A pharmacist in New Taipei City’s Banciao District hands a customer a COVID-19 rapid test kit yesterday. The Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved the first at-home saliva rapid COVID-19 test kit, after businesses applied to acquire up to 30 million of the South Korea-made products. The agency has so far approved 21 at-home rapid test kits, most of which use throat swabs or nose swabs to detect the virus, while the five saliva rapid test kits used in Taiwan must all be administrated by a healthcare worker. Pharmacies are allocated enough rapid tests to serve 78 people per day, and deliveries would continue throughout today to ensure supply, he said. The announcements came as the CECC reported 11,974 new domestic COVID-19 cases and two deaths.

Meta calms investors with strong quarterly incomeAFP, SAN FRANCISCOFacebook parent Meta Platforms Inc on Wednesday reported better-than-expected profit in the recently ended quarter, calming investors worried about the toll of competition from TikTok and eased COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Meta owns Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram and virtual reality firm Oculus. Investors had been worried that as the pandemic eased and people socialized more in real life that they would engage less on Facebook. Meta said it ended the quarter with 77,805 employees, an increase of 28 percent from a year earlier. Meta has been investing heavily in a future that Zuckerberg believes will include spending time in immersive virtual worlds referred to as the metaverse.

Although India has not officially included Taiwan within the ambit of the policy, Taiwan does figure prominently within its framework. So it is only natural that the Act East Policy’s three Cs — commerce, culture and connectivity — are expanded in India’s relations with Taiwan as well. Commercial ties are at the core of relations between Taiwan and India. The India Spring Festival in Taiwan is held each year, but India could do more on its side. This should also be done for Taiwanese visitors in India, which has been making efforts to increase tourist inflows as a part of its “incredible India” campaign.

Taiwan ranks ninth on China infiltration list‘HEAVILY INFLUENCED’: Cambodia ranked first and Singapore second in overall infiltration by China, but Taiwan ranked first with regards to infiltration of mediaBy Su Yung-yao and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan ranked ninth in a list of 36 countries most infiltrated by China, Taipei-based think tank Doublethink Lab said yesterday, citing the results of its survey. The indicators were further divided into three layers — engagement with China, pressure from China and their effects — he said. “For example, Taiwan is ranked ninth overall, but in terms of infiltration of the media it is ranked number one,” he said. Cambodia is mainly influenced by China in the areas of law enforcement, and military and diplomatic affairs. Singapore is mostly influenced by China through its tech sector, followed by academic research and economy, while Thailand’s military and law enforcement are heavily influenced by Beijing.

TPP demands vaccine transparency, subsidiesBy Hsieh Chun-lin and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucus yesterday called for better vaccine information and subsidies for lost work to help children and parents weather a worsening outbreak of COVID-19. As the domestic case count leapt to 8,822 yesterday, the TPP caucus said there were “oversights” in government policy regarding children. TPP caucus whip Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) called for transparency on vaccines, starting with information on the side effects of the Moderna vaccine in children. Second is vaccine information, he said. Not knowing when the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine might become available, parents cannot make a decision on which type of vaccine to choose for their child, he said.

Money gauges fall, securities decline biggest in 12 yearsBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe nation’s money supply gauges last month lost momentum, with securities accounts having their largest monthly drop in 12 years as stock routs drove retail and institutional investors to the sidelines, the central bank said yesterday. The latest data showed that investors’ securities accounts shed NT$89.9 billion (US$3.07 billion) to NT$3.1 trillion last month, the central bank said. Foreign portfolio managers cut holdings in local shares by a net NT$267.4 billion last month, it said. However, overall savings deposits by foreign investors picked up NT$26.5 billion, indicating that some are waiting for re-entry opportunities, the bank said. By contrast, foreign currency deposits spiked 16.13 percent year-on-year to reach US$7.64 trillion, supported by a strong US dollar and robust exports, it said.

FEATURE: Work-quarantine cycle takes toll on flight staffBy Chiang Yi-ching / CNA, with staff writerOn a recent rare day off, Taiwanese pilot C.C. However, crew members’ time in quarantine can be cut short if they have another assignment, Lee said. HUGE SACRIFICESNo matter where they are, crew members have had little personal freedom. Flight attendants, who have more time off because of the drop in passenger numbers, can at least make it home under the looser “self-health management” protocols. “It is like being chained by invisible shackles.”‘UNREASONABLE’ RULESCompounding crew members’ dismay are the inconsistencies in quarantine rules.

As of yesterday, the union had mobilized approximately 13,000 Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) workers to strike on International Workers’ Day in protest against the ministry’s plan to corporatize the railway agency. As no TRA trains are to run on Sunday, the ministry on Friday said that it planned to use high-speed rail trains and buses to transport people. We respect their decision and will execute the response plan,” Wang told reporters after the meeting. Negotiations between the union and the ministry went peacefully, TRLU chairman Chen Shih-chieh (陳世杰) told reporters. “We hope that things will move in a positive direction if the ministry gains the trust of TRA workers,” he said.

Philips earnings miss, as it warns of supply snarlsBloombergRoyal Philips NV’s quarterly operating profit missed analyst estimates as the Dutch maker of respiratory gear and body scanners warned of rising supply-chain challenges, inflation and the effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Philips yesterday said its first-quarter adjusted earnings before interest, taxes and amortization fell to 243 million euros (US$261.2 million), from 362 million euros a year earlier. The figure fell short of an estimate of 274 million euros in a Bloomberg survey of analysts. The headquarters of Dutch technology company Royal Philips NV is pictured in Amsterdam on Jan. 29, 2019. Philips recorded revenue of 3.9 billion euros in the three months through last month, slightly better than expected.

Singapore CPI rises 2.9% to 10-year highBloombergCore inflation in Singapore accelerated faster than expected to the highest in a decade, in sync with the central bank’s projections that price growth might worsen before it gets better on geopolitical shocks and supply-chain backlogs. The core consumer price index (CPI) tracked by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) — which excludes private transport and accommodation costs — rose 2.9 percent last month, on the back of costlier food and services. That is the fastest since March 2012 and is showing a quickening for the past eight of nine months. People listen to a band at a bar in the Clarke Quay area of Singapore on Saturday. The MAS and ministry reiterated estimates that core inflation should be between 2.5 and 3.5 percent this year, while headline inflation runs within 4.5 and 5.5 percent.

Richard D. Fisher, Jr. On Taiwan: More Ukraine Lessons For China And TaiwanAs Russia’s illegal war to exterminate the nation of Ukraine slogs into its third devastating month, it has yielded many lessons China can apply to its future war against the nation of Taiwan — and that Taiwanese can exploit for their defense and survival. Xi likely will not repeat Putin’s failure at the outset to use his new very low-yield nuclear weapons to devastate Ukrainian resistance. This will be necessary both to intensify its war in Taiwan, and to attack any U.S and allied forces coming to aid Taiwan. Another Ukraine war lesson must be resolved in Washington. Richard D. Fisher, Jr. is a senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center.

Yuan deposits in Taiwan decline for fourth monthBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterChinese yuan deposits held by local banks last month declined 0.91 percent to 225.32 billion yuan (US$34.66 billion), shrinking for a fourth consecutive month, as corporate and retail clients adjusted asset portfolios amid inflation expectations and geopolitical tensions, the central bank said on Tuesday. The decrease was related to personal and corporate decisions regarding asset allocation strategies, and was not connected to political circumstances, the bank said. Photo: Kelson Wang, Taipei TimesThe New Taiwan dollar fared better with a 5.27 percent correction, while the Chinese yuan held firm with a 0.04 percent dip, making it the best performer in the region, it said. Yuan deposits at domestic banking units dropped 1.49 percent to 196.76 billion yuan after retail and corporate clients trimmed positions, the central bank said, adding that a major electronics firm had used yuan deposits for goods payments. Yuan deposits at offshore banking units rose 3.24 percent to 28.56 billion yuan after some firms converted US dollar deposits into yuan holdings to meet yuan settlement needs, the bank said.

Conservationists urge the public to give birds at beaches a quiet nesting seasonBy Huang Ming-tang and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerConservationists yesterday held a demonstration at Taitung County’s Jhihben Beach, calling on the public to avoid activities that disturb breeding seagulls. The nests of the breeding seagulls are threatened by fishers driving onto the beach, the group said, as it named other behaviors people should avoid to leave the seagulls undisturbed. People should not allow construction to interfere with the nests, should not drive across beaches during the nesting season, should not venture near the chicks, should not let dogs or other pets near the nests or chicks, and should keep the beaches clean, it said. Conservationists from the Taitung Wild Bird Society and other groups at Jhihben Beach in Taitung County yesterday urge people not to disturb seagulls and other birds nesting on beaches. Photo: Huang Ming-tang, Taipei TimesKentish plovers, little terns and other migratory birds are also breeding throughout the county from this month to August, it added.

Oil posts a third weekly loss as China lockdowns amplify demand worriesBloombergOil dropped for the third week out of the last four with China facing a large consumption hit and the US Federal Reserve signaling that it plans to aggressively tighten monetary policy to curb inflation. A PJSC Lukoil Oil Co oil refinery is pictured in Volgograd, Russia, on Friday. The drop in fuel demand is the equivalent to a decline of 1.2 million barrels a day, the people said. This year, “oil demand is set to shed 1.4 million barrels per day, dropping below the highs set in 2019,” Galimberti said. There are calls for the EU to ban Russian oil, matching steps taken by the US and UK.

Tedros’ job could hinge on Taiwan’s WHA roleBy Chen Yung-chang 陳永昌The 75th World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting is scheduled to take place from May 22 to 28, a meeting at which Taiwan’s return as an observer is becoming increasingly possible. This shows that Washington continues to pursue Taiwan’s interests, and that there remains a chance for Taiwan to attend the WHA meeting, despite not having yet received an invitation. This fact is important especially now, given that attendees at the upcoming WHA meeting are to vote to determine whether Tedros should receive a second five-year term. The growing distance between Tedros and China was suggested when Beijing did not indicate support for Tedros’ reappointment. Whether Tedros continues to be Beijing’s pawn or sides with the West could determine whether Taiwan attends next month’s WHA meeting.