WASHINGTON: Accelerated vaccinations and a flood of government spending, especially in the United States, have boosted the outlook for the global economy, but more must be done to prevent permanent scars, the IMF said yesterday. 

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading digital service provider in Kuwait, announced the qualification of 26 tech startups to the pre-final phase of its sixth Zain Great Idea (ZGI) tech startup accelerator program. 

KUWAIT: Kuwait said yesterday that 1,403 people tested positive for coronavirus while eight related deaths were reported over the previous 24 hours, taking the total up to 239,952 and 1,373, respectively. 

ATHENS: Greece yesterday relaxed a nationwide lockdown by opening most retail shops despite a high level of COVID-19 infections and fatalities.

SEOUL: LG Electronics, South Korea’s second-largest appliance firm after Samsung, is closing down its mobile phone business, the company said yesterday, after the division lost billions in recent years. 

SINGAPORE: Chinese tech giants are expanding in Singapore as they face a crackdown at home and growing pressure in other key markets-but they may struggle to find talent in the city-state. 

KUWAIT: Kuwait said 1,357 people tested positive for the coronavirus while 12 related deaths were reported yesterday, taking total cases to 238,549 and deaths to 1,365, according to the health ministry. 

BANGKOK: Tens of thousands of Myanmar workers have gone on strike over the past two months, hoping that economic paralysis will force the hand of the wealthy generals who ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1. 

LIANYUNGANG, China: Towering cranes work overtime swinging containers from cargo vessels in the eastern Chinese port of Lianyungang, racing to keep ahead of a perfect storm unleashed by the pandemic that has created gridlock in global shipping.