20120522 10am

Click here to download the EZ News audio file

10AM EZ News Intro

Good morning ... it's 10 o'clock and I'm Gavin Phipps w/ EZ News

10AM TAIWAN NEWS ....

The Tai-Ex opened up 70.33-points this morning from yesterday's close at 7,262.5 on turnover of 2.19-billion N-T dollars. -------- The island's export orders fell by 3.52-per cent April from a year earlier. The government is attributing the decline to a high base and transition period for information and communications products. Export orders totaled 36.09-billion U-S dollars in April - down 5.95-per cent from March. The government is predicting export orders will also post negative growth in May. --------- Two lawmakers accompanying members of the island's official delegation to the World Health Assembly in Geneva are calling for Taiwan's full membership in the World Health Organization. Speaking after their arrival in Geneva .. the K-M-T's Su Qing-chuan and the T-S-U's Lin Shi-jia asked officials from the island's diplomatic allies to support Taiwan's bid for full membership in more international organizations. ----------- Former president Chen Shui-bian has been indicted for illegally seizing confidential government documents - in the latest in series of charges filed against the already jailed ex-head of state. Prosecutors yesterday indicted Chen on the charge of violating the Classified National Security Information Protection Act. According to the indictment, Chen allegedly ordered aides to remove documents from national security agencies and National Defense and Foreign Affairs ministries to his personal office in Taipei. The removal of the document allegedly occurred after the March 2008 presidential election in 2008. ------------ The Mainland Affairs Council says China's new leadership is unlikely to change its course towards Taiwan. According to the council .... Beijing is expected to maintain its general approach to cross-strait policies when its fifth generation leader takes power. Council officials say China's new leader is expected to follow Beijing's current mantra of "economics first, politics later" in talks with Taiwan.

Yemen ..

In international news ..... More than 90 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack at a military parade rehearsal in Yemen's capital of Sanaa. Defense officials say the bomber was wearing an army uniform and blew himself up among a group of soldiers near the presidential palace. It was the deadliest incident in the Yemeni capital since the election of a new president in February.

NATO ..

NATO leaders have endorsed plans to hand over combat command to Afghan forces by mid-2013. They also confirmed NATO combat troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. Only training units will remain in the country. NATO officials are also voicing optimism that Pakistan will soon re-open supply routes. The routes were closed after a U-S drone strike killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

Libya ...

Lockerbie bomber - Abdelbaset al-Megrahi - has been buried in a private ceremony in a western suburb of the Libyan capital, Tripoli. Megrahi - who is the only person convicted over the 1988 bombing which killed 270 people - died at his home on Sunday.

US ..

The U-S Senate approved tough new penalties on Iran -- as Washington continues to attempt to thwart what it claims are Tehran's nuclear ambitions. The Senate backed the measure ahead of talks between leading nations and Iran in Baghdad - which are slated to take place tomorrow. The bill target's Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and requires companies that trade on the U-S stock exchange to disclose any Iran-relatd business to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The bill also denies visas and freeze assets on individuals and companies that supply Iran with technology that could be used to crack down on its citizens.

US ....

And also in U-S news ..... Chinese dissident - Chen Guang-cheng -- who arrived in the United States this past weekend -- is now at New York University where he will study law. Nathan King reports from New York.

WEATHER AM .....

Looking at the weather across Taiwan ... We can expect ..... cloudy skies in the north w/ a high of 29 in the Taipei area - and partly cloudy skies in the center and south w/ a high of 30 in Taichong and 32 Gaoxiong. Current Temperatures .... Taipei -- Taichung -- Gaoxiong --

10AM EZ News Outro

That was EZ News at 10 on ICRT w/ me Gavin Phipps ....