Posted by Webmaster on 2013-08-05 08:15:50 9AM - INTRO Good morning .. it's 9 o'clock on I-C-R-T .... and I'm Gavin Phipps with the top of the hour news report ... 9AM TAIWAN NEWS .... Looking at the main stories from here in Taiwan this morning ...... The funeral of Army conscript Hong Chong-qiu took place in Taichong yesterday. Angry protesters and family members blocked President Ma Ying-jeou as he tried to enter the funeral venue. Ma and his entourage were finally allowed to pay their respects to after borough chief - Xie Rei-de - kneeled down in front of the crowd and begged them to make way for the president. Meanwhile ... Military prosecutors yesterday released a third death certificate for Hong Chong-qiu -- this time listing homicide as the reason for the conscript's July 4-th death -------------------- Tai-Power - yesterday said it is confident about the structural safety of the controversial fourth nuclear power plant in New Taipei City. According to the state-generator .... U-S contractor General Electric is working on the project, and Tai-Power has confidence in the company's professional competence. Company officials say, G-E has been asked to push Tai-Power's downstream vendors harder to improve their efficiency and problem-solving skills. The statement comes as lawmakers remain deadlocked over a proposed referendum on the future of the plant. ---------------- The Centers for Disease Control says 10-thousand doses of rabies vaccine for human use are being distributed to designated hospitals and local government disease control centers. According to the center .. 300 frontline disease prevention workers - who are at a high risk of close contact with rabid animals - have been given the first shot of the three-dose pre-exposure rabies vaccination. According to the Central Epidemic Command Center for rabies, the number of confirmed cases of rabies infections in animals stands at 36 - of which 35 involve Formosan ferret-badgers and one a house shrew. The number of affected areas islandwide stands at seven. INT ...... In international news .... The U-S State Department has expressed concern at the re-election of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. ------------------------ A bomb detonated at a Buddhist temple in Indonesia's capital yesterday. ----------------------- And .... Uruguay is set to become the first country in Latin America to legalize marijuana -- after its congress approved a bill to regulate the consumption, production, and commercialization of the drug. Iran ... Iran's new President - Hassan Rouhanni - has urged Western powers to end sanctions against his country - calling for Tehran to be treated with respect. Lorna Shaddick reports. US .. The United States says it will keep 19 embassies in north Africa and the Middle East closed until Saturday -- due to a possible militant threat. Twenty-one U-S embassies and consulates closed Sunday. The State Department says the extended closures were "out of an abundance of caution" --- and not a reaction to a new threat. Iraq .. A series of attacks across Iraq yesterday killed 15 people yesterday. The deadliest attack took place late last night when gunmen in a speeding car opened fire randomly on a gathering of people on a street in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk -- killing four people and wounding three others. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks. Egypt .. Egypt's highest security body warned yesterday that the clock is ticking for a peaceful end to the standoff over sit-ins by supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi. More than a month after the military overthrew Morsi -- thousands of the Islamist leader's supporters remain camped out in two main crossroads in Cairo demanding his reinstatement. Israel .. Israel has agreed to subsidise several Jewish settlements that were regarded as illegal until recently. Israel said the subsidies were needed for security reasons. However ... Palestinian officials says the move would have a "destructive impact" on peace talks -- which resumed last week after a three-year hiatus. Australia .. Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has called an election for September 7-th --- six weeks after defeating former prime minister Julia Gillard in a Labor party vote. The date was announced after he visited the governor-general - a formality preceding an election announcement. Rudd faces stiff competition from conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott -- who is favourite to win. The economy, asylum seekers and climate change are among the key issues. WEATHER AM ..... Looking at the weather across Taiwan ... We can expect .... mostly clear skies islandwide -- w/ a high of 36 in Taipei and a high of around 34 in the Taichong and Gaoxiong areas. Current Temperatures .... Taipei -- Taichung -- Gaoxiong -- 9AM OUTRO ... That was the 9 o'clock news w/ me Gavin Phipps ... --

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