The Tai-Ex opened up 149-points this morning from yesterday's close, at
37,863 on turnover of $9.6-billion N-T.

The Taoyuan District Prosecutors' Office has idicted the head of a cosmetics
ingredient supplier accused of knowingly selling raw materials contaminated
with toxic Sudan Red dyes.

The suspect headed Yih Hong Company - which is the only importer in Taiwan of
products from Singapore-based supplier Campo Research.

According to the prosecutors' office, the suspect sent samples for testing
after being told by a client (客戶) that a batch (批次) of raw material might
contain banned Sudan Red dyes, and those confirmed the presence of Sudan III
and Sudan IV.

Both are industrial dyes considered toxic to humans and banned in Taiwan.

Prosecutors say Campo Research advised him to halt distribution, but instead
he chose to conceal the test results and continue selling the material to
clients between September and October for profit.

The tainted ingredients were used in products including lipstick.

Prosecutors say the man has admitted to wrong doing and was released on
300,000 N-T bail.

The Taiwan Creative Content Agency says Taiwan will achieve its
strongest-ever showing at this year's Far East Film Festival in Italy, with
six films selected for competition.

The festival opens today and is one of Europe's largest showcases (展示) of
Asian cinema.

The selected titles include "A Foggy Tale," which won best feature film at
the 2025 Golden Horse Awards and "Sunshine Women's Choir", which is the
highest-grossing Taiwan film of all time.

The other three works are "Deep Quiet Room," "Kung Fu," "A Mighty Adventure"
and "I Blew Out the Candles Before Making a Wish."

The Far East Film Festival is scheduled to announce its awards on May 2.

US President Donald Trump says the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire has been extended
(擴充) by three weeks.

It follows his meeting with the ambassadors of both countries at the White
House on Thursday afternoon.

Nick Harper reports from Washington.

Judges at the International Criminal Court have confirmed crimes against
humanity charges against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for
deadly anti-drugs crackdowns he allegedly oversaw while in office.

A three-judge panel found unanimously there were “substantial grounds” to
believe the ex-leader was responsible for dozens of murders, first as mayor
of the southern Philippine city of Davao and later as president.

Duterte was arrested in the Philippines last year and proceedings have been
delayed (延遲) over concerns about his health.

Duterte has not been present in the courtroom for any hearings, having waived
his right to appear.

The Venice Biennale has lost $2.3 million US dollars in funding due to its
decision to allow Russia to participate in the 61st contemporary art show.

The European Commission informed the Biennale foundation of the funding cut
and gave it 30 days to defend its decision.

A spokesperson said the commission strongly condemns (譴責) the reopening of
the Russian pavilion.

Russian artists withdrew in 2022, and Russia did not present an exhibition in
2024.

The Biennale stated it cannot prevent a country from participating if
recognized by Italy, adding that the Biennale emphasizes (強調) dialogue,
openness, and artistic freedom.

The Tai-Ex opened up 93-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 37,971
on turnover of 12.9-billion N-T.

The market closed at another new high on Wednesday as buying in the
electronics sector continued amid strong global demand.

Analysts say the local main board kept moving higher, led by tech stocks on
the back of continuing strong global demand for A-I applications resilient to
geopolitical unease.

The Legislative Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee has passed a
resolution condemning Beijing for allegedly coercing three African countries
into revoking overflight permits for President Lai Ching-te's planned trip to
Eswatini, forcing the trips cancellation.

The motion denouncing Beijing's "coercion" of third countries to revoke
(撤銷) overflight permits for Taiwan's head of state was introduced to the
committee by D-P-P lawmakers

The proposal received cross-party backing and passed without objection.

According to D-P-P lawmaker Puma Shen, China used economic leverage to force
other countries to revoke flight permits in direct interference in matters of
national sovereignty.

Economics Minister Kung Ming-hsin says the government has significantly
increased its reliance on the U-S for crude oil imports -- which now account
for about 60-per cent of total supply.

The move marks a sharp rise from previous levels.

According 2024 data, about 30-per cent of Taiwan's crude oil imports
previously came from the U-S, with most of the remainder sourced from the
Middle East.

Speaking at a legislative committee heairng, Kung said C-P-C and Formosa
Petrochemical have both adjusted shipping routes, with most cargoes now
avoiding the Persian Gulf and instead transiting through the Red Sea and
other export channels.

The economics minister went on to stress that Taiwan currently maintains
(維持) crude oil reserves equivalent to about 140 days of consumption.

European Union ambassadors have agreed on a loan (借款) for Ukraine worth
more than 100 billion dollars.

The announcement came after Kyiv said that Russian oil is once again flowing
through a pipeline connecting Hungary and Slovakia.

William Denselow reports from Brussels.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says that Washington cannot dictate
(決定，規定) the terms of the continental trade deal known as USMCA.

He spoke to reporters on Wednesday in Ottawa and acknowledged (承認) the
challenges ahead of the agreement's review in July.

The deal has linked the North American economies since the 1990s but faces
issues due to the Trump administration's tariff policies.

Carney stresses the need for negotiations to address trade irritants
(刺激物).

He responded to reports of U.S. demands for concessions, highlighting
Canada's strengths and diversification efforts.

Carney also defended Canada's trade policies, including protecting dairy and
opposing the "Buy Canadian" policy criticism.

The Tai-Ex opened up 22-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 37,627
on turnover of 8.3-billion N-T.

The market closed at yet another record high on Tuesday after tech stocks
soared on the back of continuing investor optimism over the development of
artificial intelligence infrastructure and applications.

cancellation

President Lai Ching-te says "Taiwan's sincere wishes" to Eswatini's King
Mswati III on his Ruby jubilee will not be affected, despite political
interference by China forcing him to cancel his planned visit to the African
diplomatic ally.

Taking to social media, Lai said he "regretted" to inform the public that he
had to suspend his trip on the advice of his national security team, but
Taiwan continues to cherish its friendship with Eswatini ...

... and he will send special envoys to attend events marking the 40th
anniversary of the monarch's accession (登基) to the throne and the king's
58th birthday."

The Presidential Office is blaming "economic coercion" by China the
cancellation after the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar rescinded (撤銷)
overflight permission for Lai's chartered plane.

The Cabinet's 2026 general budget proposal has been sent to committee review
after Premier Cho Jung-tai briefed lawmakers on its planning.

The budget had been stalled in the Legislature for more than six months,
prior to Cho briefing lawmakers on the compilation (編輯;編製) of the budget
and answering questions during a legislative hearing on Tuesday.

According to the premier, certain budget items have been deferred due to
concerns over parity among public servants and constitutional issues.

Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang presided over the hearing - after
which he announced that the proposal would be sent to the Finance Committee
and distributed to other committees in accordance with a set schedule.

A teenage boy has been charged following an alleged (據稱) arson attack on a
synagogue in northwest London.

Police say the incident is the latest in a series of attacks targeting Jewish
sites across the capital.

Mike Jagassar reports from London.

Spain's government has approved a major plan to tackle (處理) the country's
housing crisis.

Rising rental and housing costs have priced many Spaniards out of the market,
despite a recent economic boom.

The new plan, worth 7 billion euros, triples government investment in public
housing over the next four years.

It ensures subsidized housing cannot be reclassified after a few years.

It also includes help for young renters and home buyers.

About 40% of the money will grow the public housing supply, while 30% will go
toward property renovations.

The rest will focus on subsidies, especially for young people.

The Tai-Ex jumped 700-points in early trading this morning after opening up
92-points from yesterday's close, at 37,051 on turnover of 11.2-billion N-T.

The main board added 739-points by 9:05 to reach to a high of 37,730 before
falling back to 37,689-points.

The rise came after market heavyweights Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing,
Hon Hai and Delta Electronics all made solid gains, as investors are eyeing
pending earnings reports from Intel, Microsoft, and Apple.

The Ministry of National Defense says it closely monitored the movements of
China's aircraft carrier, the Liaoning as it passed through the Taiwan Strait
yesterday.

The ministry has released a black-and-white surveillance photograph showing
an aerial (空中的,) view of the vessel - which shows several fixed-wing
aircraft and helicopters on the carrier's flight deck.

Defense officials have not specified where or when the photo was taken .. and
have also not disclose whether it was taken by a drone, an aircraft, or radar
system.

The last time the defense ministry reported a Chinese aircraft carrier in
the Taiwan Strait was mid-December of last year - when China's newest and
most advanced carrier, the Fujian, passed through the waterway.

And,

The palanquin carrying two statues of sea goddess Mazu from Bai-sha-tun
Gongtian Temple in Miaoli County returned home on Monday.

It concluding an eight-day pilgrimage to Chiaotian Temple, also a Mazu
temple, in Yunlin County and back again.

The statues were escorted into the main hall and formally seated in the
Gongtian Temple on their return by tens of thousands of devotees (虔誠信徒).

The Bai-sha-tun Mazu pilgrimage set off on April 13 from Tongxiao Township,
led by a palanquin carrying three Mazu statues, one of which was from
neighboring Shan-bian Mazu Temple.

Organizers say this year's procession was joined by a record 460,000-plus
devotees.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he takes "responsibility" for
appointing Peter Mandelson as US ambassador, but insists he only became aware
that Mandelson had failed security checks last Tuesday.

Starmer faced calls to resign after it became public that UK Security Vetting
had advised denying clearance to the associate (朋友, 夥伴) of convicted sex
offender Jeffrey Epstein's associate in January 2025.

Lara Bentley reports from London.

Japan has endorsed (合法化) scrapping a ban on lethal weapons exports.

The approval Tuesday by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Cabinet of the new
guideline clears a final set of hurdles for Japan’s postwar arms sales.

The move comes as the country accelerates its military buildup in the face of
growing security challenges in the region.

It's a major change of its postwar pacifist policy as the country seeks to
build up its arms industry and deepen cooperation with defense partners.

While the change of policy met with China’s criticism, it has been largely
welcomed by Japan’s defense partners like Australia and attracted interests
from Southeast Asia and Europe.