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International Airlines Group (IAG), which includes Iberia and Aer Lingus in its stable of brands, told investors it had seen weaker demand across Asian and European routes The company's chief executive, Willie Walsh, told Sky News it was taking capacity out of Italy - building on the suspension of flights to Shanghai and Beijing. EasyJet said it was cancelling several flights in Italy and seeking to concentrate passenger numbers on less frequent services in a bid to manage costs. The airline said actions were expected to include a pay freeze across the business and the offer of unpaid leave. It said the customers it was contacting to make alternative arrangements in Italy could either switch flights or request a full refund. IAG and easyJet have been among the worst affected amid a  bloodbath for shares  this week that began on news of a surge of cases in northern Italy. Companies associated with the travel sector have felt the most pain on investor expectat

A mother in Migori county shocked residents after putting up her two daughters for sale on Wednesday, February 26. According to Nation, the 23-year-old mother claimed she was overwhelmed with the responsibilities of raising the daughters after their fathers flee. The woman says she sired the two children with different men who left her to raise the kids alone. One of the daughters is four years, and the other one is two. She has now opted to sell the daughters for Sh400,000 and buy land where she will settle with her male children. “I have been through difficult situations with these children after siring them with different men. I have decided to sell the young girls for KSh 400,000 and buy land where I can settle with their male siblings,” she said. Before settling on the decision to sell her daughters, the mother claims she tried asking for help from well-wishers, but no one came to her aid. She says they have been living in makeshifts, and there are days they would

New Zealand  confirmed its first coronavirus case Friday, saying a recent arrival from Iran who travelled to Auckland via Bali had tested positive. Health officials said the person, aged in their 60s, was being treated in Auckland City Hospital. “They are in an improving condition in isolation, in a negative pressure room to prevent any spread of the disease,” the health department said in a statement. Officials said the person, reportedly a female New Zealand citizen, arrived in Auckland on Wednesday and family members went to the hospital after becoming concerned about the individual’s condition. The officials urged any passengers on Wednesday’s final leg of the Emirates airline journey, which goes from Bali to Auckland, to contact authorities if they were concerned. However, authorities downplayed the risk to the public saying the situation was being well managed. “Although we have our first case of Covid-19, the chances of community outbreak remain low,” the state

Pope Francis  is still feeling 'slightly unwell' and has cancelled his official audiences today, the Vatican has said.  The 83-year-old pontiff has scrapped an audience with tech chiefs including Microsoft and IBM executives today, a day after calling off an appearance at Mass.  Francis had appeared to have a cold during an Ash Wednesday service at the Vatican earlier this week.    The Vatican has offered no details on the nature of the pope's illness, except to say that he had a 'slight indisposition'.  Vatican press officer Matteo Bruni said Francis celebrated morning mass as usual today and greeted participants at the end.  However, he has cleared his diary of everything apart from meetings at the Santa Marta guest house where he lives.  Francis had been due to receive executives from Microsoft, IBM and other technology companies on Friday morning. His speech to them from the Apostolic Palace was to have been streamed to guests at a Rome confer

The High Court has temporarily suspended all flights from China over coronavirus fears. This was hours after the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) moved to court, on Friday, seeking orders to bar government from allowing flights from china to land at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Two doctors also filed a case in Nairobi seeking to block people from China and other 'Coronavirus hotspots' countries from entering Kenya. Narc Kenya leader  Martha Karua  on Friday slammed the Government for exposing Kenyans to coronavirus. She asked the State to shut Kenya’s airspace and suspend all flights from China to curb the spread of the dreaded coronavirus into the country. Kenyans were up in arms over a China Southern Airline plane that landed at JKIA on Wednesday. The aircraft brought in 239 passengers from China, the epicentre of the Covid-19 virus. The Ministry of Health advised the passengers to voluntarily quarantine themselves for 14 days after being cleared at JKIA.

FILE PHOTO | President Uhuru Kenyatta signs into law the The Urban Areas and Cities (Amendment) Bill 2017, The Petroleum Bill 2017 and the Energy Bill 2017 on March 12, 2019. PHOTO | PSCU President Uhuru Kenyatta has issued an Executive Order following the escalating number of coronavirus cases around the world that also pose a risk to Kenya. According to him, Kenya is an international transport hub with 70% of passengers in transit. “There is a significant threat arising from the potential spread of the coronavirus to Kenya from countries that have new and ongoing outbreaks of the pneumatic disease,” his statement reads. The taskforce is to be comprised of the Health CS and counterparts from Defense, Foreign Affairs, ICT and Transport. Other members are Principal Secretaries and Directors from different ministries. They are to coordinate preparedness, prevention and response as well as coordinate capacity building of health workers. The taskforce will also be expected

Dogs in masks are seen in Shanghai. Hong Kong authorities say a dog, not pictured, has tested positive for coronavirus.  [Courtesy] Hong Kong authorities on Friday they quarantined a pet dog of a coronavirus patient after its nasal and oral samples tested “weak positive” for the virus, though they added they did not yet have evidence that it can be transmitted to pets. The dog did not have any symptoms. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said it will conduct further tests to confirm if the dog had been infected with the virus or if the samples were only the result of environmental contamination. “At present, the AFCD does not have evidence that pet animals can be infected ... or can be a source of infection to people,” it said in a statement. The dog will be put under quarantine for two weeks. The World Health Organisation website says so far there has been no evidence that companion pets can be infected with the coronavirus. Hong Kong has

President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered that Mbagathi hospital coronavirus section be completed within seven days. This was after the ministry of health said the sector would be finished in one months time. In an Executive Order on Friday, Uhuru directed that the national isolation and treatment facility at Mbagathi be completed and ready to received patients within seven days from the date hereof. He said that the identification and preparation of isolation and treatment facilities in Level V and referral hospitals across the country be concluded by March 15th. "That the national emergency response committee on coronavirus is hereby established," he said. But he dissolved the cabinets ad hoc committee on health and the inter-ministerial technical committee. More to follow

Lets get this right: if you have to steal, I reiterate, have to, then don’t get caught and for crying out loud, never steal at a police station unless you are flirting with instant death. But one  man, whom media christened as Nairobi’s dumbest thief did exactly that four years ago in Nairobi. One Sunday morning his own feet led him to Shauri Moyo Police Station where he stole a 55 inches TV. But his lady luck was absent as hawk-eyed plain clothes police officers spotted the suspect who was with an accomplice sneaking out of the police station compound with the TV.  When the suspects were ordered to surrender, one of them drew a pistol and shot at the police. In the ensuing shootout, the suspect was killed as the accomplice escaped. The 55-inch TV and a homemade gun were recovered at the scene where the suspect only identified as Njoro was shot.

Tanzanian, Kenyan-based singer, Ten Ballz believes Kenya´s Gengetone music is fine, but the content is just a miss. The East African artist commented that artistes need to produce music they will be proud of 20 or so years down the line. The kind of legacy an artist and every other person leaves behind, is crucial and remains in history. I love speaking the truth and Gengetone is not a bad sound. However, the message might not be right. You need to do something that you´ll be praised for when you are alive and when you die, when you are young and old. Looking back, an artist needs to be proud of the music they produced which he believes Gengetone artistes are currently not thinking about. The kind of content should be the type that even one´s kids can listen to and still appreciate in future. Don´t do something that you´ll not be proud of when you are 50 years old. When you have family and kids, will you still be able to mention whatever you are mentioning now in your

Jemima Goldsmith  is convinced she's going to die of coronavirus because she's "so deeply unworried" by the killer illness. The film producer, 46, took to  Twitter  to alert fans about the disease, where she admitted she'll "definitely" be the first of her friends to die from the viral infection. Unbothered Jemima revealed she was feeling oblivious to the coronavirus as her thoughts hadn't crossed the illness. "I'm so deeply and vociferously unworried about coronavirus that I'm definitely going to be the first of my friend group to die of it," Jemima joked. But she sparked outrage amongst fans for making the joke about dying from the illness. One person wrote: "Why would you write something like this". Another quizzed: "Why? And how you can say & know that's". "Don't think like that U will survive," a third added. The joke comes after a dif

CONTROVERSY:  Prof Stephen Kiama. Image:   COURTESY Embattled University of Nairobi VC Stephen Kiama will continue serving in his position following a court decision. In January, Prof Kiama was appointed vice-chancellor but Education CS George Magoha revoked the appointment, forcing him to move to court. Yesterday, Employment and Labour Relations Court judge Maureen Onyango marked the case as settled after the CS withdrew the letter that revoked the appointment that was announced by council chairperson Julia Ojiambo in January. The decision came as a big relief to Kiama who had faced rejection from a section of the university staff shortly after the revocation letter was made public. Yesterday, lawyer Fred Ngatia, representing Kiama, told the court there was some development in the case as Magoha had sought to have the issue settled out of court. He added that a compromise had been reached between Kiama and Magoha. “The CS has agreed to withdraw and revoke the l

Chinese banks are taking extraordinary measures to avoid recognizing bad loans, seeking to shield themselves and cash-strapped borrowers from the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak. Some of the measures, which include rolling over loans to companies at risk of missing payment deadlines and relaxing guidelines on how to categorize overdue debt, have the explicit approval of regulators in  Beijing . Some lenders are also refraining from reporting delinquencies to the country’s centralized credit-scoring system and allowing borrowers to skip interest payments for as long as six months, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named discussing internal decisions. A man walks at a nearly empty shopping mall in Beijing on Febr. 27. Photographer: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images The moves will buy time for both Chinese companies and the nation’s  $41 trillion  banking industry, after the outbreak  brought  much of the world’s