Two and a half weeks after extending a partial lockdown into a shutdown of the entire city, Shanghai shows few signs of easing its COVID-19 controls.
On April 20, nearly half of the 25 million residents were able to go outdoors, albeit in limited fashion, as authorities declared the coronavirus to be under “effective control” in parts of China’s most populous city. But on April 22, many restrictions on movement were reinstated, causing confusion and frustration.
Electronic alarms are reportedly being installed at the homes of people testing positive, to prevent them from leaving. Meanwhile, some areas are being evacuated for district-wide disinfection and mass transfers to quarantine centers are causing widespread disruption. Other residents, forced to isol…
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“All I see are ships,” said Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, the busiest port in America, gazing out of his office window recently toward the Pacific Ocean.
The pandemic has wreaked havoc across the global supply chain, and the evidence is stacking up high in the world’s overcrowded ports. Normally, pre-COVID-19, ships could steam directly into ports in L.A. and Long Beach with no waiting. But, as of Aug. 18, there were 32 vessels waiting at sea for a spot to unload at one of the two ports.
The congestion is largely due to the tremendous volume of traffic coming from ocean carriers to satisfy the inte…
Ten crispy chicken nuggets, medium fries and a Coke: a classic McDonald’s order. But add sides of cajun and sweet chili sauces and a collectible purple box and you’ve just placed an order for the BTS Meal, this summer’s collaboration between the seven-member Korean pop sensation and the fast food giant. It was a small addition, yet on a quarterly earnings call this week, McDonald’s partially credited a 25% sales increase in the U.S. to the collaboration.
Launched in late May and officially concluded on June 20, the BTS Meal followed a history of big-ticket star collaborations between McDonald’s and buzzy parts of pop culture. And on July 29, McDonald’s announced the next celebrity to receive a meal treatment: 28-year-old Californian rapper Sawe…