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When this Shanghai building went into COVID lockdown, my WeChat message group blew up

A police officer watches over residents lining up for COVID tests Shanghai. Chen Si/AP hide caption

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Chen Si/AP

Health

When this Shanghai building went into COVID lockdown, my WeChat message group blew up

For nine years, I lived in a giant apartment complex called the Summit with hundreds of other people in the city of Shanghai. Now my old neighbors are entering week six stuck inside.

When this Shanghai building went into COVID lockdown, my WeChat message group blew up

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Economy

Sri Lanka is facing economic crisis — and the U.S. dollar is partly to blame

Sri Lanka is in a deep economic and humanitarian crisis. A big contributing factor? Its central bank is running dangerously low on foreign currency reserves.

Sri Lanka is facing economic crisis — and the U.S. dollar is partly to blame

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Afghans unite in demanding that the Taliban let girls attend secondary school

Afghans are protesting the Taliban's ban on girls attending secondary school, including a surprising cohort: pro-Taliban clerics.

Afghans unite in demanding that the Taliban let girls attend secondary school

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This goat and lentil stew is a beloved Ramadan tradition in Hyderabad, India

Workers pound the steaming mixture of meat, lentils, wheat and spices with long wooden paddles to give the haleem its signature smooth texture. Sushmita Pathak/NPR hide caption

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Sushmita Pathak/NPR

World

This goat and lentil stew is a beloved Ramadan tradition in Hyderabad, India

The Ramadan fast is usually followed by a feast. In Hyderabad, India, that feast is dominated by haleem, a meat and lentil stew pounded into paste and flavored with rose petals, cinnamon and cardamom.

This goat and lentil stew is a beloved Ramadan tradition in Hyderabad, India

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World

South Korea's immediate neighbors are impacting the military help its giving Ukraine

South Korea is the world's sixth-largest arms exporter and Ukraine has turned to it for help in its war against Russia. But so far, Seoul has only agreed to provide non-lethal aid.

South Korea's immediate neighbors are impacting the military help its giving Ukraine

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Leaked draft of an agreement between China and the Solomon Islands has U.S. concerned

A pact between China and the Solomon Islands could help Beijing expand its naval presence in the Western Pacific. That has officials in the U.S. and Australia on edge.

Leaked draft of an agreement between China and the Solomon Islands has U.S. concerned

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2 Shanghai residents share how they've handled the city's lockdown

NPR's Rob Schmitz speaks with two residents of a housing complex in Shanghai about how they have experienced the city's lockdown — which is approaching its sixth week.

2 Shanghai residents share how they've handled the city's lockdown

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Shanghai's lockdown economy
Kelly Wang/Kelly Wang

The Indicator from Planet Money

Shanghai's lockdown economy

Shanghai is enduring a strict COVID lockdown that has left many without many basic necessities, including food. So ordinary people have banded together to build their own group-buying and barter economy.

Shanghai's lockdown economy

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Beijing conducts mass COVID-19 testing as increased cases may force a lockdown

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to David Rennie, Beijing bureau chief for The Economist, about the mass COVID-19 testing of millions of residents to contain the spread as a potential lockdown looms.

Beijing conducts mass COVID-19 testing as increased cases may force a lockdown

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Myanmar court sentences Aung San Suu Kyi to 5 years in prison for corruption

The verdict was not unexpected. She is already serving a six-year term after being sentenced last year by a military-run court for violating COVID restrictions and illegally importing walkie-talkies.

Myanmar court sentences Aung San Suu Kyi to 5 years in prison for corruption

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Singapore executes disabled Malaysian convicted in drug case

Activists holds posters against the impending execution of Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam, sentenced to death for trafficking heroin into Singapore, during a candlelight vigil gathering outside the Singaporean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Vincent Thian/AP hide caption

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Vincent Thian/AP

Singapore executes disabled Malaysian convicted in drug case

Supporters and lawyers of the man said he had an IQ of 69 and was intellectually disabled, and that the execution of a mentally ill person was prohibited under international human rights law.