Anti-virus controls that have shut down some of China's biggest cities and caused public irritation are spreading as infections rise, hurting a weak economy and prompting warnings of possible global shockwaves. Most of the 25 million people in the city were confined to their homes because of complaints they couldn't get food. Most of its businesses are closed. Access to Guangzhou, an industrial center of 19 million people, was suspended this week. Other cities are closing schools and factories. Chinese farmers who feed a billion people might be disrupted by the spring planting season. Increased demand for imported wheat and other food could push up global prices. The Communist Party is embarrassed and the official efforts to shore up the economy have been dealt a blow. They come during a sensitive year when President Xi is expected to try to break with tradition and win a third five-year term as leader. Beijing has promised to reduce the human and economic cost of its strategy, but it won't join the United States and other governments that are trying to live with the virus. Prevention and control work cannot be relaxed, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. The risk of China falling into a recession is increasing, according to a report. The markets should be concerned about the delayed planting of grain in China. The government reported 29,411 new cases on Thursday. Almost all of the cases were accounted for by Shanghai. 2,573 had no symptoms. Despite the easing of restrictions, a health official warned that the virus wasn't under control. Some 6.6 million people were allowed to leave their homes in areas with no new cases for at least a week. At least 15 million people are not allowed to go outside. Most people have obeyed despite complaints about shortages of food, medicine and access to elderly relatives. Some videos on the popular social media service show people fighting. Grape Chen, a data analyst in Shanghai, said she was worried about her father's recovery from a stroke. She called the police because she was not getting a response from the hotline. Chen said that they were willing to cooperate with the country. 18 million people were told by the city government of Suzhou to stay home when possible. According to the China News Service, the inter-city bus service was suspended in the blue-collar city of Taiyuan. Residents in the southeast were not allowed to leave. A restaurant cook said his family has been confined to their apartment compound since April 3 after cases were found in neighboring compounds. If the restrictions last long, our lives will be seriously affected, said the cook. Chen and his wife have three children. Gavekal Dragonomics says that all but 13 of China's 100 biggest cities are under some form of restrictions. Gavekal said in a report this week that the intensity is increasing. The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China estimates that the volume of cargo handled by the Shanghai port has fallen by 40%. There has been a suspension of production due to the disruption in supplies. This year's economic growth is expected to be as low as 5%, down sharply from last year's 8.1% expansion, due to restrictions on areas that produce the world's smartphones, consumer electronics and other goods. The target of the ruling party is 5.5%. In the final quarter of the year, growth slid to 4%, after tighter official controls on debt caused a collapse in home sales and construction, industries that support millions of jobs. The ruling party promised tax refunds and other help for entrepreneurs who generate wealth and jobs before the latest shutdowns. The No. 2 leader and top economic official called for aid for businesses that face a "key juncture for survival." Authorities are trying to use more targeted measures to separate neighborhoods from whole cities with larger populations. Local leaders are imposing more sweeping controls. When cases were found last month, the leaders of Shanghai were criticized for trying to minimize economic damage by ordering testing. After case numbers soared, a shutdown was ordered with only a few hours warning. Shenzhen, a tech and finance center of over 17 million people near Hong Kong, was closed on March 13 due to an outbreak and ordered mass testing. Business returned to normal after it reopened a week later. Shenzhen has been mimicked by Guangzhou. mass testing was ordered after 27 infections were found in the city. Residents in Guangzhou can only leave their apartment compound once a day to buy food, but the stores are well-stocked, according to Li Guanyu. Guangzhou started mass testing and lockdowns as soon as cases were discovered, according to Li. There is a AP researchers Yu Bing and Chen Si in Beijing and Chen Si in Shanghai contributed. President Biden stressed his commitment to policies and practices that make birth safer for Black women in his Proclamation of Black Maternal Health Week. We wanted to know what his administration was doing to eliminate the racial disparity in maternal healthcare. It is not known if the two stolen trucks are related. Few know that Amazon has millions of Prime subscribers. The pay package of the CEO of Franco-Italian car maker Stellantis was called "shocking" by the French President and his far-right challenger Marine Le Pen on Friday. Opinion polls show that the race to lead the European Union's second-largest economy for the next five years will go to a second round on May 7. A stock package worth 32 million euros and long-term compensation of 25 million euros are included in the compensation package for Carlos Tavares. The Intel computer chip development coming to 20 miles away could be the reason for the sudden increase in interest in Heath commercial properties. The office of the South Korean President-elect denied Japanese media reports that he had asked to attend an upcoming summit of the Quad, which includes the United States, India, Australia and Japan. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are possible summits. A man builds a trap to catch a thief. The Russian president has said that peace talks with Ukraine are over. Net interest income at Wells Fargo and JP Morgan Chase rose in the first quarter as the US Federal Reserve raised rates. Net interest income is a closely watched measure of how much money banks make from lending. Net interest income at Wells Fargo rose 5% from a year ago. Some people on social media wrongly claim that photos of the singer holding her first child show her holding her niece. If we had a time machine, we would stop some terrible trends before they happened. Long-term travelers know that traveling long-haul without comfortable travel pillows is not a good idea. Two people familiar with the matter said that the local authorities have given the go-ahead for the plant to resume production on Monday. The factory located in the Pudong district east of the city's Huangpu River stopped production on March 28 after the city started rolling out measures to combat a surge in COVID-19 cases that were later implemented city-wide. The plan for resuming production has the blessing of local authorities, but could still change depending on how the epidemic situation develops in the city, said the people, who declined to be named as the matter is private. Russia's war campaign has made the Western world realize that energy independence is necessary. More than a quarter of Germany's energy comes from Russia, mostly in the form of natural gas. After years of taking a hostile stance against traditional energy supplies including fossil fuels, developed nations must now shift toward energy independence. Some acts of street art are funnier than criminal acts, and we believe many would agree. Richard Russell flew a plane across the skies of Western Washington before crashing it into Ketron Island. Sun Jian, a master's degree student in the Chinese city ofYantai, staged a solo campaign against his university's COVID-19 prevention measures, including criticism on social media. The last straw for authorities was on March 27 when Sun walked around his campus with a placard that said "lift the lock down on Ludong". According to a letter from the university, he was expelled on April 1 after being arrested by police. It's hard to find good denim. It's even harder to find a sale on good denim. Which is why we are so excited for the Agolde sale. The five episode-run of Private Eye was solid, but the timing of the show was bad. Some economists express doubts about President Joe Biden's plan to bring down prices while he speaks at North Carolina A&T. In this Nets news conference, Kevin Durant says he doesn't expect Ben Simmons to return for the playoffs. A report says the U.S. is considering sending a high-level official. A high-interest account allows you to earn compound interest, while still having full access to your money. These are the top picks. These kicks are usually sold for $75. You can get them for 53. Ovalbek Turdakun was a prisoner in one of China's notorious detention camps for 10 months, where he was tortured, subject to horrible conditions and under constant watch. Turdakun was not allowed to speak in the makeshift courtroom he was being held in, and he was forced to sign papers without time to read them. Turdakun is a Chinese passport holder and an ethnic Kyrgyz, one of several ethnic groups that have been charged with dubious if not invented charges and have been held in vast internment camps. Chris Rock was slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars. The comedienne talks about the aftermath.Associated Press
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