Man proposes after winning NT$1 million in lotteryStaff writer, with CNAA man proposed to his girlfriend immediately after winning NT$1 million (US$35,935) from a lottery scratch card following a visit to an Earth God (土地公) temple in New Taipei City during the Lunar New Year holiday, the lottery shop in Jhonghe District (中和) said yesterday. After winning, the man thanked the local deity for “sponsoring” his forthcoming wedding, the owner said. The couple, who are in their 30s, could not at first believe they had won the Taiwan Lottery Co scratchcard lottery, which has been running since Jan. 4 and has a top prize of NT$20 million, the owner said. They left the shop in disbelief and returned a few hours later to ask the shop owner to help them confirm it. To celebrate the Lunar Year of the Tiger, Taiwan Lottery Co added NT$880 million in prize money to the jackpots of several lotteries.

Alphabet nearly doubles annual profitGOOGLE PARENT: CEO Sundar Pichai ascribed the success to growth in advertising, its cloud business and sales of Pixel phones, despite supply constraintsAFP, SAN FRANCISCOGoogle’s parent firm, Alphabet Inc, announced quarterly profits on Tuesday that beat expectations and nearly doubled last year — after a booming holiday season for the online ads giant facing anti-trust regulation scrutiny. Photo: BloombergAlphabet CEO Sundar Pichai cited “strong growth in our advertising business ... a quarterly sales record for our Pixel phones despite supply constraints, and our cloud business continuing to grow strongly” for the success. Alphabet said its board had approved a 20-to-1 stock split that would make shares more affordable to small investors. “In the fourth quarter, retail was again by far the largest contributor to year-on-year growth of our ads business,” Alphabet CBO Philipp Schindler told analysts. The stock was up nearly 9 percent in after-market trades Tuesday at 10:40pm GMT to US$2,990.

Putin hopeful of deal with US on security tensionsBloombergRussian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday lambasted the US and its allies for “deceiving” Russia over the expansion of NATO, but suggested further talks might yield a resolution that address Moscow’s security concerns. “I hope that dialogue will continue,” Putin said in his first detailed public comments since December on the tensions. To help address Russian concerns, Washington has offered to discuss limits on missile deployments and military maneuvers in Europe. In his comments, Putin repeated accusations that NATO reneged on assurances made in the early 1990s that the alliance would not expand in the east. Putin accused the US of using Ukraine as a tool to “contain” Russia.

Japanese resolution voices concern on China rights issuesAFP and Reuters, TOKYOThe Japanese parliament yesterday passed a rare resolution expressing concern about rights issues in China, including the treatment of its Uighur Muslim population and Hong Kong, ahead of the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics. “Human rights issues cannot just be domestic issues, because human rights hold universal values and are a rightful matter of concern for the international community,” the resolution said. Lawmakers stand up to show their support as the lower house of parliament adopts a resolution on human rights in China in Tokyo yesterday. The resolution also calls on the Japanese government to engage constructively on rights issues in China. Japan in December said it would not send government representatives to the Beijing Olympics as it called on China to respect human rights and the rule of law.

Del Potro to return after 30-month injury absenceAFP, BUENOS AIRESFormer US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro is to return to competitive tennis after two-and-a-half years of injury at next week’s Argentina Open in Buenos Aires. Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro returns to Denis Shapovalov of Canada in their Queen’s Club Championships match in London on June 19, 2019. Photo: ReutersBoth the Argentina Open and the Rio Open, which takes place a week later, announced Del Potro had been given wild cards to compete in the clay-court events. The US Open champion at 20 in 2009, Del Potro won the last of his 22 ATP Tour titles in Indian Wells, California, in 2018. Photo: AFPHe last played the Argentina Open as a 17-year-old in 2006, losing in the first round to former world No.

Lithuanian rum sells out in less than one hour: TTLStaff writer, with CNAA batch of 1,200 bottles of dark rum from Lithuania was fully sold out less than one hour after hitting the shelves of state-run Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corp (TTL, 台灣菸酒) yesterday morning, company chairman Ting Yen-che (丁彥哲) said. Bottles of Propeller brand rum produced by Lithuanian manufacturer MV Group Production are pictured at a warehouse in Taipei on Jan. 22. After the showrooms opened at 9:30am, the 1,200 bottles were sold out within an hour, he added. TTL last month announced that 6,000 bottles of Lithuanian rum would be ready for the market before the Lunar New Year. To let more people get their hands on the bottles, Ting said TTL asked bulk buyers if their orders could be delayed until after the Lunar New Year holiday.

CPC to leave natural gas prices stable this monthStaff writer, with CNAAlthough natural gas prices on the global market have continued to rise, CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) announced yesterday that it will leave natural gas prices on the local market unchanged for this month. According to CPC, about 98 percent of energy consumed in Taiwan comes from imports, so it is no surprise that the movement of local natural gas prices is subject to price fluctuations on the international market due to higher import costs. A man checks cylinders of liquefied petroleum gas on a truck in Yilan County on July 18, 2018. Photo: Chang Yi-cheng, Taipei TimesTo reflect rising import costs, CPC said that domestic natural gas prices should have gone higher, but to alleviate inflationary pressure, the company has decided to leave its prices intact this month. In December, consumer prices in Taiwan rose 2.62 percent from a year earlier, remaining above the 2-percent inflationary alert level for the fifth consecutive month, according to the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics.

Cameroon, Burkina Faso through to AFCON semisAFP, DOUALA, CameroonCameroon and Burkina Faso on Saturday qualified for the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Karl Toko-Ekambi’s double leading the hosts to a 2-0 win over Gambia before the Stallions edged Tunisia 1-0 in the late game. Burkina Faso’s Dango Ouattara, right, and Tunisia’s Mohamed Drager vie for the ball in their Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final in Garoua, Cameroon, on Saturday. Cameroon’s Karl Toko-Ekambi, right, and Gambia’s Saidy Janko vie for the ball in their Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final in Douala, Cameroon, on Saturday. Success for Burkina Faso came just five days after the landlocked west African country was plunged into political uncertainty when former Burkinabe president Roch Marc Christian Kabore was ousted in a military coup. Allow me to dedicate this win to our people who are being tested by current events,” Burkina Faso coach Kamou Malo said.

6G to be up to 100 times faster than 5G: MediaTekStaff writer, with CNAThe data transmission speed of 6G (sixth-generation wireless) networks is expected to be 10 to 100 times faster than 5G technology, MediaTek Inc (聯發科) said in a paper released on Jan. 18. 6G standardization is expected to begin in 2024 or 2025, with the first standard technology expected in 2027 or 2028, said MediaTek, one of the world’s leading chip design companies. MediaTek is bolstering its 6G R&D and is working with top-end researchers in academia and industry to explore innovative technology trends, Fan said. It said it would continue to develop 5G technology to help push the standardization and commercialization of 6G systems. MediaTek also outlined new “killer applications” for 6G technology, saying these would drive the need for higher performance, such as extreme holographic and tactile communications, digital twins and advanced telepresence.

Pakistan’s textile exports set to surge in regional shiftBOOMING ORDERS: As orders move away from neighboring countries such as India, Pakistan’s economic bright spot has found new customers in South America and AfricaBloombergPakistan’s textile sector is bringing cheer to its flailing economy, with exports set to swell to a record after gaining an edge over South Asian rivals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Textile exports are poised to surge 40 percent from a year earlier to a record US$21 billion in the 12 months ending in June, said Abdul Razak Dawood, commerce adviser to Pakistan’s prime minister. The nation is doubling down to boost textile exports through measures including tax breaks, cheap loans and supplying electricity at rates comparable to rivals in South Asia. “Pakistan’s exports have become competitive over the past few years,” Ismail Iqbal Securities CEO Ahfaz Mustafa said. It is also trying to revive a US$6 billion bailout program to meet financing requirements amid a record trade deficit.

Dollar posts biggest weekly increse in 7 months on rate betsReutersThe US dollar on Friday consolidated gains and posted its biggest weekly rise in seven months as markets priced in a year ahead of aggressive hikes in US interest rates. The US dollar index rose a scant 0.04 percent to 97.22. The index, which measures the US dollar’s value against other major currencies, rose 1.65 percent for the week, its biggest weekly gain since June. The Employment Cost Index (ECI), the broadest measure of labor costs, rose 1.0 percent after increasing 1.3 percent a quarter earlier. The New Taiwan dollar declined against US dollar on Friday, losing NT$0.022 to close at NT$27.828, down 0.45 percent from NT$27.702 a week earlier.

Oil up as growing chorus predicts return to US$100BloombergOil posted its sixth straight weekly gain, with prices trading near a seven-year high as crude makes a roaring start to the year. Brent crude for March delivery rose 0.77 percent to US$90.03 a barrel, gaining 2.43 percent from a week earlier. An oil pumpjack, left, operates while another stands idle in the Inglewood Oil Field in Los Angeles on Friday. Photo: AFPAs supply remains constrained, a chorus of Wall Street banks and oil executives are forecasting a return to US$100 oil. For now, crude prices have defied the pull of weaker risk sentiment elsewhere, with consumption on the brink of returning to levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Europe shares drop as tech, autos slammedReutersEuropean shares fell on Friday, with the STOXX 600 index down for a fourth straight week as auto and technology stocks led declines amid the prospect of higher interest rates and concern over the situation in Russia and Ukraine. The pan-European index shed 1.02 percent to 465.55, paring some losses after falling as much as 2 percent earlier in the day. The index lost 1.87 percent this week, marking its worst performance in more than two months. Eurozone bond yields increased following the hawkish message that emerged from the US Federal Reserve policy meeting earlier this week. The top sectoral decliner, technology, fell 1.7 percent, tracking its worst month since 2008.

Some Asia markets regain footing after major lossesReutersSome Asian stocks rebounded on Friday after steep losses in the previous session as strong US economic growth and Apple Inc’s impressive earnings offset some bearishness generated by the US Federal Reserve’s hawkish comments. US stock futures rose in Asia trade with NASDAQ futures up 0.77 percent and S&P 500 e-minis up 0.48 percent after Apple on Thursday reported record sales in the holiday quarter. Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 2.09 percent to 26,717.34, but lost 2.92 percent from a week earlier. Seoul’s KOSPI increased 1.87 percent to 2,663.34, losing 6.03 percent from a week earlier, while Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 2.19 percent to 6,988.1, down 2.62 percent on the week. The Shanghai Composite Index declined 0.97 percent to 3,361.44, losing 4.57 percent from a week earlier.

TSMC outlay keeps economy afloatSTELLAR YEAR: The chipmaker’s investments at home created a domino effect as other industries in its supply chain built new factories to keep up with demandBloombergTaiwan’s economy is set to receive a substantial boost this year from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) unprecedented spending spree, as the chipmaking giant accelerates plans to build more factories. Taiwan’s largest company revealed plans earlier this month to spend between US$40 billion and US$44 billion this year on new plants to help ease the shortage of semiconductors. That is equivalent to about 5 percent of Taiwan’s US$760 billion economy, based on the government’s GDP estimates for 2021. Winston Chiao, an economist at Taipei-based Taishin Securities, said that TSMC’s spending plans prompt him to upgrade his most recent forecast of 4.2 percent GDP growth this year. The main risk for the economy this year is whether the government adopts strict new measures to stamp out a new COVID-19 outbreak.