The end of zero covid? Some Chinese cities are starting to ease covid-19 restrictions despite cases remaining at near record highs, according to Reuters. Beijing authorities are shuttering many testing booths and Shenzhen will no longer require commuters to present negative test results to travel. The move came after protests erupted in some areas of the country last month against the country’s strict zero-covid policy.

Apple is drawing up plans to back out of China: Worker unrest at the world’s biggest iPhone factory in China is accelerating Apple’s plans to move some of its production out of the country, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing people familiar with the matter. The tech giant is reportedly asking suppliers to plan to assemble the world’s most valuable company’s products elsewhere in Asia, mainly in India and Vietnam, the sources said.

Also worth knowing this morning: Iran provides first official protest death toll: More than 200 people have been killed in anti-government protests in Iran since September, the country’s interior ministry said in a statement picked up by state media. This is lower than independent assessments which have pegged the death toll at up to 469.