The Tai-Ex opened up 30-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 33,720
on turnover of $8-billion N-T.

The market fell by over 650 points on Thursday on the back of a sell-off
sparked by a spike in international crude oil prices duen to Donald Trump's
Middle East war and the U-S Federal Reserve's alert over rising inflation.

Taiwan maintained its status as a "free" country and the second freest in
Asia in the latest annual report released by the US-based democracy watchdog
(監督組織), Freedom House.

Taiwan has an overall score of 93 out of 100.

That was down one point from last year.

Taiwan also ranked second in Asia behind Japan, which scored 96.

The "Freedom in the World 2026: The Growing Shadow of Autocracy" report
assessed access to political rights and civil liberties in 195 countries and
13 territories from January 1 to December 31 last year.

Taiwan scored 38 out of 40 in political rights and 55 out of 60 in civil
liberties.

Freedom House says Taiwan's vibrant (活躍的) and competitive democratic
system has enabled regular, peaceful transfers of power since 2000, while
protections for civil liberties remain generally strong.

However, it also flagged concerns, including insufficient protections for
migrant workers and efforts by the China to influence policymaking, media,
and democratic institutions.

The Kremlin says US-mediated Russia-Ukraine talks have been put on pause, but
bilateral talks between Moscow and Washington continue.

As the focus of the White House appears to have shifted to the Middle East in
recent weeks, fears are rising the situation around Iran may distract
(使分心) it from Kiev's urgent needs for Western arms supplies.

Daria Bondarchuk reports from Moscow.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his teenage daughter have ridden a tank
together, days after they watched rocket launches and fired pistols.

The official Korean Central News Agency reported Friday that Kim oversaw
(監督) training involving tank units and infantry troops on Thursday.

KCNA images showed Kim and his daughter, both wearing black leather jackets,
riding in an olive-green tank.

The images show the girl sticking her head out of the tank’s hatch, while
Kim sitting on its top.

The girl has accompanied her father to many high-profile events since 2022,
sparking outside speculation that she is her father’s likely heir.

Brazil now enforces a sweeping new law that aims to make the internet safer
for children and teens.

On Tuesday, the digital statute takes effect after Congress backs it and
President Lula signs it in September.

The law requires accounts for minors under 16 to link to a legal guardian.

It also bans addictive design tricks like endless scrolling and autoplay.

Platforms must use real age checks, not just a box that says “over 18.”

Lula says online abuse and exploitation (剝削) can no longer hide behind
“freedom.”

WhatsApp and Google already roll out (推出) parent tools.

The Tai-Ex opened down 69-points this morning from yesterday's close, at
34,279 on turnover of 8.2-billion N-T.

The market rose by more than 500 points on Wednesday, as buying was triggered
by lingering enthusiasm toward global A-I development, which pushed up tech
stocks higher.

The K-M-T and the Taiwan People's Party have approved a cooperation agreement
for November's local elections.

The agreement was separately passed by the K-M-T Central Standing Committee
and the T-P-P's Central Committee and means that two party's will jointly
field (選派...上場) candidates.

Under the pact's "nominate first, coordinate later" model, the two parties
will prioritize incumbent mayors or county magistrates seeking re-election.

A joint KMT-TPP campaign group will also be established to support candidates
nationwide.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs says C-P-C has absorbed about 3.3-billion
N-T in fuel costs over the past two weeks to help stabilize domestic prices
due to the US-Isreal war with Iran.

According to Vice Economics Minister, Lai Jien-hsin, the government has been
prioritizing price stability as global energy supplies face disruptions
(破壞) from the conflict.

Under a price-stabilization mechanism, C-P-C absorbs at least 60-per cent of
cost increases while keeping domestic fuel prices among the lowest in
neighboring markets.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister offered harsh criticism Thursday of Iran
following overnight attacks on his country, saying: “What little trust there
was before has completely been shattered.”

Prince Faisal bin Farhan offered the comments after a meeting between foreign
ministers of the Gulf Arab states and others over the Iranian attacks
targeting the wider Middle East.

He criticized Iran’s attacks on Riyadh, the capital hosting the meeting.

Iran also attacked Saudi Arabia's vast Eastern Province, home to many of its
oil fields, as well as Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

The minister says Saudi Arabia will use "every lever (手段，把柄)",
"political, economic, diplomatic and otherwise, to get these attacks to
stop”.

A US congressional committee is demanding that the US Attorney General face
questions over her handling of the Epstein files, a move the Justice
Department is pushing back (反對) on.

Mitch McCann reports:

The latest World Happiness Report 2026 says that heavy social media use has
contributed to a stark (嚴重的 ) decline in well-being among young people,
with the effects particularly worrying in teenage girls in English-speaking
countries and Western Europe.

The annual report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the
University of Oxford, also found that Finland is the happiest land in the
world for the ninth year in a row.

Other Nordic countries such as Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway ranked
among the top 10 countries.

But it highlighted how life evaluations among under 25-year-olds in the
United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have dropped over the past
decade.

The Tai-Ex opened up 92-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 33,929
on turnover of 12.4-billion N-T.

The market closed higher on Tuesday led by the electronics sector, after
Nvidia C-E-O Jensen Huang's gave an upbeat keynote address G-T-C global
artificial intelligence conference in San Jose.

The Air Force Command Headquarters says it has found and retrieved the flight
data recorder of the F-16V fighter jet that disappeared off the east coast in
January.

According to defense officials, the flight data recorder will now be sent it
to its manufacturer in the U-S to decode the data to determine the cause of
the plane's disappearance.

The single-seat F-16V went missing on January 6 after taking off from Hualien
Air Base on a routine nighttime training mission.

The pilot reported that the aircraft was losing altitude shortly before
(快要…之前) he was about to eject from the aircraft.

The fighter jet's signal disappeared from radar eight seconds later off the
coast of Fengbin in Hualien.

bias

The Ministry of Labor has launched a free video legal consultation service
for workers facing suspected pregnancy or gender-based workplace
discrimination.

According to the ministry, it hopes to provide a consultation channel that is
professional, private and convenient and believes it will make workers less
likely to feel intimidated (受到恐嚇) about seeking help than other channels.

The free video legal consultation service has been established partnership
with the Legal Aid Foundation.

Migrant workers and foreign nationals who do not speak Mandarin are also
eligible for the service - with the Legal Aid Foundation saying
interpretation assistance provided if needed.

Oil prices remain volatile (不穩定的) amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle
East, forcing up travel costs.

Nick Harper reports from Washington.

Ecuador’s president rejected allegations that his country is bombing targets
in neighboring Colombia.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said Tuesday that his government “is
fighting narco terrorism in all its forms” and “bombing places that serve
as hideouts (藏身處) for those groups, of which many are Colombian," but only
within Ecuadorian territory.

On Monday night, Colombian president Gustavo Petro accused Ecuador of bombing
targets on Colombia’s side of the border, saying a bomb was found by
Colombian officials, but provided no evidence to back up his claim.

The dispute comes as Colombia prepares for presidential elections in May, and
relations deteriorate between Colombia and Ecuador, two neighboring nations
that were once close commercial and security partners.

The Colosseum has a bright new look following a restoration using the same
travertine marble (洞石，石灰華) of ancient Rome to recreate parts of columns
from 2,000 years ago.

The project focused on a semicircular piazza outside the arena, where Roman
spectators crowded under two arcades comprised of marble columns stretching
up to 50 meters high.

The columns collapsed a long time ago, but but now, tourists will be able to
sit on large travertine marble slabs where the columns once stood and read
reproductions (複製品) of the Roman numerals that indicated seat sections.

The Colosseum is Italy’s most popular tourist destination, with 9 million
visitors in 2025 alone.

The Tai-Ex opened up 38-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 33,380
on turnover of 7.6-billion N-T.

The market lost ground on Monday as investor sentiment remained muted due the
impact of the US-Israel war against Iran, which has resulted in rises in
international crude oil prices.

President Lai Ching-te is calling for closer cooperation among democratic
partners to strengthen supply chain and economic resilience.

Speaking at the opening of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, Lai said his
administration wants to work with like-minded countries to form
"international teams" with them ...

.. and intends to leverage (善用) the many advantages of these partners to
deepen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

According to Lai, his government will form national teams in specific fields
to keep making Taiwan stronger, while also go beyond that, by building
international teams to keep leveraging the power of solidarity with other
nations.

The two-day Yushan Forum runs through today.

Beitun District

Tai-Power says electricity has been restored to over 400 households and
business affected by a power outage last night in Taichung's Beitun
District.

The affected business included the Costco north Taichung Warehouse.

According to Tai-Power, electricity was restored to all households and
businesses by 10PM after emergency repairs were carried out and cause of the
outage is under investigation.

Tai-Power says an initial investigation has found that a fuse box (保險絲盒)
failure in the underground substation of a residential building was likely
the cause of the power outage.

The faulty equipment is being disassembled for inspection.

The United Arab Emirates lifted a brief airspace closure this morning after
the country faced incoming Iranian attacks.

The state-run news agency quoted the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority
as saying the closure had ended.

The authorities said “the situation stabilized,” allowing flights to
resume.

The earlier closure announcement showed the balancing act Emirati authorities
face in trying to keep their long-haul carriers, Emirates and Etihad, flying
as Iranian attacks continue to target the country.

On Monday, an Iranian drone attack set a fuel tank ablaze (燃燒) at Dubai
International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel.

The UK is working with all of its allies to re-open the Strait of Hormuz,
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at a press conference this morning.

He also announced a government contribution of over $70million to support
British households (家庭) with rising oil costs.

Lara Bentley reports from London

Spain’s King Felipe says Spain’s conquest of the Americas involved abuse
and ethical controversy, as Spain and Mexico remain at odds over calls for an
apology.

On Monday, Felipe made the remarks during a visit to a museum exhibition in
Madrid.

He told Mexico’s ambassador to Spain that parts of the conquest do not make
Spain proud by today’s values.

Mexico has demanded a formal apology for years, which Spain has refused to
do.

Mexico’s president said she needed to review Felipe's comments but
acknowledged similar conciliatory (願意和解的，安撫的) remarks made last year
by Spain's foreign minister.