British national jailed in Iran begins hunger strike: Family

Aryan Ashoori, Sherry Izadi and Elika Ashoori, the son, wife and daughter of Anoosheh Ashoori, a British man who has been jailed in Iran, stage an ’empty chair’ protest opposite Downing Street LONDON, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A British national held in Iran for four-and-a-half-years on spying charges vehemently denied…

Brazil: Rio vows to revitalise two crime-racked slums

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The governor of Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state announced plans on Saturday for massive investments aimed at revitalizing two long crime-infested slum districts. The announcement came just three days after 1,300 police swept through the Jacarezinho and Muzema favelas in a “reconquering” operation…

Covid-19: French vaccine pass opponents demonstrate

PARIS, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hundreds joined a series of small-scale demonstrations in France on Saturday two days before tighter restrictions come into force against people holding out against having a COVID-19 vaccine. Opponents of the policy say the reinforced measures will impinge upon daily “freedoms” and railed against what…

Russian and UK defence ministers to meet over Ukraine

  LONDON, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has accepted an invitation to meet his British counterpart Ben Wallace to discuss the crisis on the Russia-Ukraine border, a senior UK defence source said.    “The Defence Secretary is glad that Russia has accepted the invitation to talk with his counterpart,”…

Covid-19: Italy reports 171,263 cases, 333 deaths

ROME, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Italy reported 171,263 Covid-19 related cases on Saturday, against 179,106 the day before, the health ministry said, while the number of one-day deaths fell to 333 from 373. Italy has registered 143,296 deaths linked to Covid-19 since its outbreak emerged in February 2020, the second-highest…

US: Lab monkeys escape after road crash, one on the loose

HARRISBURG (Pennsylvania, US), Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The crash in Pennsylvania of a truck transporting 100 monkeys to a laboratory allowed four of them to escape, triggering a search by police who warned the public not to approach the animals. The vehicle collided with a dump truck near Danville, Pennsylvania…

UK lawmaker says she was sacked from ministerial job for her ‘Muslimness’

British MP Nusrat Ghani said her Conservative Party fired her from a ministerial job because of her Muslim faith LONDON, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A British lawmaker has said she was fired from a ministerial job in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government partly because her Muslim faith was making…

Covid-19: Kenya administers 114,007 booster jabs

NAIROBI, Jan 23 (NNN-KBC) — Kenya has so far administered 114,007 Covid-19 vaccine booster doses since rolling out the administration of booster jabs in late December. The health ministry listed AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer vaccines as the vaccines to be administered as boosters. So far a total of 11,522,950 vaccines…

Five people perish in Kajiado accident

NAIROBI, Jan 23 (NNN-KBC) — Five people died and three others were injured after they were involved in a road accident along the Namanga-Kajiado highway. The Saturday accident involved a head-on collision between a Probox and a salon car. The driver of the salon car, which was headed to Namanga,…

Kenya ready for Aug 9 polls despite tight budget-IEBC

NAIROBI, Jan 23 (NNN-KBC) — Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) says it is ready to conduct the Aug 9 general election though under a tight budget and urged all eligible Kenyans to register as voters before the Feb 6 deadline. IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati told Kenyans that they…