Shanghai reports slight drop in Covid cases as economic impact bites

Shanghai posted a slight decline in new infections on Friday as the lockdown in the commercial capital at the centre of China's COVID-19 outbreak, coupled with curbs elsewhere, threatens to take a heavier toll on the world's second-biggest economy.
 

China's efforts to stop the virus with a strict "zero-COVID" policy are triggering economic disruptions that are rippling through global supply chains for goods from electric vehicles to iPhones.
 

Electric-car maker Xpeng and technology giant Huawei warned of looming industry-wide suspensions of output suspensions if suppliers in Shanghai and its environs cannot resume work.
 

Airlines and the property sector are also