paramilitary (準軍事的) Revolutionary Guard had threatened to strike Bahrain over the attacks.
The second day of American strikes comes hours after Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan — all of which host U.S. troops — came under Iranian fire.
Iran has said it will close the Strait of Hormuz in response.
Congo Ebola outbreak spreads in the east
Congo's Ebola outbreak (疫情、爆發) has spread to another health zone in the country's northeastern province of Ituri.
Health officials say the outbreak has now affected 26 health zones nationwide.
That includes 18 in Ituri where most of the confirmed cases (確診病例) have been reported.
Officials reported 37 new confirmed cases and 12 deaths in the past 24 hours.
The outbreak has now recorded 635 confirmed cases and 127 deaths across three eastern provinces.
It is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain (病毒株) of Ebola.
Officials say there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for that strain.
Treatment activities are now underway at Ebola centers in two affected areas.
Pope Leo blesses Sagrada Familia's tallest tower
Pope Leo has blessed the newest tower of Barcelona's Sagrada Familia, making
it the tallest church in the world.
The 172-meter Tower of Jesus Christ is topped with a large ceramic cross visible across the city.
Leo called the basilica an "architectural masterpiece" (建築傑作) during a Mass attended by Spain's king, queen and prime minister.
The ceremony came 100 years after the death of architect Antoni Gaudi.
The pope also used his sermon (講道、布道) to say Christians "cannot believe in Jesus and promote war."
Earlier in the day, Leo became the first pope to visit a Spanish prison.
He urged inmates at Brians 1 prison to make amends (彌補過錯、改過) and choose better lives.
The Sagrada Familia was meant to be completed this year, but construction is now expected to continue until 2035.