CHICAGO: Walmart announced Wednesday it will hire 150,000 more workers in the United States, joining other large companies in staffing up ahead of the holiday shopping season. The nation’s biggest private employer, Walmart said “most” of the new positions in its home market would be permanent, full-time roles spread across the country.

MANILA: The Philippine economy will take more than a decade to return to pre-pandemic growth, an official said yesterday, warning the next two generations of Filipinos would be paying for the cost of COVID-19.

PITTSBURGH: US and EU officials pledged to join forces to deal with a host of technology and trade issues to secure semiconductor supplies and counter China’s dominance. 

DUBAI: Dubai opened its extravagant Expo 2020 yesterday with a flashy ceremony boasting fireworks and lights displays as it attempts to woo the world despite the pandemic. 

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden postponed yesterday a trip to Chicago to stay in Washington and fight for his domestic agenda, which hangs from a thread in Congress, the White House said. 

HANOI: From shoes and sweaters to car parts and coffee, Vietnam’s strict and lengthy coronavirus lockdown has sparked product shortages among worldwide brands such as Nike and Gap which have grown increasingly dependent on the Southeast Asian nation’s manufacturers. 

LONDON: British troops are expected to be deployed within days to help ease a fuel supply crisis, the government said yesterday as the retail and hospitality sectors called for foreign workers to be allowed to fill post-Brexit vacancies. 

KUWAIT: Kuwait listed zero COVID-19 deaths yesterday for the first time since February 6, 2021, and 33 new COVID-19 cases; the lowest daily rate registered since April 2, 2020. Meanwhile, the number of patients in intensive care units has witnessed a significant drop, reaching only nine patients as of yesterday; the lowest number since March 26, 2020.

DOHA: Qatar Airways said yesterday it received $3 billion in state aid to weather the coronavirus travel downturn and to offset losses it blamed on the cost of grounding aircraft. The airline reported an overall loss of $4.1 billion for the year to March 31, double the figure for the same period the year before.