Gasoline, diesel prices at pumps to rise this week
Gasoline, diesel prices at pumps to rise this weekBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterThe nation’s two refiners yesterday said they would raise gasoline prices by NT$0.8 per liter and diesel prices by NT$0.9 a liter this week, after lowering prices for both by NT$0.2 per liter each the previous week. Effective today, gasoline prices at CPC and Formosa stations are to increase to NT$27.2, NT$28.7 and NT$30.7 per liter for 92, 95 and 98-octane unleaded gasoline respectively, the companies said. The price of premium diesel is to rise to NT$25.7 per liter at CPC stations and NT$25.5 at Formosa pumps, they said. Brent crude oil futures — the international oil benchmark — last week rose 1.25 percent to settle at US$64.13 per barrel on the Intercontinental Exchange. West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures — the US oil benchmark — gained 0.54 percent to US$59.44 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Source:Taipei Times
January 18, 2026 17:16 UTC
Micron to pay US$1.8bn for fab site
Micron to pay US$1.8bn for fab siteKEEPING UP: The acquisition of a cleanroom in Taiwan would enable Micron to increase production in a market where demand continues to outpace supply, a Micron official saidBloombergMicron Technology Inc has signed a letter of intent to buy a fabrication site in Taiwan from Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (力積電) for US$1.8 billion to expand its production of memory chips. Micron would take control of the P5 site in Miaoli County’s Tongluo Township (銅鑼) and plans to ramp up DRAM production in phases after the transaction closes in the second quarter, the company said in a statement on Saturday. The acquisition includes an existing 12 inch fab cleanroom of 27,871m2 and would further position Micron to address growing global demand for memory solutions, the company said. Micron would also assist Powerchip in enhancing its existing specialty DRAM process technologies at the P3 site in Hsinchu County, it said. The investment is part of Micron’s global expansion as it seeks to meet continued demand for memory chips.
Source:Taipei Times
January 18, 2026 17:16 UTC
Real Madrid overcome fans’ boos to win match
Real Madrid overcome fans’ boos to win matchAFP, MADRIDAngry Real Madrid fans on Saturday jeered their own team before they went on to beat Levante 2-0 in Spanish La Liga to record new coach Alvaro Arbeloa’s first win at the helm. Real Madrid’s Raul Asencio, front, celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal during their Spanish La Liga match against Levante in Madrid on Saturday. Mbappe had the best chance of a flat first half against the team in 19th in La Liga. “Today was a very important day, playing in front of our fans, we wanted to turn around the situation,” Asencio told Real Madrid TV. The loss leaves Villarreal eight points behind leaders Barcelona and damaged their chances of competing for a first-ever La Liga title.
Source:Taipei Times
January 18, 2026 17:15 UTC
Al-Attiyah and Benevides are winners in Dakar
Al-Attiyah and Benevides are winners in DakarAFP, YANBU, Saudi ArabiaQatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah on Saturday secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Saudi Arabia with Luciano Benavides scraping home by two seconds to claim the motorbike title. The Dacia Sandriders’ Nasser al-Attiyah celebrates after winning the Dakar Rally in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday. With Belgian codriver Fabian Lurquin, al-Attiyah took control of the overall standings early on in the motorsport marathon. Luciano Benavides, center, celebrates after winning the Dakar Rally motorbike title in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday. Earlier, Argentina’s Luciano Benavides took the bike honors by a mere two seconds.
Source:Taipei Times
January 18, 2026 17:15 UTC
Alcaraz, Sabalenka win Melbourne openers
Alcaraz, Sabalenka win Melbourne openersAFP, MELBOURNETop-ranked Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka yesterday launched their Australian Open title bids with straight-sets wins, but there was no fairytale for 45-year-old Venus Williams. Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz reacts during his Australian Open men’s singles first-round match against Australia’s Adam Walton in Melbourne yesterday. Photo: AFPAlcaraz, who is desperate to win the Australian Open to complete the career Grand Slam of all four majors, plays Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann next. Sabalenka began her bid for a third Australian Open title in four years with a patchy start before coming good in the second set. The seven-time major champion was the oldest woman to play in the history of the Australian Open.
Source:Taipei Times
January 18, 2026 17:15 UTC
Lin Chun-yi bags first title of this year
Lin Chun-yi bags first title of this yearGOLD MEDAL GLORY: Lin defeated Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie 21-10, 21-18 in a speedy 38 minutes, recording his second consecutive victory against the IndonesianStaff writer, with CNATaiwanese badminton player Lin Chun-yi yesterday won the men’s singles final of the India Open, surging past world No. 4 Jonatan Christie of Indonesia in straight games to win his first title since 2024. Lin most recently beat Christie at the China Masters in Shenzhen in September last year. Taiwan’s Lin Chun-yi celebrates on the podium after winning the men’s singles competition at the India Open 2026 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Arena in New Delhi yesterday. At last year’s China Master’s, Lin missed out on his first Super 750 title with a 21-11, 21-15 loss to China’s Weng Hongyang in the final.
Source:Taipei Times
January 18, 2026 17:15 UTC
Cold can threaten hearing
Cold can threaten hearingBy Chiu Chih-jou / Staff ReporterCold weather not only increases the risk of cardiovascular incidents but also the risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), also known as sudden deafness or ear stroke, a doctor warned. Wu said the person at first thought it was caused by a common cold or water in the ear after a bath, but the condition persisted, so they sought treatment and were diagnosed with severe SSNHL. Their hearing has improved with treatment and with hearing aids. Recovery rates follow a “rule of thirds” — one-third of patients recover completely, one-third recover partially and one-third see almost no improvement, Wu said, adding that as it involves inner ear damage, so if no recovery occurs, hearing loss might be permanent. It is common for patients to have sudden hearing loss, tinnitus, a feeling of ear fullness or pressure or even vertigo following a sharp decline in temperature during the night or early morning, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 18, 2026 17:15 UTC
Two US ships transit through Taiwan Strait
Two US ships transit through Taiwan StraitBy Fang Wei-li / Staff reporterThe US’ Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer the USS John Finn and Pathfinder-class oceanographic survey ship USNS Mary Sears on Friday and Saturday sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the US Navy’s Seventh Fleet said. “USS John Finn and Pathfinder-class survey ship USNS Mary Sears conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit Jan. 16 to 17 through waters where high-seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law. “The transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US’ commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations as a principle. The international community’s navigational rights and freedoms in the Taiwan Strait should not be limited. Photo: Screen grab from USS Finn’s Facebook pageThis is the fourth time during US President Donald Trump’s second term that a US warship has sailed through the Taiwan Strait.
Source:Taipei Times
January 18, 2026 17:15 UTC
Parents express concern over students’ safety
Parents express concern over students’ safetyBy Yang Hsin-hui and Fion Khan / Staff reporter, with staff writerA Taipei third-grader brandished a pair of scissors in class, a parent said, adding that the incident has raised concerns about campus safety and the handling of students with behavioral issues. Parents of other students rejected that claim, saying other students are afraid of the outburst-prone classmate. The Taipei City Department of Education said the school has established standard operating procedures for emergency incidents and strengthened classroom safety management. Given that elementary-Aschool students have limited offensive and defensive capabilities, schools should take the lead in risk management, he said. Possible measures include adjusting seating arrangements, providing close supervision and placing high-risk students where homeroom teachers can easily monitor them, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 18, 2026 17:15 UTC
China using oil rigs near Pratas to boost kill chain
The Jamestown Foundation think tank in a report published in September last year said that oil rigs could serve as relay stations for drone communications, and that China’s oil rigs around the Pratas Islands are boosting its “kill chain,” as well as its command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting (C5ISRT) capabilities. Photo courtesy of Chen Ching-nengChina has 12 oil rigs around Pratas Islands, owned by the China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC), including seven rig structures, three floating production storage and offloading vessels, and two semi-submersible oil platforms, it said. These state-owned structures have dual-use potential and “may be more valuable for constraining Taiwan’s space than for their nominal commercial purpose of extracting oil,” the report said. On the surface, they are tools for developing resources, but they could also be used to gather intelligence and deploy the military, Yang said. Establishing offshore platforms inside Taiwan’s EEZ without permission infringes on UN law, but Taiwan cannot dispute this, as it is not a UN member, she added.
Source:Taipei Times
January 18, 2026 17:15 UTC
Lai outlines draft animal protections
Lai outlines draft animal protectionsKINDNESS TO CRITTERS: The draft amendments aims to curtail free-roaming feral animals, interdict illegal breeding operations and treat strays humanelyBy Esme Yeh / Staff reporter, with CNAThe government will continue to promote amendments to the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) as well as encourage “adopt, don’t shop” and “zero pet abandonment” policies, President William Lai (賴清德) said at a pet gathering yesterday. President William Lai, left, reacts on stage at the Dogs and Cats Carnival in Taipei yesterday. Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei TimesThe Department of Animal Welfare, which was established under the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) two years ago, is dedicated to collaboration with civic groups on animal welfare promotion. In the draft amendments, Lai outlined the prioritization of managing free-roaming animals, clampdowns on illegal breeding, and humane capture of stray cats and dogs and their sterilization before being released for adoption. Other measures promoted in the bill include strengthening animal registration, conducting regular performance evaluations of animal shelters, banning feeding animals around natural reserves and stiffer penalties for those charged with abusing animals, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
January 18, 2026 17:15 UTC
RT-Mart employee sentenced for 2022 assault of intern at Kaohsiung store
RT-Mart employee sentenced for 2022 assault of intern at Kaohsiung storeASSAULT OF A MINOR The former security employee received a prison sentence of more than 13 years for assaulting and blackmailing the victim while at workBy Huang Chia-lin and Jason Pan / Staff reportersA Kaohsiung RT-Mart security employee was sentenced to more than 13 years imprisonment for sexual assault, while the court required the parent company to financially compensate the victim. The Kaohsiung District Court convicted the RT-Mart employee, surnamed Chang (張), of sexual assault of a minor for actions at his workplace in January 2022. The court mandated reparations of NT$3 million (US$95,021) which Chang was unable to pay, lacking the finances or assets. The court ruled in the victim’s favor, saying that RT-Mart was negligent in its duty. PX Mart said in a release that they would comply with the court’s decision and pay out financial compensation to the victim.
Source:Taipei Times
January 18, 2026 17:15 UTC
Reporter spy case highlights Taiwan’s Chinese infiltration problem: academic
It is not surprising, as the issue of Chinese collaborators in Taiwan is not something new and has been a long-standing problem, Hung said. However, this incident has shown the public that Chinese infiltration is no longer limited to political figures or grassroots organizations, but has deeply penetrated into the information production chain, Hung said. This type of infiltration is highly covert and is the most difficult part of cognitive warfare to defend against, he said. CTi News said one of its reporters, Lin Chen-you (林宸佑), has been detained, but that it was not aware of the case details. Prosecutors said that Lin paid military officers bribes ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of New Taiwan dollars in exchange for providing information to Chinese people.
Source:Taipei Times
January 18, 2026 17:15 UTC
Forecasters using AI to model typhoons
These forecasts noticeably improved last year, with errors in 24-hour forecasts for typhoon paths 12 percent lower than in 2024, it said. Introducing smart programs and AI models has significantly reduced errors in typhoon forecasts, the CWA said. The CWA frequently used AI models last year as forecasters became more familiar with them, improving typhoon forecast accuracy, Huang said. With success in more accurately predicting typhoon paths, the CWA would next turn to applying AI models to model wind and rain levels, Huang said. The agency’s traditional physical models have reached resolution of 1 to 3km, while large AI models only have a resolution of 25 to 28km, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 18, 2026 17:15 UTC
TPP announces its policy agenda for local elections
TPP announces its policy agenda for local electionsStaff writer, with CNAThe Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday unveiled its policy platform for the local elections. The TPP’s 80-page policy white paper is more substantive and practical than typical reports submitted by central ministries to the legislature, TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said. The party’s platform has on four core goals: stabilizing society, supporting families, safeguarding health and safety, and bolstering industries, he said. Meanwhile, Huang said a joint agenda with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has been largely drafted and is awaiting ratification. The KMT still needs to carry out internal candidate nomination procedures, which the TPP respects, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 18, 2026 17:15 UTC