Shanghai

The State Department said on Friday that non-priority staff could leave the consulate voluntarily, but it is not known why the recommendation turned into an order on Monday, Reuters reports.

China is fighting a new wave of COVID-19 in the east of the country, and the largest number of cases of newly infected with is in Shanghai, where 26.087 cases of infection have been reported today, of which only 914 showed symptoms.

The manufacturing hub of Guangzhou closed itself to most arrivals Monday as China battles a major COVID-19 surge in its big eastern cities.

Shanghai has taken the brunt of the surge, with another 26,087 cases announced on Monday, only 914 of which showed symptoms. The city of 26 million is under a tight lockdown, with many residents confined to their homes for up to three weeks.

Residents of Shanghai are struggling to get meat, rice and other food supplies under anti-coronavirus controls that confine most of its 25 million people in their homes, fueling frustration as the government tries to contain a spreading outbreak.

Today, China reported more than 20,000 cases of COVID-19, the highest daily number since the pandemic began, with Shanghai being the center of the virus wave. The country's strategy for "zero COVID" is undergoing a huge test as cases increase.

China reported more than 20,000 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, the highest daily tally given since the start of the pandemic, as millions in locked-down Shanghai began a new round of testing.

China reported 13,000 Covid cases on Sunday, the most since the peak of the first pandemic wave over two years ago, as health officials said they have found a suspected new subtype of the Omicron variant in the Shanghai area.

China's "zero-Covid" strategy is under extreme pressure as the virus whips across the country.

China reported 13,000 Covid cases on Sunday, the most since the peak of the first pandemic wave over two years ago, as health officials said they have found a suspected new subtype of the Omicron variant in the Shanghai area.

China's "zero-Covid" strategy is under extreme pressure as the virus whips across the country.

Oil prices have surpassed 0 per barrel, and stock prices around the world have collapsed after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a "military operation" in Ukraine with a hint of a bigger war.

Exchanges have collapsed since earlier this week after the Kremlin recognized two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine on Monday night and later sent "peacekeepers" to them.

An early version of COVID-19, which seems to have been created in the laboratory, was discovered in samples from a Chinese biotechnology company, writes Sara Knapton, the Science Editor for The Daily Telegraph.
This finding justifies claims that the virus may have originated as a laboratory experiment that accidentally leaked.