2026-01-24 09:33

TAIPEI, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The impact of this month's U.S.-Taiwan trade and tariff deal on the Taiwan dollar's exchange rate is within a "controllable range", the island's central bank said on Saturday. Under the deal, which cuts the tariff on Taiwan's goods to 15% from 20%, Taiwan companies will invest $250 billion in the United States while Taiwan will also guarantee an additional $250 billion in credit to facilitate further investment. Sign up here. In May, the Taiwan dollar surged against the U.S. dollar on speculation Washington had asked for it to appreciate, which Taiwan's government and central bank, which has a mandate to keep a stable exchange rate, strongly denied. In a report to lawmakers, Taiwan's central bank said the investment amount into the United States might increase Taiwanese companies' demand for U.S. dollars. But the agreement's impact on the Taiwan dollar exchange rate is "still considered to be within a controllable range", it added. Taiwan's large exporters have long accumulated foreign-currency assets on a considerable scale and so can use their own foreign-currency holdings as the source of U.S. dollar funds for investing in the United States, the central bank said. They may thus not need to first convert Taiwan dollars into U.S. dollars and then remit them abroad, which can reduce the impact on the domestic foreign-exchange market, it added. Since their future income will be in U.S. dollars, they can also issue U.S. dollar–denominated bonds directly or obtain U.S. dollar financing through banks, then use future U.S. dollar revenues to repay the bonds or service U.S. dollar loans, achieving a "natural hedging effect", it said. The trade agreement is expected to be implemented in phases over several years, which will help spread out firms' demand for U.S. dollars and further ease its impact on the domestic foreign-exchange market, the central bank added. It reiterated that the central bank did not take part in the trade and tariff talks with the United States. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taiwan-us-trade-deals-impact-forex-is-within-controllable-range-cbank-says-2026-01-24/

2026-01-24 07:33

Jan 24 (Reuters) - Air India said on Saturday it had canceled all flights to and from New York and Newark, New Jersey, for Sunday and Monday as a severe winter storm with heavy snow is forecast for the area. Winter Storm Fern is disrupting U.S. air travel, prompting airlines to cancel flights, warn of delays and issue travel waivers as ice, snow and strong winds sweep across major hubs and regional airports in the South, East and central parts of the country. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/air-india-cancels-new-york-newark-flights-due-us-winter-storm-2026-01-24/

2026-01-24 07:11

Sinner overcomes cramp, searing conditions to beat Spizzirri American women dominate before play halted on outdoor courts Djokovic claims 400th Grand Slam match win in cooler evening Japan's twice champion Osaka pulls out with abdominal injury Swiss Wawrinka goes down fighting in final Australian Open MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Jannik Sinner battled back from the brink of a cramp-induced breakdown to keep his Australian Open title defence alive after extreme heat halted play on outdoor courts at Melbourne Park on Saturday but Novak Djokovic escaped the furnace to forge ahead. Iga Swiatek continued to misfire in her hunt for a maiden Melbourne Park crown and a career Grand Slam, the second seed singed in her 6-1 1-6 6-1 win over Russian Anna Kalinskaya to reach the fourth round. Sign up here. Local favourite Maddison Inglis' path was much easier after her opponent and twice Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka pulled out with an abdominal injury. Second seed Sinner provided the early drama , as the Italian dropped his first set since October against inspired American Eliot Spizzirri and was a limping wreck under a blazing sun at Rod Laver Arena. The match swung in his favour when the tournament invoked its extreme heat policy, allowing the stadium's roof to shut and Sinner to rally for a dramatic 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4 win. The Italian said he was "lucky" to finish the last two sets under the roof, after cramp affected first his legs and then his arms. "Tennis is a mental game. I just tried to play as calm as possible," he said before cutting short his on-court chat. A trio of Italian men reached the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the first time, as Lorenzo Musetti beat Tomas Machac 5–7 6–4 6–2 5–7 6–2 and Luciano Darderi got past Karen Khachanov 7-6(5) 3-6 6-3 6-4. Djokovic opened the evening session on Rod Laver Arena in much better conditions, the Serb defeating dangerous Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3 6-4 7-6(4) to continue his hunt for a record 25th Grand Slam title. With his 102nd match win at Melbourne, he equalled six-times champion Roger Federer's record at the major and also became the first player to secure 400 match victories at Grand Slams. "It's been a great start to the tournament," said Djokovic, who next takes on young gun Jakub Mensik. "Things can change and I'm not getting ahead of myself." OUTDOOR MATCHES HALTED IN THE HEAT The heat shutdown earlier halted outdoor matches for most of the afternoon, but those on the main showcourts continued after the roofs were shut. With the temperature forecast to hit a scorching 40 degrees Celsius (104F), the action started an hour earlier than usual to take advantage of cooler morning conditions. Americans Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula capitalised on their early starts, beating Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-3 6-3 and Russian Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-3 6-2 respectively to set up a last-16 clash against each other. Holder Keys, the ninth seed, and sixth seed Pegula are Florida-based and had little fear of the heat. Fourth seed Amanda Anisimova soon followed the duo into the fourth round with a 6-1 6-4 victory over fellow American Peyton Stearns in the second match at Margaret Court Arena. "I hated training in the summer," Anisimova said. "But you know what? At least it paid off a little bit. It's great to be playing out here even when it's so hot, it's nice to have a challenge." While the Americans soared, Elise Mertens, Elena Rybakina and Wang Xinyu all flew under the radar to progress. STARS AND STRIPES Fifth seed Musetti and Czech Machac might have begged to differ as the duo slogged it out for four hours and 27 minutes at John Cain Arena before the Italian prevailed. On a day dominated by Americans, eighth seed Ben Shelton delivered another victory for the Stars and Stripes, beating Valentin Vacherot 6-4 6-4 7-6(5). Shelton's win was held up at 4-4 in the tiebreak as Vacherot thought the American hit the ball after a double-bounce. Shelton was handed the point after a video review that took so long even Vacherot was ready to concede it to get the match going again. A semi-finalist last year, Shelton was almost as happy as Sinner for the roof to be closed when he played at Margaret Court Arena. "I don't think I could have finished this match without the roof, I don't think anyone could," he said. "You all stay cool out there." Organisers warned fans to bring hats, slap on sunscreen and drink plenty of water - but many avoided the major altogether. The day session attendance of 51,048 was some 10,000 short of Friday and even less than last year's corresponding session. Those who braved the conditions to watch 40-year-old Stan Wawrinka's clash with American ninth seed Taylor Fritz might have been a little disappointed when the Swiss fell 7-6(5) 2-6 6-4 6-4 to bow out of the tournament for the final time. Fellow seasoned campaigner Marin Cilic also exited after a 6-4 6-4 3-6 7-5 loss to 12th seed Casper Ruud. https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/sinner-survives-australian-open-bakes-extreme-heat-2026-01-24/

2026-01-24 05:09

JAKARTA, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Seven people have died and 82 are missing after a landslide hit in Indonesia's West Java province, Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency said on Saturday, amid reports of heavy rain in the area. A local official said the landslide struck a village in West Bandung region. Sign up here. "The number of missing persons is high, we will try to optimise our search and rescue efforts today," Abdul Muhari, the agency spokesperson, told Reuters. Indonesia's weather agency had previously warned of extreme weather, including heavy rains in West Java province for a week from Friday, local outlet Kompas.com reported. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/seven-dead-82-missing-indonesia-landslide-agency-says-2026-01-24/

2026-01-24 04:41

MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Players wilted on court and fans huddled in shade as extreme heat hit the Australian Open on Saturday, halting outdoor matches as Melbourne Park roasted under an unforgiving sun. Hot weather is a feature of the year's first Grand Slam but the stifling conditions discouraged thousands of would-be fans from attending on a day that usually packs in the crowds. Sign up here. Organisers invoked the tournament's extreme heat policy early in the afternoon, bringing an immediate suspension to matches on the outer courts. Scheduled restart times were pushed back repeatedly as conditions remained stubbornly uncomfortable through the afternoon. The main showcourts resumed play after a brief break to allow the roofs to shut. Jannik Sinner was especially thankful to be playing at Rod Laver Arena, where the defending champion suffered bad cramp in his four-set win over plucky American Eliot Spizzirri. The Italian admitted that the roof closure had helped him live to fight another day. "Got lucky today," the four-times Grand Slam champion said. "It changed a bit also the way of how to play certain points. That helped me today, for sure." The Australian Open operates under an extreme heat policy that considers air temperature, radiant heat, wind speed and humidity to assess playing conditions, allowing officials to delay or suspend matches when thresholds are exceeded. The tournament's "Heat Stress Scale" hit five, its highest threshold, early in the day and did not budge through the afternoon. EARLY START Play had started an hour earlier to take advantage of the relative cool of the morning but conditions were already stifling as women's defending champion Madison Keys started her third-round match just after 10:30 a.m. (2330 GMT). American Keys needed only 75 minutes to beat Karolina Pliskova while her Florida-based compatriots Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova all moved on to the next round. "I didn't have to kind of kill myself today," said Pegula after her quick-fire 6-3 6-2 win over Oksana Selekhmeteva. Ironically, men's fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti found playing indoors its own challenge after the John Cain Arena roof closed during his five-set slog to beat Czech Tomas Machac. "With air conditioning, that was really, really, I don't want to say extreme, but was kind of getting extreme," said the Italian. Organisers warned fans to bring hats, drink plenty of water and make use of misting fans scattered around Melbourne Park. Sydney resident Sarah Gellatly covered herself in sunscreen from one of the dispensers just outside the Melbourne Park gates. She said players would be concerned about battling each other during the hottest part of the day. "It's really hot but if you're a player that's touring around the world every day, then they're used to the heat," she told Reuters. Sydney-based Londoner Ingrid Christie brought a handheld, battery-powered fan but it was of little help. "It's blowing warm air so it's not that effective," she said, holding up the yellow device. "We came from Sydney and we expected it. But it is a little too hot. We haven't been able to sit through a full game yet." Plenty of would-be fans simply stayed away. The day session attendance of 51,048 was some 10,000 short of day six on Friday and even less than last year's corresponding session. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/players-fans-brace-extreme-heat-australian-open-2026-01-24/

2026-01-24 03:49

MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Play was suspended at the Australian Open on Saturday as organisers invoked their extreme heat policy at the Grand Slam. Sign up here. https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/play-suspended-australian-open-due-extreme-heat-2026-01-24/