In Challenge of Results, Gambia's Jammeh Says Only 'Allah' Can Deprive Him of Victory

Gambia's longtime president Yahya Jammeh says only “almighty Allah” can deprive him of victory as he seeks to overturn the results of this month's presidential election.

Opposition candidate Adama Barrow beat Jammeh in the December 1 election. Jammeh graciously conceded defeat at first, but now contends there were voter irregularities, and he has asked the Supreme Court to overturn the results of the vote.

Gunman Shouted 'Don't Forget Syria' After Shooting Russian Ambassador to Turkey

A gunman who shot and killed the Russian ambassador to Turkey on Monday shouted in the immediate aftermath of the shooting for attention to be paid to Syria and the besieged city of Aleppo.

Video of the incident showed the gunman, 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, yelling "God is greatest" in Arabic over the fallen Russian ambassador, Andrey Karlov, at the Museum of Modern Art in Ankara, Turkey.

"Don’t forget Aleppo. Don't forget Syria. Don't forget Aleppo. Don't forget Syria," the gunman also yelled in Turkish. "Until these places are safe, you will not taste any safety either."

Altintas was a member of the riot police in Ankara, and used his police ID card to enter the building before the shooting, according to Interior Ministry sources.

Russian Diplomat Assassinated on Camera in Turkey

Russia's ambassador to Turkey was shot dead today when a lone gunman fired at him at a photo exhibition in Ankara, Turkey's capital, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman confirmed to ABC News. The attack was caught on camera.

Andrey Karlov, the ambassador, died from his wounds, she said, adding that Russia was calling the shooting a terrorist attack.

“Don’t forget Aleppo, don’t forget Syria. Don’t forget Aleppo, don’t forget Syria," the gunman yelled in Turkish during the attack. "Until these places are safe you will not taste any safety either.”

Images of the gunman, who has been identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas, show a thin man with dark hair gripping his pistol tightly with both hands.

Altintas, 22, was a member of the riot police in Ankara, which enabled him to enter the building through the use of his police ID card, according to Interior Ministry sources.

Dangote more powerful than Trump’s VP-elect – Forbes

ON ITS 74-PERSON list of most powerful people in a world of 7.4 billion people, Forbes rated President Vladimir Putin of Russia as the most powerful person alive. Putin was followed by Donald Trump, US president elect, and Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, who came in at the second and third spot.

Truck drivers block Abuja-Lokoja road over new tax regime

TRUCK drivers protesting a tax hike for vehicles plying through Kogi State, especially on the Abuja-Lokoja-Okene road blocked the highway at NATACO end of the capital city, causing gridlock and disruption of vehicular movement.
The road which serves as a major link between travellers from the north and south was blocked for about eight hours. Many vehicles were forced to stop because of the protest, as the drivers blocked the road at both sides with their vehicles.

West African leaders press Gambia's Jammeh to quit

BANJUL (Reuters) - Nigeria said on Tuesday Gambia's veteran ruler seemed receptive to a message from West African leaders that he accept his election defeat and step down, even as Gambian soldiers took over the offices of the electoral commission.

Yahya Jammeh, who seized power in a coup in 1994 and has earned a reputation as a repressive leader, has refused to proceed with a handover of power despite initially conceding his loss to opponent Adama Barrow in the election on Dec. 1.

Nigerian Church Collapses, 160 Dead, Says Hospital Director

Mortuaries overflowed with bodies Sunday from a church collapse in southern Nigeria that killed at least 160 people, and worshippers said construction of the building had been rushed.

Hundreds had been inside the Reigners Bible Church International in the city of Uyo on Saturday for the consecration of founder Akan Weeks as its bishop when the metal girders fell and the corrugated iron roof caved in.

Screaming survivors streamed out amid cries from the injured inside.

"There were trapped bodies, parts of bodies, blood all over the place and people's handbags and shoes scattered," said computer analyst Ukeme Eyibio.

Officials feared the death toll could rise.

Weeks and Akwa Ibom state Gov. Udom Emmanuel were among the survivors.

Bomb blast kills dozens at Cairo Coptic church

A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt’s main Coptic Christian cathedral killed 25 people and wounded another 49 during Sunday Mass, one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory and a grim reminder of Egypt’s difficult struggle to restore security and stability after nearly six years of turmoil.

A Small African Country Just Put the United States to Shame

 you want a cause for celebration in this most dismal and eccentric of political years, look to The Gambia, the small African nation whose attachment to its definite article has made it beloved to pub trivia teams all over the world. Over the weekend, the voters of The Gambia ousted Yahyeh Jammah, the vicious crackpot of a strongman who'd been the country's president for 22 years, electing in his place Adama Barrow, an unassuming businessman who once worked as a security guard at a London department store.
The departed Mr. Jammah—who, as near as we can tell, beat feet for the border as soon as the results rolled in, but who may yet strand trial for his crimes—was a notable loon. He claimed that he could cure AIDS with prayer and some herbs. He was at the forefront of the group of African leaders who persecuted the members of their gay communities, not to mention his political enemies and inconvenient journalists. He has been on the watch list of international human rights groups for some time now, as you can see from this Times story from 2009.

Michael Jordan wins trademark case allowing him rights to his Chinese name

The top court in China has ruled in favour of former Chicago Bulls player Michael Jordan, allowing him the rights to the Chinese version of his name. The verdict, which was issued on 8 December, was in regards to a case the basketball legend was fighting against a local sportswear brand.

Chapecoense air crash: Colombia plane 'ran out of fuel'

Colombian authorities say evidence is growing that a plane carrying a Brazilian football team crashed because it ran out of fuel as it tried to land.

The plane had no fuel on impact, an official said, corroborating audio of the pilot asking to land because of a fuel shortage and electric failure.

The capital Bogota was mentioned on the flight plan as a possible refuelling stop, but the plane did not land there.