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Macau reported 89 new coronavirus instances on Tuesday, taking the entire to greater than 900 infections since mid-June, as authorities on this planet’s largest playing hub race to comprise its largest outbreak because the pandemic started, Reuters reported.

More than 13,000 individuals are underneath quarantine within the Chinese language particular administrative area, which has successfully shut all the way down to restrict the unfold of coronavirus.

The town’s greater than 600,000 residents are topic to a few citywide COVID-19 checks this week, with individuals additionally required to take fast antigen checks in between.

Whereas the previous Portuguese colony has not launched a full scale lockdown seen in mainland Chinese language cities like Shanghai, most amenities are shut and eating places can solely present takeaway.

Solely Macau’s casinos have been allowed to remain open in a transfer to make sure job safety. The federal government depends on the business for over 80% of its tax income with a lot of the inhabitants employed immediately or not directly by the on line casino resorts.

Whereas casinos are bodily open, there are hardly any gamblers inside and only a few employees working, with many staff requested to remain at dwelling, as per the federal government’s request.

The stringent measures come after Macau has been largely COVID-free since an outbreak in October 2021. It nonetheless has an open border with mainland China, with its economic system firmly hinged to the influx of Chinese language guests, according to BBC.

Macau adheres to China’s “zero-COVID” coverage which goals to eradicate all outbreaks, at nearly any value, working counter to a world development of making an attempt to co-exist with the virus.

Its instances are nonetheless far under day by day infections somewhere else, together with neighbouring Hong Kong the place instances have jumped to greater than 2,000 a day this month.

Nonetheless, Macau solely has one public hospital, whose companies are already stretched each day. Officers have put up a makeshift hospital subsequent to the town’s Las Vegas type Cotai strip to assist address the rise in instances, BBC reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his defence minister to continue the offensive in Ukraine after Russia captured the city of Lysychansk, BBC reported.

Mr Putin was shown on Russian TV calling on forces on other fronts to pursue their aims according to "previously approved plans".

The capture means that all of Luhansk region is now in Russian hands.

Earlier the region's Ukrainian governor said the city was abandoned so Russians would not destroy it from a distance.

Soldiers have now moved to new fortified positions, Serhiy Haidai told the BBC.

Losing the city and ceding control of Luhansk to Russia was painful, he said, but added: "This is just one battle we have lost, but not the war."

He pleaded for more weapons from the West to offset the Russian advantage.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged that Ukrainian forces will return to retake Lysychansk "thanks to the increase in the supply of modern weapons".

Russia has now stepped up its bombardment of cities in the neighbouring Donetsk region, with the areas around Sloviansk and the road between Lysychansk and Bakhmut in particular being targeted, according to Ukrainian forces.

Together the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk form the industrial Donbas area.

Mr Putin was seen telling Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu that troops who took part in the campaign to capture Luhansk should "rest and develop their combat capabilities".

"Other military units, including the East group and the West group, must carry out their tasks according to previously approved plans," he said, expressing the hope that on those fronts they would have similar success to that in Luhansk region, according to BBC.

Just before he launched the invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, Mr Putin recognised all of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states. Russian proxy forces began an insurgency there in 2014 - the year Russia also annexed the Crimean peninsula.

Just over a week ago, Russian troops captured Severodonetsk - which Russian bombardment has reduced to ruins.

The smell hits you first - freshly cooked rice, lentils and spinach, served in ladles from steaming pots. 

Dozens of families - including mothers with babies - are lined up with plates to get a serving of what will likely be their only meal for the day, BBC reported.

"We are here because we are hungry," says Chandrika Manel, a mother of four. 

As she kneads a ball of rice with her hands, mixing it with the lentils and spinach before feeding it to one of her children, she explains that even buying bread is a struggle.

"There are times I [give them] milk and rice, but we don't cook any vegetables. They're too expensive."

Depleted foreign reserves and soaring inflation have devastated Sri Lanka's economy in recent months. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa - who pushed through tax cuts that shrunk the state's coffers and borrowed heavily from China to fund ambitious infrastructure projects - has been blamed for the crisis. The pandemic, which hit tourism, and the war in Ukraine, which sent oil prices rocketing, has only made the situation worse. 

But now Sri Lanka is on the brink of a humanitarian crisis, the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) has told the BBC. 

The organisation found that 70% of the country's families have cut down on food since the start of the year, and stocks of fuel and essential medicines are also fast running out. 

'My children are miserable'

This is Ms Manel's first visit to a community kitchen as she found her options disappearing: "The cost of living is so high, we are taking loans to survive."

The kitchen is a month old - Pastor Moses Akash started it in a church hall in Colombo after meeting a single mother who lived off a jackfruit for three days.

"We get people who haven't had a second plate of rice for the last four months," Pastor Moses says. 

By his estimate, the number of people queuing up for food has grown from 50 to well over 250 a day. It's not surprising given that food prices in Sri Lanka went up by 80% in June alone. 

"I see a lot of children especially, most of them are malnourished," he says.

Sahna, a pregnant 34-year-old who goes by her first name only, is also in the queue with her three young children. She is due in September and anxious about the future. 

"My children are miserable. They're suffering in every possible way. I can't even afford a packet of biscuits or milk for my babies."

Sahna's husband, who is a labourer, earns just $10 (£8.20) a week to support the entire family. 

"Our leaders are living better lives. If their children are living happily, why can't my children?" she asks. 

A looming humanitarian crisis 

By the time Sahna's child is born, things are expected to get worse. 

The mayor of Colombo recently said that the capital has enough food only until September, BBC reported.

With shortages of fuel and cooking gas, and daily power cuts, families are unable to travel to buy fresh food or prepare hot meals.

"Families can't buy what they used to buy. They are cutting down on meals, they are cutting down on nutritious food. So we are definitely getting into a situation where malnutrition is a major concern," said Christian Skoog, Unicef's representative in Sri Lanka. 

"We're trying to avoid a humanitarian crisis. We're not yet at children dying, which is good, but we need to get the support very urgently to avoid that."

Unicef has appealed for urgent financial aid to treat thousands of children with acute malnutrition, and to support a million others with primary healthcare.

Acute malnutrition rates could rise from 13% to 20%, with the number of severely malnourished children - currently 35,000 - doubling, says Dr Renuka Jayatissa, president of the Sri Lanka Medical Nutrition Association.

The crisis has brought forth a sense of solidarity, with people often relying on the kindness of strangers. But even kindness and hope are becoming precious commodities. 

Dr Saman Kumara at Colombo's Castle Street hospital says that if not for the goodwill of donors, his patients - tiny newborns - would have been at great risk. 

He says his hospital is now "completely dependent on donations" for essential medicines and equipment, and urged more donors to come forward as patients' lives are in danger.

About 50,000 people have been urged to evacuate their homes as floods hit Australia's largest city for the third time this year, BBC reported.

Parts of Sydney have received about eight months of rain in four days.

Roads have been cut off, some houses are underwater and thousands have been left without power.

Widespread flooding across Australia - driven by a La Niña weather pattern - has killed more than 20 people this year, many in New South Wales (NSW). 

More than 100 evacuation orders have been issued across Greater Sydney for the current emergency.

People in another 50 areas have been warned to prepare to leave, as several major rivers flood. Severe weather is also hitting the nearby Hunter and Illawarra regions.

Some areas of NSW have seen 800mm of rain in four days, says the Bureau of Meteorology, almost a third more than the average rainfall Greater London receives in a year, according to BBC.

The downpour is expected to begin easing in Sydney on Tuesday, but gale-force winds are also forecast, bringing a risk of falling trees and powerlines.

"The emergency is far from over," NSW Emergency Services Minister Stephanie Cooke said.

Authorities are urging locals to heed evacuation warnings, after rescuers were called to save people who were ordered to leave two days earlier.

"Ultimately if you stay you're putting your life at risk," said NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet.

For many locals, it is their third flood this year.

Speaking after evacuating his partner from their house by kayak, Tyler Cassel said locals were tired of the constant threat to their homes and lives.

He moved into his home in the Sydney suburb of Windsor last year, and was told major flood events were supposed to be "one in 25 years, one in 50 years or whatever it was".

"Now it has been three in 2022," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"We've become experts around this area now... you are almost living on the edge."

Experts say the flooding emergency has been worsened by climate change and a La Niña weather phenomenon. A La Niña develops when strong winds blow the warm surface waters of the Pacific away from South America and towards Indonesia. In their place, colder waters come up to the surface, BBC reported.

In Australia, a La Niña increases the likelihood of rain, cyclones and cooler daytime temperatures.

A gunman on a rooftop opened fire on an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago on Monday, killing at least six people, wounding at least 30 and sending hundreds of marchers, parents with strollers and children on bicycles fleeing in terror, police said, Associated Press reported.

Authorities said a man named as a person of interest in the shooting was taken into police custody Monday evening after an hourslong manhunt in and around Highland Park, an affluent community of about 30,000 on Chicago’s north shore.

The July 4 shooting was just the latest to shatter the rituals of American life. Schools, churches, grocery stores and now community parades have all become killing grounds in recent months. This time, the bloodshed came as the nation tried to find cause to celebrateits founding and the bonds that still hold it together.

“It definitely hits a lot harder when it’s not only your hometown but it’s also right in front of you,” resident Ron Tuazon said as he and a friend returned to the parade route Monday evening to retrieve chairs, blankets and a child’s bike that he and his family abandoned when the shooting began.

“It’s commonplace now,” Tuazon said of what he called yet another American atrocity. “We don’t blink anymore. Until laws change, it’s going to be more of the same.”

The shooting occurred at a spot on the parade route where many residents had staked out prime viewing points early in the day for the annual celebration. Dozens of fired bullets sent hundreds of parade-goers — some visibly bloodied — fleeing. They left a trail of abandoned items that showed everyday life suddenly, violently disrupted: A half-eaten bag of potato chips; a box of chocolate cookies spilled onto the grass; a child’s Chicago Cubs cap.

“There’s no safe place,” said Highland Park resident Barbara Harte, 73, who had stayed away from the parade fearing a mass shooting, but later ventured from her home.

Highland Park Police Chief Lou Jogmen said a police officer pulled over Robert E. Crimo III about five miles north of the shooting scene, several hours after police released the man’s photo and an image of his silver Honda Fit, and warned the public that he was likely armed and dangerous. Authorities initially said he was 22, but an FBI bulletin and Crimo’s social media said he was 21, according to Associated Press.

Police declined to immediately identify Crimo as a suspect but said identifying him as a person of interest, sharing his name and other information publicly was a serious step.

Lake County Major Crime Task Force spokesman Christopher Covelli said at a news conference “several of the deceased victims” died at the scene and one was taken to a hospital and died there. Police have not released details about the victims or wounded. 

Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said the five people killed at the parade were adults, but didn’t have information on the sixth victim who was taken to a hospital and died there. One of those killed was a Mexican national, Roberto Velasco, Mexico’s director for North American affairs, said on Twitter Monday. He said two other Mexicans were wounded. 

NorthShore University Health Center received 26 patients after the attack. All but one had gunshot wounds, said Dr. Brigham Temple, medical director of emergency preparedness. Their ages ranged from 8 to 85, and Temple estimated that four or five patients were children.

Temple said 19 of them were treated and discharged. Others were transferred to other hospitals, while two patients, in stable condition, remained at the Highland Park hospital.

“It is devastating that a celebration of America was ripped apart by our uniquely American plague,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said at a news conference.

“I’m furious because it does not have to be this way... while we celebrate the Fourth of July just once a year, mass shootings have become a weekly — yes, weekly — American tradition.”

The shooter opened fire around 10:15 a.m., when the parade was about three-quarters through, authorities said, Associated Press reported.

Highland Park Police Commander Chris O’Neill, the incident commander on scene, said the gunman apparently used a “high-powered rifle” to fire from a spot atop a commercial building where he was “very difficult to see.” He said the rifle was recovered at the scene. Police also found a ladder attached to the building.

The CPN (Maoist Centre) leaders have suggested that the party should forge an alliance with the CPN-UML in the federal and provincial assembly elections.

During the Central Executive Committee of the party held at the Pragya Bhuwan in Kathmandu, leaders suggested Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to start discussions and debates for the left alliance with the UML.

Leaders were of the opinion that the Nepali Congress betrayed the Maoist Centre in the local level elections.

"The Maoist honestly cast votes for the Congress candidates in the local level polls. But, the Congress did not cast ballots for us," central member Ram Kumar Sharma said.

The leaders said that the party should forge an alliance with the Congress only after reaching an agreement.

"The Congress should be given 50 percent seats if the parties forge alliance in the upcoming elections again. Remaining 50 percent should be given to other parties of the coalition," leader Sharma said.

Similarly, during the meeting, the leaders have said that the Citizenship Bill should be endorsed at the earliest.

Newly appointed ministers of the Janata Samajbadi Party took the oath of office and secrecy on Monday.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari on the recommendation of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba appointed Mrigendra Kumar Singh Yadav as the Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Mohammad Istiyak Rai as the Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport and Pradip Yadav the Minister for Forest and Environment.

President Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to newly appointed ministers in the presence of Vice-President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Prime Minister Deuba and National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Timilsena, amidst a special ceremony at Sheetal Niwas this evening.

The party had recalled its three of four ministers from the government this morning.

Earlier, the CPN (Unified Socialist) had reshuffled four of its ministers in the government.

Nepal reported 40 new Covid-19 cases on Monday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 1, 847 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 34 returned positive. Likewise, 1, 163 people underwent antigen tests, of which six were tested positive.

The Ministry said that no one died of virus in the last 24 hours. The Ministry said that 19 infected people recovered from the disease.

As of today, there are 348 active cases in the country. 

Among them, 344 are in home isolation and four are in institutionalized isolation. 

Similarly, one is undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the Ministry said.