• GM, 반도체 부족에 생산 차질

  미국 자동차회사 제너럴모터스(GM)가 반도체 부족 여파로 생산에 차질을 빚고 있다. GM은 1일(현지시간) 올해 2분기 반도체를 비롯한 특정 부품이 모자라 해당 부품만 빼고 만든 미완성 자동차 재고가 9만5천 대에 이른다고 밝혔다고 월스트리트저널(WSJ)과 AP통신 등이 전했다. 9만5천 대의 미완성차는 GM의 2분기 전체 판매량 58만2천 대의 16%에 해당한다. 산 차질은 GM의 2분기 실적에 상당한 타격을 줄 전망이다. GM이 이날 예상한 2분기 순이익은 16억∼19억달러로 금융정보업체 팩트셋이 집계한 시장 전망치 24억6천만달러를 크게 밑돌았다. 그러나 자동차 업계는 인플레이션 장기화와 경기침체 전망에도 소비자들의 신차 선호는 계속 강력할 것으로 보고 있어 완성차 업계의 수급불균형에 대한 고민은 깊어질 전망이다.

• Religious whipping marks Good Friday in the Philippines

  BULACAN: Catholic zealots in the Philippines whipped their backs bloody and raw on Good Friday, as the fervently religious country marked Easter with gruesome displays of faith. Scores of men — their faces covered — walked barefoot as they flogged themselves with bamboo whips under a blazing sun near the capital Manila, while others carried wooden crosses as they were beaten, in a ritual frowned upon by the Church, PH Iinquirer reported.Roy Balatbat, his skin still bearing fresh wounds from a public flailing on Thursday, walked for about a kilometer, striking himself and stopping to prostrate in prayer on the hot ground. “It’s punishing but if you have a wish, you will endure the pain,” Balatbat, 49, told AFP in Hagonoy municipality, Bulacan province. “I have been doing this for 30 years since I was a young man. My devotion is that I will only stop when I can’t do it anymore.” While most devotees in the mainly Catholic nation spend Good Friday at church or with family, others go to these extreme lengths to atone for sins or seek divine intervention.Before the grisly flogging begins, the men’s barebacks are deliberately punctured to make them bleed. Veterans of the gory spectacle display scars of previous whippings, while others endure the punishing act for the first time.

• 5% of Japan firms based overseas impacted by Ukraine crisis: poll

  [Blazing fire and black smoke rise from an oil storage facility in Lviv, western Ukraine, on March 26, 2022, following missile strikes in the war against Russia. (Photo by=Kyodo)] TOKYO: Fifty-five percent of Japanese companies based overseas have had their business operations impacted, or foresee they will be impacted, by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a recent survey by a Japanese staffing firm showed, Kyodo reported.The online survey of 699 Japanese entities across 10 economies, conducted by Pasona Group Inc. in mid-March, found that firms based in France were by far the most affected with 92.3 percent responding they had been impacted in some way. As the only European country included in the survey, this was followed by Malaysia at 72.0 percent and Singapore at 66.7 percent. Of the 55 percent of the overseas-based firms, 43.2 percent said they already feel the effects of the conflict, while 22.7 percent said they expect to do so within a month and 26.8 percent within three months. The most cited impact among the 43.2 percent was soaring costs of raw materials including oil, chemicals and metals. This was followed by rising logistics costs and energy prices.The economies covered by the March 11 to 16 survey were the United States, France, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and India. The manufacturing sector made up the biggest group of companies at 43.6 percent, followed by trading houses at 20.7 percent and retailers and wholesalers at 9.9 percent.

• China reports highest COVID-19 new daily cases since Feb 2020

  [Police and security members in protective suits stand outside cordoned off food stores following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China March 29, 2022. (File photo by=REUTERS/Aly Song)] BEIJING: China on Sunday (Apr 3) reported a total of 13,287 new daily cases for Apr 2, the highest level since February 2020, with the majority in northeastern Jilin province and the financial hub of Shanghai which has virtually locked down the entire city. The country reported 1,506 confirmed coronavirus cases in the previous day, the national health authority said on Sunday, down from 2,129 a day earlier. But the number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, surged to 11,781 on Saturday compared with 7,869 a day earlier. Of the new confirmed cases, 1,455 were locally transmitted, with 956 detected from Jilin and 438 from Shanghai. Shanghai, home of 25 million people, will carry out city-wide antigen testing on Sunday and mass nucleic acid testing on Monday, a senior official from the Shanghai health authority said at a press conference on Sunday.Chinese Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan on Saturday also urged Shanghai city to "make resolute and swift moves" to curb the pandemic. The city has been striving to stop the outbreak by imposing a two-stage lockdown, prompting manufacturers to halt operations and causing severe congestion at Shanghai port, the world's biggest container transporting hub.

• China to cut paper and wood tariffs from New Zealand from April 7

  [Containers are seen at the Yangshan Deep-Water Port in Shanghai, China October 19, 2020. (File photo by=REUTERS/Aly Song)] BEIJING: China will implement an upgrade to the free trade agreement between Beijing and Wellington to eliminate tariffs of 12 wood and paper products imported from New Zealand from Apr 7, the Ministry of Finance said on Sunday (Apr 3), Reuters reported.The move follows the deal signed by the two governments in January to upgrade their existing free trade pact, allowing 99 per cent of New Zealand's US$3 billion wood and paper trade to China to receive tariff-free access over a 10-year implementation period. Import tariffs for products such as toilet or facial tissue stock and paper used for writing will be reduced to 6.8 percent and 4.5 percent from April 7 from current rates of 7.5 percent and 5 percent, respectively, and will be gradually cut over the next 10 years to reach zero."2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between China and New Zealand and April 7th is the 14th anniversary of the signing of the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA)," the finance ministry said in the statement. China has eliminated or reduced tariffs on 75 wood and paper tariff lines for New Zealand products since the existing FTA entered into force in 2008.

• Taliban bans drug cultivation, including lucrative opium

  [An Afghan man works on a poppy field in Jalalabad province April 17, 2014. (File photo by=REUTERS/ Parwiz )] KABUL: The Taliban announced on Sunday (Apr 3) a ban on the cultivation of narcotics in Afghanistan, the world's biggest opium producer, Reuters reported."As per the decree of the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, all Afghans are informed that from now on, cultivation of poppy has been strictly prohibited across the country," according to an order from the Taliban's supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada. If anyone violates the decree, the crop will be destroyed immediately and the violator will be treated according to the Sharia law," the order, announced at a news conference by the Ministry of Interior in Kabul, said. The order said the production, use or transportation of other narcotics was also banned. Drug control has been one major demand of the international community of the Islamist group, which took over the country in August and is seeking formal international recognition in order to wind back sanctions that are severely hampering banking, business and development.The Taliban banned poppy growing towards the end of their last rule in 2000 as they sought international legitimacy, but faced a popular backlash and later mostly changed their stance, according to experts.

• Religious whipping marks Good Friday in the Philippines

  BULACAN: Catholic zealots in the Philippines whipped their backs bloody and raw on Good Friday, as the fervently religious country marked Easter with gruesome displays of faith. Scores of men — their faces covered — walked barefoot as they flogged themselves with bamboo whips under a blazing sun near the capital Manila, while others carried wooden crosses as they were beaten, in a ritual frowned upon by the Church, PH Iinquirer reported.Roy Balatbat, his skin still bearing fresh wounds from a public flailing on Thursday, walked for about a kilometer, striking himself and stopping to prostrate in prayer on the hot ground. “It’s punishing but if you have a wish, you will endure the pain,” Balatbat, 49, told AFP in Hagonoy municipality, Bulacan province. “I have been doing this for 30 years since I was a young man. My devotion is that I will only stop when I can’t do it anymore.” While most devotees in the mainly Catholic nation spend Good Friday at church or with family, others go to these extreme lengths to atone for sins or seek divine intervention.Before the grisly flogging begins, the men’s barebacks are deliberately punctured to make them bleed. Veterans of the gory spectacle display scars of previous whippings, while others endure the punishing act for the first time.

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  2022-04-17

• 5% of Japan firms based overseas impacted by Ukraine crisis: poll

  [Blazing fire and black smoke rise from an oil storage facility in Lviv, western Ukraine, on March 26, 2022, following missile strikes in the war against Russia. (Photo by=Kyodo)] TOKYO: Fifty-five percent of Japanese companies based overseas have had their business operations impacted, or foresee they will be impacted, by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a recent survey by a Japanese staffing firm showed, Kyodo reported.The online survey of 699 Japanese entities across 10 economies, conducted by Pasona Group Inc. in mid-March, found that firms based in France were by far the most affected with 92.3 percent responding they had been impacted in some way. As the only European country included in the survey, this was followed by Malaysia at 72.0 percent and Singapore at 66.7 percent. Of the 55 percent of the overseas-based firms, 43.2 percent said they already feel the effects of the conflict, while 22.7 percent said they expect to do so within a month and 26.8 percent within three months. The most cited impact among the 43.2 percent was soaring costs of raw materials including oil, chemicals and metals. This was followed by rising logistics costs and energy prices.The economies covered by the March 11 to 16 survey were the United States, France, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and India. The manufacturing sector made up the biggest group of companies at 43.6 percent, followed by trading houses at 20.7 percent and retailers and wholesalers at 9.9 percent.

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  2022-04-04

• China reports highest COVID-19 new daily cases since Feb 2020

  [Police and security members in protective suits stand outside cordoned off food stores following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China March 29, 2022. (File photo by=REUTERS/Aly Song)] BEIJING: China on Sunday (Apr 3) reported a total of 13,287 new daily cases for Apr 2, the highest level since February 2020, with the majority in northeastern Jilin province and the financial hub of Shanghai which has virtually locked down the entire city. The country reported 1,506 confirmed coronavirus cases in the previous day, the national health authority said on Sunday, down from 2,129 a day earlier. But the number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, surged to 11,781 on Saturday compared with 7,869 a day earlier. Of the new confirmed cases, 1,455 were locally transmitted, with 956 detected from Jilin and 438 from Shanghai. Shanghai, home of 25 million people, will carry out city-wide antigen testing on Sunday and mass nucleic acid testing on Monday, a senior official from the Shanghai health authority said at a press conference on Sunday.Chinese Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan on Saturday also urged Shanghai city to "make resolute and swift moves" to curb the pandemic. The city has been striving to stop the outbreak by imposing a two-stage lockdown, prompting manufacturers to halt operations and causing severe congestion at Shanghai port, the world's biggest container transporting hub.

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  2022-04-04

• China to cut paper and wood tariffs from New Zealand from April 7

  [Containers are seen at the Yangshan Deep-Water Port in Shanghai, China October 19, 2020. (File photo by=REUTERS/Aly Song)] BEIJING: China will implement an upgrade to the free trade agreement between Beijing and Wellington to eliminate tariffs of 12 wood and paper products imported from New Zealand from Apr 7, the Ministry of Finance said on Sunday (Apr 3), Reuters reported.The move follows the deal signed by the two governments in January to upgrade their existing free trade pact, allowing 99 per cent of New Zealand's US$3 billion wood and paper trade to China to receive tariff-free access over a 10-year implementation period. Import tariffs for products such as toilet or facial tissue stock and paper used for writing will be reduced to 6.8 percent and 4.5 percent from April 7 from current rates of 7.5 percent and 5 percent, respectively, and will be gradually cut over the next 10 years to reach zero."2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between China and New Zealand and April 7th is the 14th anniversary of the signing of the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA)," the finance ministry said in the statement. China has eliminated or reduced tariffs on 75 wood and paper tariff lines for New Zealand products since the existing FTA entered into force in 2008.

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  2022-04-04

• Taliban bans drug cultivation, including lucrative opium

  [An Afghan man works on a poppy field in Jalalabad province April 17, 2014. (File photo by=REUTERS/ Parwiz )] KABUL: The Taliban announced on Sunday (Apr 3) a ban on the cultivation of narcotics in Afghanistan, the world's biggest opium producer, Reuters reported."As per the decree of the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, all Afghans are informed that from now on, cultivation of poppy has been strictly prohibited across the country," according to an order from the Taliban's supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada. If anyone violates the decree, the crop will be destroyed immediately and the violator will be treated according to the Sharia law," the order, announced at a news conference by the Ministry of Interior in Kabul, said. The order said the production, use or transportation of other narcotics was also banned. Drug control has been one major demand of the international community of the Islamist group, which took over the country in August and is seeking formal international recognition in order to wind back sanctions that are severely hampering banking, business and development.The Taliban banned poppy growing towards the end of their last rule in 2000 as they sought international legitimacy, but faced a popular backlash and later mostly changed their stance, according to experts.

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  2022-04-04

• Pakistan heads for early election amid move to remove PM Imran Khan

  [Imran Khan, elected in July 2018 vowing to tackle corruption and fix the economy, remains popular with some voters, even though a lot of his public support has been lost as a result of rocketing inflation and ballooning foreign debt. (Photo by= Getty Images)] Pakistan's president has dissolved parliament - a step towards early elections - following an attempt to remove PM Imran Khan from office, BBC reported. It comes after parliament's deputy speaker refused to hold a vote of no-confidence the PM was expected to lose. Mr Khan claims the US is leading a conspiracy to remove him because of his criticism of US policy and other foreign policy decisions he has taken.Opposition politicians ridicule the allegation, and the US has denied it. Imran Khan visited Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin as Russia was launching the invasion of Ukraine, He has previously criticised America's "War on Terror". The BBC's Secunder Kermani says prime minister is widely regarded as having come to power with the help of Pakistan's army, but now observers say they have fallen out. In public, however, both the military and Mr Khan deny there has been any falling out. His political opponents seized the opportunity to demand the no-confidence vote after persuading a number of his coalition partners to defect to them.There have been only two previous instances in Pakistan's political history when sitting prime ministers faced a vote of no confidence, and both times Benazir Bhutto, in 1989, and Shaukat Aziz, in 2006, emerged unscathed.

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  2022-04-04

실시간 국제 기사

• SEVENTEEN confirmed to make May comeback

  [PLEDIS Entertainment confirmed, “SEVENTEEN is preparing to make a comeback with a full-length studio album in May.” (Photo from pledis@17/ Twitter)] SEVENTEEN is gearing up for their return! On March 17, STARNEWS reported that the boy group will release a full album in May.In response to the report, the group’s agency PLEDIS Entertainment confirmed, “SEVENTEEN is preparing to make a comeback with a full-length studio album in May.” This upcoming comeback will be SEVENTEEN’s first in seven months since “Attacca” in October 2021 and their first full album in two years and eight months since “An Ode” in September 2019.Stay tuned for updates!

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  2022-03-18

• “Thirty-Nine” returns to no. 1 following brief hiatus despite overal drop in ratings

  [“Thirty-Nine”, “Kill Hill” and “Sponsor” main leads. (Photos from JTBC, tvN, and IHQ and MBN)] JTBC’s “Thirty-Nine” has come back strong! According to Nielsen Korea, the March 16 broadcast of “Thirty-Nine” recorded an average nationwide rating of 5.708 for episode 7. Despite the one-week hiatus, the drama dropped less than 1 percent in ratings from the previous score of 6.594 percent for episode 6. tvN’s “Kill Heel” achieved an average nationwide rating of 3.2 percent, which is a slight dip from last episode’s rating of 4.0 percent.IHQ and MBN’s “Sponsor” garnered an average nationwide rating of 0.934 percent, marking the drama’s lowest ratings to date.

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  2022-03-18

• Russia sanctions Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and others

  [Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton in 2016. (Photo by= Getty Images)] Russia's foreign ministry says it has imposed sanctions on US President Joe Biden and 12 other US officials. BBC said that the list includes Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, press secretary Jen Psaki and other members of the administration. But it also includes two surprises: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Mr. Biden's son Hunter. The measures block their entry into Russia and freeze any assets held in the country. However, the ministry has said the sanctions will not impede necessary high-level contacts for the affected individuals. The ministry has said it is applying sanctions "on the basis of reciprocity". Russia is now the most sanctioned country in the world. Western countries have already sanctioned top Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov. On Tuesday, the US announced sanctions on 11 Russian defense leaders and signaled that it could levy sanctions against Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Moscow-allied Belarus. Earlier, the UK slapped sanctions on another 370 Russian individuals, including former Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev. President Biden is due to travel to Europe next week to attend an emergency Nato summit in Brussels where he will assert Washington's "iron-clad" backing to its allies, the White House said on Tuesday.

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  2022-03-17

• Zelensky to address Congress as US pledges $800m in military aid

  [President Zelensky with US President Biden at the White House last year. (Photo by= Getty Images)] Ukraine's president is expected to intensify pleas for NATO allies to help halt Russian attacks when he addresses the US Congress by video link later. Volodymyr Zelensky is likely to repeat his request for a no-fly zone, in his latest speech to a national parliament. His address comes with US President Joe Biden set to announce an extra $800m (£612m) in military aid to Ukraine. The money will go towards anti-armor and anti-aircraft weapons, such as Stingers and Javelins, US media report. The funding is covered by a spending bill on humanitarian, defensive, and economic assistance to Ukraine that was approved by Congress last week. Signing the bill on Tuesday, Mr. Biden said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's attack on Ukraine had united people across the world. Last year, the Biden administration has provided $1.2bn in weapons for the country, including Mi-17 helicopters, patrol boats, and small arms like grenade launchers and machine guns, the New York Times reports. A no-fly zone over Ukraine would mean that NATO forces would have to engage directly with any Russian planes spotted in those skies and shoot at them if necessary. Meanwhile, NATO defense ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss their response to the invasion. Mr. Biden is expected to travel to Brussels next week to meet NATO allies and participate in a summit of European Union leaders.

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  2022-03-17

• Another Evergreen shipping vessel runs aground in the US

  [The Ever Given and Ever Forward container ships are both owned by the Taiwan-based Evergreen Marine Corporation. (Photo by= Getty Images)] One year after the Ever-Given container ship ran aground in the Suez Canal, her sister's vessel is repeating the feat - in the US state of Maryland. Local officials say the Ever Forward left a Baltimore port on Sunday night en route to Norfolk, Virginia, but was grounded in the Chesapeake Bay, BBC reported. Both Ever Forward and Ever Given are owned by the same Taiwanese company. Ever Given was wedged in the Suez Canal for six days causing worldwide shipping industry upheaval. The ironically named Ever Forward is not currently affecting transit through the US port, according to the Maryland Port Administration (MPA). The 1,096-foot ship was traveling through what is known as the Craighill Channel, which is about 50 feet (15m) deep. However, a US Coast Guard spokesman said the ship traveled outside the channel into water that was only about 25 feet (7.5m) deep. The Coast Guard is now investigating how it came to go aground and will work with a salvage team to tow the vessel to a safe location. There have been no injuries, spills or damage caused to the Ever Forward. Nearby ships have been asked to slow down and travel in one-way traffic as they pass by the stationary vessel.

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  2022-03-17

• Ukraine war: European leaders risk train ride to meet Zelensky

  [The Slovenian, Polish and Czech prime ministers, together with Poland's ruling party leader, took the long journey from Warsaw. (Photo by= MATEUSZ MORAWIECKI/TWITTER)] Ukraine has praised the courage of three European leaders who made a long, hazardous journey by rail from Poland to Kyiv in a show of support as the city came under further Russian attack. The prime ministers of Poland, Slovenia and the Czech Republic met Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday evening as a curfew began in Kyiv, BBC reported. Afterwards, the Czech leader told Ukrainians that they were "not alone". They are the first Western leaders to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded. "We admire your brave fight," Petr Fiala wrote in a tweet. "We know that you're also fighting for our lives. You're not alone, our countries stand by your side." The leaders had arrived back in Poland on Wednesday morning, a Polish government spokesperson said. Also on the trip was Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the head of Poland's ruling party, and he called for the creation of a NATO or international peacekeeping mission that "will also be able to defend itself and operate in Ukraine". As the talks took place on Tuesday evening, loud explosions could be heard from fighting on the western edge of the capital city. The leaders decided to travel by train because flying by Polish military jet could have been viewed by Russia as dangerously provocative, BBC Europe editor Katya Adler reports.

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  2022-03-17

• Vietnam ends COVID-19 quarantine for international travelers

  [Ho Chi Minh City residents are now barred from gathering in groups larger than pairs in public. (File photo by= AFP/Huu Khoa)] HANOI: Vietnam announced an end to quarantine for international travelers on Wednesday (Mar 16), as it seeks to restart its tourism industry after two years of strict COVID-19 restrictions, AFP reported. The only virus requirement for visitors will be a negative COVID-19 test, the country's ministry of health said in a statement. The communist state's tourism sector was worth up to US$32 billion a year before the pandemic, but it ground to a standstill during the pandemic as the government restricted travel. Virus curbs have slowly been eased in recent months, with visitors trickling back in since November to play golf at resorts, under a bubble arrangement. Officials attribute that to the high vaccination rate, with 98 percent of adults fully inoculated according to the health ministry. The country is making efforts to roll out booster jabs to the population while preparing to vaccinate children and young teenagers. Vietnam also announced the resumption of 15 days' visa-free travel for citizens from 13 countries: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Britain, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Belarus. The country, which has a population of 97 million, is still reporting nearly 200,000 new COVID-19 cases a day as the Omicron variant sweeps through. But the health ministry says the situation "remains under control" with hospitalization and death rates staying low.

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  2022-03-17

• China says Taiwan 'taking advantage' of Ukraine as island sends more aid

  [People attend a rally against Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Taipei, Taiwan, Mar 13, 2022. (File photo by= REUTERS/Ann Wang)] BEIJING: China's government on Wednesday (Mar 16) lambasted Taiwan's humanitarian aid for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia as "taking advantage of other's difficulties" after the island announced it was sending more funds donated by the public for refugees, Reuters reported. The war in Ukraine has garnered broad sympathy in Taiwan, with many seeing parallels between Russia's invasion and the military threat posed by China, which views the democratically governed island as its own territory. Taiwan has joined in Western-led sanctions on Russia. Asked about Taiwan's aid and sanctions at a news conference in Beijing, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said Taiwan's government was trying to latch onto the issue for its own purposes. Taiwan's government says that on Ukraine it has a duty to stand with other democracies. Late on Tuesday, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry announced a second US$11.5 million donation to help refugees after an initial donation this month of US$3.5 million. President Tsai Ing-wen has gifted one month of her

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  2022-03-17

• New Zealand border to reopen from next month, PM Ardern says

  [Despite some easing of isolation requirements for Covid patients, the country remains in its highest level of restrictions with limits on gatherings and mask mandates in many settings. New Zealand says it's keen to welcome back international tourists. (Photo by= Getty Images)] New Zealand has brought forward plans to reopen its borders to international travelers after a Covid lockout of more than two years. BBC reported that Australians will be allowed to enter the country without needing to quarantine or isolate from 13 April. Fully vaccinated travelers from about 60 countries on a visa-waiver list will be able to arrive from 2 May. Those nations include the UK and US. All arrivals will have to show a negative Covid test. Currently, only New Zealand citizens are allowed in and out. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand was "ready to welcome the world back". "We have now received guidance that it is safe to significantly bring forward the next stage of border reopening work, bringing back our tourists," she said on Wednesday. People who already have a visa - but are from outside the visa waiver list - will be eligible to enter the country on 1 May. While tough lockdowns and virtual isolation helped the country get a reputation as a Covid success story, transmission rates have soared recently. Many Kiwis are struggling to grasp how their country has gone from fewer than 1,000 cases a day to more than 20,000 daily infections in just a couple of weeks. Ms. Ardern had pursued an elimination strategy until October last year.

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  2022-03-17

• KFC-owner Yum sales plunge as China Covid cases surge

  [Some KFC shops in China are only offering takeaway services. (Photo by= Getty Images)] The owner of KFC and Pizza Hut said sales plunged by 20% in the first two weeks of March as a surge of new Covid cases spread across China. Yum China said "the situation has rapidly deteriorated" as regional lockdowns have been put in place to stem the outbreak, BBC reported. More than 1,100 of its stores are temporarily closed or offering takeaway and sales are "still trending down". China's lockdowns are among its biggest since the beginning of the pandemic. Yum China said: "Entering March, the situation has rapidly deteriorated with the highly transmissible Omicron variant causing outbreaks across China, including economically important regions of Guangdong, Shanghai, Shandong, and Jilin." It added: "Our operations are significantly impacted by the latest outbreaks and the tighter public health measures which resulted in a further reduction of social activities, traveling, and consumption." There are concerns the restrictions could have an impact on global supply chains. But Yum China's chief executive Joey Wat, said: "Our robust supply chain management has shielded us from material business disruptions." Yum China said it had more than doubled the number of stores it had closed or restricted to take-out services from 500 in January to 1,100 in March. Toyota, Volkswagen and iPhone-maker Foxconn have been forced to close operations in affected regions due to lockdowns.

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  2022-03-17