China flies nuclear-capable bomber in South China Sea after Trump Taiwan call, US officials say

China flew a long-range nuclear-capable bomber outside China for the first time since President-elect Donald Trump spoke with the president of Taiwan, two US officials told Fox News.

The dramatic show of force was meant to send a message to the new administration, according to the officials.

Even more concerning for the Pentagon, China has been seen by American intelligence satellites preparing to ship more advanced surface-to-air missiles to its contested islands in the South China Sea.

Trump's call with Taiwan's President Tsai ling-wen broke decades- long protocol after American leaders stopped communicating directly with the Taiwan president in 1979, when diplomatic ties were severed and the United States shifted to a new "one-China" policy. China protested Trump's call with President Tsai.

MANILA SAYS WILL NOT HELP US ON PATROLS IN SOUTH CHINA SEA

The Chinese H-6 bomber flew along the disputed "Nine-Dash line" Thursday, which surrounds the South China Sea and dozens of disputed Chinese islands, many claimed by other countries in the region.

The Pentagon was alerted to the Chinese flight Friday. It was the first long-range flight of a Chinese bomber along the U-shaped line of demarcation since March 2015, according to the officials.

Over the summer, Chinese bombers flew over the South China Sea and the contested islands, but they did not fly nearly as far as this one, the officials said.

At various points in recent long-range flights, Chinese fighter jets provided escorts to the single Chinese bomber.

In recent days, U.S. intelligence satellites have spotted components for the Chinese version of the SA-21 surface-to-air missile system at the port of Jieyang, in southeast China, where officials say China has made similar military shipments in the past to its islands in the South China Sea.

TRUMP'S TAIWAN CALL, TWEETS POINT TO FLASHPOINTS WITH CHINA

In February, Fox News first reported that China had deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system, the HQ-9, to Woody Island, a contested island in the Paracel Island chain in the South China Sea, also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.

The HQ-9 is based on the Russian S-300 missile system and has a range of roughly 125 miles.

The Chinese SA-21 system, based on the more advanced Russian S-400, is a more capable missile system than the HQ-9.

Depending on the types of missiles used, it could extend the range up to 250 miles and target not only aircraft, but ballistic missiles as well.

The head of the U.S. military's Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris has repeatedly warned in the past year about China's continued military build-up or "militarization" of the South China Sea.

In October, a US Navy destroyer sailed close to Woody Island in what the Pentagon calls a "freedom of navigation" operation. The Chinese called the act "provocative." It was the fourth such operation by the U.S. Navy in the past year.

China has constructed over 3,000 acres of land atop reefs in the South China Sea in the past few years. It now has three runways and has sent bombers and fighter jets to a number of them.

TRUMP REMAINS ON DEFENSIVE AFTER CALL WITH TAIWAN PRESIDENT

In August, satellite photos appeared to show China making progress on at least two dozen hardened concrete hangers in order to land Chinese bombers and fighter jets as well as in-flight refueling planes, greatly expanding the reach of the Chinese military.

The photos were collected and studied by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think-tank. They showed the construction on China's man-made islands at Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief reefs.





Lucas Tomlinson is the Pentagon and State Department producer for Fox News Channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @LucasFoxNews

China 'blocks' Mongolia border after Dalai Lama visit

Mongolia says China has closed a key border crossing, creating huge congestion, nearly a week after the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, visited the country.

Hundreds of truck drivers for the mining conglomerate Rio Tinto are stuck at the Gants Mod crossing in southeastern Mongolia in freezing temperatures.

Footage shows a long line of trucks on the Mongolian side of the border waiting to cross.

"Mongolia says these drivers spend hours, and in some cases days, waiting in the cold," Al Jazeera’s Adrian Brown, reporting from Beijing, said on Saturday. "Temperatures at night that can drop to minus 20 degrees Celsius."

Rio Tinto, which operates vast copper and gold mines, has now suspended shipment to China of copper concentrate.

The Dalai Lama is cherished as a spiritual leader in predominantly Buddhist Mongolia, but is considered a separatist in China for supporting a long drawn-out campaign for independence for Tibet.

Beijing has been campaigning for a diplomatic boycott of the Dalai Lama since 1959, when he escaped to India and formed a government-in-exile. The Dalai Lama retired from political life in 2011.

Gambia's ruler refuses to step down despite losing election to former Argos security guard

Gambia's long-time leader has declared he no longer accepts the outcome of last week's election which he lost to a former Argos security guard.

Defeated president Yahya Jammeh, who had previously vowed to rule for "a billion years", claimed a "thorough investigation" had revealed voting irregularities and demanded fresh elections.

Nigeria: Suicide attacks kill dozens in Madagali

Two schoolgirl suicide bombers killed 45 people and wounded dozens in a coordinated attack on a crowded market in the northeastern Nigerian town of Madagali, an army spokesman said.

"From our updated records we have 45 dead and 33 injured in the twin suicide bomb explosions in Madagali," said Sa'ad Bello of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Adamawa state.

Friday's attack on Madagali, which was recaptured by Nigerian forces from Boko Haram fighters in 2015, was carried out by two female school children, according to officials.

Ahmadu Gulak, a driver who was buying tea at the market, said the two blasts struck simultaneously on Friday morning at opposite ends of a grains and vegetable market. He saw many wounded taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance.

"The two bombers were disguised as customers, detonated their suicide belts at the section of the market selling grains and second-hand clothing," said Yusuf Muhammad, the chairman of Madagali local government.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the blasts bore all the hallmarks of Boko Haram, which has carried out numerous suicide attacks in its seven-year campaign against the Nigerian government in the troubled region.

CIA probe 'finds Russia tried to sway US election in Trump's favour'

A secret CIA assessment has found that Russia tried to tip last month's US presidential election in Donald Trump's favour, according to reports.

President Barack Obama ordered a review of all cyberattacks during the 2016 election cycle, amid growing calls by Congress on the extent of Russian interference in the process.

The Washington Post on Friday, citing an official, reported that individuals with connections to Moscow provided website WikiLeaks with emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign chief and others.

Those emails were steadily released through WikiLeaks in the months before the election and damaged Mrs Clinton's campaign.

The newspaper reported that the aim was to help Mr Trump win, not just to undermine the US election process.

The official was quoted as saying: "It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia's goal here was to favour one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected."

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has denied links with Russia's government.

White House deputy press secretary Eric Schultz said Mr Obama had called for the cyberattack review this week to ensure "the integrity of our elections".

He said: "This report will dig into this pattern of malicious cyberactivity timed to our elections, take stock of our defensive capabilities and capture lessons learned to make sure that we brief members of Congress and stakeholders as appropriate."

The US President wants the report to be completed by his term ends on 20 January.

The Democratic party has put pressure on the White House to reveal details of Russian hacking in the election.

On 7 October - a month before the election - the Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence announced that "the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of emails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organisations".

Mr Trump's campaign team hit back at the CIA assessment, claiming "these are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction".

His transition team added: "The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history. It's now time to move on and 'Make America Great Again'."

Ghana: Akufo-Addo wins presidential election

Ghana's main opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo won the country's national election, defeating President John Mahama, electoral commissioner Charlotte Osei said.

Crowds of jubilant supporters gathered outside the house of the 72-year-old New Patriotic Party (NPP) leader, who had already claimed victory on Thursday, a day after the voting took place.

Akufo-Addo defeated President Mahama by 53.8 percent to 44.4 percent, Osei said.

"It is my duty and my privilege to declare Nana Akufo-Addo as the president elect of Ghana," she told a news conference in the capital, Accra, on Friday.

Prior to Osei's announcement, Akufo-Addo said on Twitter that Mahama called him "congratulating me on winning the 2016 presidential election".

"I make this solemn pledge to you tonight: I will not let you down. I will do all in my power to live up to your hopes and expectations," Akufo-Addo told supporters in front of his residence.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Akufo-Addo explained what he believed to be the hopes and expectations of Ghanians: "The expectations they have of me, that I'm gonna bring them a new government, a new style; a government of honesty, a government that is concerned about the welfare of our people - that basic commitment is the one I am determined to fulfill."

Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque, reporting from Accra, described the campaign as "bitterly fought".

"This is the moment so many people had been waiting for here at Akufo-Addo's house since the end of the voting," he said.

"It's been a long wait, especially with the delay by the election commission. Their systems broke down and they had to fax through polling sheets from 29,000 stations."

Earlier, Mahama had appealed for calm and told his supporters he would respect the outcome of the vote whether he won or lost, in comments aimed at defusing tension ahead of the release of official results of the vote.

"I want to assure the nation that we will respect the outcome of the election, positive or negative, and so let us just be calm," he told supporters gathered outside his house.

Mahama, who came to power in 2012 after beating Akufo-Addo, urged voters to "stay the course", promising to deliver more infrastructure projects.

Akufo-Addo was making his third bid for the top job.

Ghana's elections have been historically close, with Mahama narrowly winning against Akufo-Addo in 2012 with 50.7 percent. Akufo-Addo unsuccessfully challenged Mahama's victory in the courts.

Ghana is the world's second biggest producer of cocoa after Ivory Coast and Africa's second biggest gold producer after South Africa.

But it was forced to turn to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2015 for a bailout as global commodity prices tanked.

Gambia's Jammeh rejects result of presidential election

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has said that he rejects the outcome of last week's election that he lost to opposition leader Adama Barrow, only days after he conceded defeat to him in a public address.

The fresh announcement he made on state television on Friday throws the future of the West African country into doubt after the unexpected election results ended Jammeh's 22-year rule.

Jammeh had conceded defeat on state TV last week, prompting wild celebrations over the ending of a government that human-rights groups accused of detaining, torturing and killing opponents.

"After a thorough investigation, I have decided to reject the outcome of the recent election. I lament serious and unacceptable abnormalities which have reportedly transpired during the electoral process," Jammeh said, changing his position on the election results.

"I recommend fresh and transparent elections which will be officiated by a god-fearing and independent electoral commission," he said.

Jammeh's announcement presents an unexpected and severe challenge to the incoming Barrow administration, which was already grappling with how to take the reins of power and deal with the army that for two decades was loyal to the president.

Latest official figures gave Barrow 43.29 percent of the votes in the presidential election, while Jammeh took 39.64 percent. The turnout was at 59 percent.
Gambians worried

Soldiers were seen placing sandbags in strategic locations across the capital Banjul on Friday, a development that triggered widespread unease among the already-spooked population, who had been panic-buying food before the vote due to fear of unrest.

Witnesses told the Reuters news agency that Banjul was quiet overnight, and that there was particular nervousness about the president's statement that he would deal harshly with any troublemakers who took to the streets.

Opposition spokeswoman Isatou Touray criticised on social media a "violation of democracy" and called for people to "remain calm, lucid, vigilant and not retreat."

The US state department said in a statement that Jammeh's rejection of the results was an egregious attempt to undermine a credible election and remain illegitimately in power.

Senegal's Foreign Minister, Mankeur Ndiaye, called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and "solemnly" warned Jammeh not to harm Senegal's interests or its citizens in Gambia.

Senegal, which has Gambia's only land border and entirely surrounds the small riverside country, is a non-permanent member of the Security Council. Its army intervened in Gambia in 1981 during a coup.