President Yahya Jammeh shocked many when he appeared to gracefully accept defeat in the Gambian presidential election.
So few were surprised when he changed his mind days later. Here are some examples of the veteran leader's famously unpredictable behaviour.
Friday, December 16, 2016
Bird flu confirmed in turkeys at Lincolnshire farm
An outbreak of bird flu has been confirmed in turkeys at a farm near Louth in Lincolnshire.
More than 5,000 birds have been affected with the H5N8 strain of the disease.
A 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone is now in place around the farm to prevent the disease spreading.
Most of the birds at the site have died and officials say the rest will be culled.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed the outbreak and said the disease has been affecting animals across Europe.
Chief Veterinary Officer Nigel Gibbens said immediate steps had been taken to stop the spread and reassure the public.
"Public Health England (PHE) has confirmed that the risk to public health is very low and the Food Standards Agency has said that bird flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers," he said.
PHE said Avian flu was "primarily a disease of birds", and there have never been any recorded cases of H5N8 in humans.
A "prevention zone" was set up across England, Scotland and Wales last week after a virulent strain of the virus was picked up in Europe.
All poultry and captive bird keepers were advised to house their birds.
Defra said theses measures remain in place and advised people to report any suspected cases.
A detailed investigation is in progress to determine the most likely source of the outbreak.
The most recent previous case of avian influenza confirmed in the UK was at a poultry farm in Dunfermline on 13 January 2016.
The outbreak is not expected to have any impact on the supplies of turkeys or other birds over Christmas.
More than 5,000 birds have been affected with the H5N8 strain of the disease.
A 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone is now in place around the farm to prevent the disease spreading.
Most of the birds at the site have died and officials say the rest will be culled.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed the outbreak and said the disease has been affecting animals across Europe.
Chief Veterinary Officer Nigel Gibbens said immediate steps had been taken to stop the spread and reassure the public.
"Public Health England (PHE) has confirmed that the risk to public health is very low and the Food Standards Agency has said that bird flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers," he said.
PHE said Avian flu was "primarily a disease of birds", and there have never been any recorded cases of H5N8 in humans.
A "prevention zone" was set up across England, Scotland and Wales last week after a virulent strain of the virus was picked up in Europe.
All poultry and captive bird keepers were advised to house their birds.
Defra said theses measures remain in place and advised people to report any suspected cases.
A detailed investigation is in progress to determine the most likely source of the outbreak.
The most recent previous case of avian influenza confirmed in the UK was at a poultry farm in Dunfermline on 13 January 2016.
The outbreak is not expected to have any impact on the supplies of turkeys or other birds over Christmas.
Staff at 18 airports to strike before Christmas
More than 1,500 check-in staff, baggage handlers and cargo crew at 18 airports will strike for 48 hours from 23 December.
Members of Unite employed by Swissport will walk out on December 23 and 24 in a long-running dispute over pay.
The airports affected are Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Doncaster, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, Leeds/Bradford, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle, Southampton and Stansted.
Unite national officer Oliver Richardson said: "We appreciate that this is a very busy time of year at the UK's airports.
"That's why we are calling for the company to engage in constructive talks under the auspices of Acas to resolve this dispute.
"Unite's door is open 24/7 for such talks.
"Our members are only taking this industrial action as a last resort in a bid to reach a fair settlement.
"Our members have not had a pay rise since 2014."
Unite members voted by 62.5% to reject a 4.65% three-year pay deal for 2015-2017.
The union said the pay deal barely kept pace with inflation.
The staff were also said to be angry that detrimental changes to terms and conditions have been linked to the pay deal.
The changes include freezing overtime payments for the foreseeable future and restructuring pay.
The strike was announced shortly after Virgin Atlantic pilots voted to take industrial action over union recognition.
They will work "strictly to contract", also from 23 December.
Their union, the PPU union, said 88% of its members voted in favour on a turnout of 80%.
The action will see a removal of "pilot goodwill", with pilots who are members of the PPU working strictly to their contract.
Members of Unite employed by Swissport will walk out on December 23 and 24 in a long-running dispute over pay.
The airports affected are Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Doncaster, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, Leeds/Bradford, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle, Southampton and Stansted.
Unite national officer Oliver Richardson said: "We appreciate that this is a very busy time of year at the UK's airports.
"That's why we are calling for the company to engage in constructive talks under the auspices of Acas to resolve this dispute.
"Unite's door is open 24/7 for such talks.
"Our members are only taking this industrial action as a last resort in a bid to reach a fair settlement.
"Our members have not had a pay rise since 2014."
Unite members voted by 62.5% to reject a 4.65% three-year pay deal for 2015-2017.
The union said the pay deal barely kept pace with inflation.
The staff were also said to be angry that detrimental changes to terms and conditions have been linked to the pay deal.
The changes include freezing overtime payments for the foreseeable future and restructuring pay.
The strike was announced shortly after Virgin Atlantic pilots voted to take industrial action over union recognition.
They will work "strictly to contract", also from 23 December.
Their union, the PPU union, said 88% of its members voted in favour on a turnout of 80%.
The action will see a removal of "pilot goodwill", with pilots who are members of the PPU working strictly to their contract.
Russian reality show to allow 'murder, rape, anything'
A new Russian reality TV show set in the -40C Siberian wilderness will "allow rape and murder", its adverts boast.
Game 2: Winter, described as the "ultimate survival test", sets 30 male and female contestants against each other and the elements for nine months.
It will be streamed online around the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"Each contestant gives consent that they could be maimed, even killed," reads the advert. "Two thousand cameras, 900 hectares and 30 lives.
"Everything is allowed: fighting, alcohol, murder, rape, smoking, anything."
Game 2 has been created by 35-year-old Russian entrepreneur Yevgeny Pyatkovsky.
In an interview with the Siberian Times, he said "any claim of participants even if they were to be killed or raped" would be refused.
"We will have nothing to do with this," he said. "This will be spelt out in a document to be signed by the participant before the start of the show."
However, Mr Pyatokvsky warned contestants that Russian laws still apply, and contestants who commit a crime could face jail time.
The show's prize money has been set at 100m rubles (£1.3m).
Rules of the game stipulate the contestants must be over 18 and "mentally sane".
People from all over the world will be allowed to participate and the show will be streamed in English, French, German, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic.
Contestants will receive training to survive in Siberian territory but no more than 100kg of equipment will be permitted, and no firearms are allowed.
"The show will absolutely extreme, there are no exceptions," Mr Pyatkovsky said. "There will be no doctors with the participants.
"If someone gets sick, wounded and realise that he or she cannot pass the test, then the participant will quit the game forever."
Game 2: Winter, described as the "ultimate survival test", sets 30 male and female contestants against each other and the elements for nine months.
It will be streamed online around the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"Each contestant gives consent that they could be maimed, even killed," reads the advert. "Two thousand cameras, 900 hectares and 30 lives.
"Everything is allowed: fighting, alcohol, murder, rape, smoking, anything."
Game 2 has been created by 35-year-old Russian entrepreneur Yevgeny Pyatkovsky.
In an interview with the Siberian Times, he said "any claim of participants even if they were to be killed or raped" would be refused.
"We will have nothing to do with this," he said. "This will be spelt out in a document to be signed by the participant before the start of the show."
However, Mr Pyatokvsky warned contestants that Russian laws still apply, and contestants who commit a crime could face jail time.
The show's prize money has been set at 100m rubles (£1.3m).
Rules of the game stipulate the contestants must be over 18 and "mentally sane".
People from all over the world will be allowed to participate and the show will be streamed in English, French, German, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic.
Contestants will receive training to survive in Siberian territory but no more than 100kg of equipment will be permitted, and no firearms are allowed.
"The show will absolutely extreme, there are no exceptions," Mr Pyatkovsky said. "There will be no doctors with the participants.
"If someone gets sick, wounded and realise that he or she cannot pass the test, then the participant will quit the game forever."
Obama vows action against Russia over election hacks
US President Barack Obama has vowed to take action against Russia for its alleged interference in the US presidential election campaign.
"We need to take action and we will," he told US public radio network NPR.
Russia stands accused by the US of hacking the emails of the Democratic Party and a key Hillary Clinton aide, which the Kremlin strongly denies.
The accusations, without evidence, are "unseemly", Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said.
Republican president-elect Donald Trump has also dismissed the claim as "ridiculous" and politically motivated.
The intelligence agencies say they have overwhelming evidence that Russian hackers linked to the Kremlin were behind the hacks.
And on Thursday, a White House spokesman said President Vladimir Putin was involved in the cyber-attacks.
Hours later, Mr Obama said: "I think there's no doubt that when any foreign government tries to impact on the integrity of our elections, that we need to take action and we will, at a time and a place of our own choosing.
"Some of it may be explicit and publicised. Some of it may not be.
"Mr Putin is well aware of my feelings about this, because I spoke to him directly about it."
It is not clear what action the US intends to take, with Mr Obama leaving office on 20 January.
The disclosure of emails was embarrassing to the Democratic Party at a crucial point in the election campaign.
Hacking: Truth or treason?
How would a thawing US-Russia relationship work?
The CIA has concluded that Russia's motivation was to sway the election in favour of Mr Trump, but no evidence has been made public.
What was in hacked emails?
More than 19,000 internal Democratic National Committee emails, published by WikiLeaks on 22 July, appeared to show party officials tried to thwart the campaign of Mrs Clinton's rival, Bernie Sanders. The row prompted the resignation of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the party's chair, shortly before the Democratic National Convention
WikiLeaks published swathes of emails in October and November from the account of Mrs Clinton's campaign boss, John Podesta
Among the most damaging revelations were suggestions that donors to the Clinton Foundation gained special access to former President Bill Clinton, and that Mrs Clinton had maintained a closer relationship with Wall Street bankers that she admitted on the campaign trail
The emails also revealed squabbling within the Democratic Party, with Mr Podesta complaining about Mrs Clinton's "terrible instincts"
18 revelations from Wikileaks emails
Mr Trump has accused the Democrats of fabricating Russian involvement to hide their embarrassment at the election defeat.
He has also long expressed admiration for Mr Putin, and his pick for secretary of state - oil tycoon Rex Tillerson, who has worked closely with the Russian leader - has raised concerns.
Mr Trump tweeted on Thursday: "If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House wait so long to act? Why did they only complain after Hillary lost?"
However, the Obama administration in October directly accused Russia of hacking US political sites and email accounts with the aim of interfering with the upcoming election.
The president-elect has been assembling his new administration and on Thursday he said he would pick lawyer David Friedman to be his ambassador to Israel.
The Russian president's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, dismissed the claims of Mr Putin's involvement as "laughable nonsense" on Thursday.
And on Friday, he said: "They should either stop talking about it or provide, at last, some evidence. Otherwise, it all looks rather unseemly," according to RIA Novosti.
A headache for Trump - Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington
Democrats have struggled to grasp why Hillary Clinton lost. Could it be the spread of "fake news"? A poor Democratic ground game in Midwestern states? FBI Director James Comey's last-minute letter to Congress about new Clinton emails?
Anything but acknowledge that Donald Trump turned out to be the more effective candidate with a more appealing message (at least in the states that mattered).
Russian government hackers are the latest culprit - or scapegoat, depending on one's perspective. They're a tempting target, however, given the latest accounts of intrigue from intelligence community sources. A wily Vladimir Putin overseeing damaging leaks makes for a deliciously villainous plot.
Of course those campaign emails, while certainly an annoyance to Democrats, likely weren't enough to tilt the election. But that doesn't mean these revelations won't be a headache for a president-elect who bristles when challenged.
Now he's feuding with his own intelligence services and lashing out on Twitter, virtually guaranteeing more leaks. A congressional investigation seems likely. There's even talk of a Russian sanctions bill ending up on President Trump's desk.
Mrs Clinton's loss still stings, but for forlorn Democrats seeing Mr Trump squirm would be a salve for open wounds.
More on Trump and Russia
Why Trump strikes a chord with Russians
Are there any Trump links to Putin?
Why US fears Russia is hacking election
Russia's Putin calls Trump 'a clever man'
EDF Energy customers face first bill hike in three years as power costs rise
Customers of Big Six energy provider EDF are facing the first hike in standard dual fuel bills for more than three years after a rise in the cost of electricity.
Bills are set to rise by 1.2%, or £13, to a typical £1,082 when the changes take effect next year, EDF Energy said.
The French-owned energy firm is cutting its standard gas tariff by 5.2% from 6 January but hiking electricity prices by 8.4% from 1 March.
EDF said: "Electricity costs have been rising for some time, but gas prices are not facing the same pressures.
"The company believes it is right that prices reflect this."
It also said customers could choose to switch to its cheapest fixed price deal, at a typical £967.
Meanwhile, about 200,000 prepayment customers will see a 12.9% cut in gas tariffs from 6 January ahead of a price cap on these types of energy charges due to be introduced in April.
EDF's announcement comes after British Gas, the UK's biggest energy provider, said it would freeze tariffs until March while rivals SSE and E.ON said they would hold prices until April.
The 1.2% rise in bills matches the latest official figure for UK inflation, though EDF said it was lower than the rate forecast for next year.
EDF supplies gas and electricity to more than five million customer accounts. It said 1.5 million would not be affected by the price changes as they are on fixed tariffs.
Beatrice Bigois, managing director for customers at EDF Energy, said: "We want to help loyal customers by cutting gas prices ahead of the coldest winter months, and delaying electricity increases until later in the year.
"This will save customers money this winter.
"We are being open about the fact our electricity prices will go up after our price freeze.
"But we also know it is right to pass on to loyal customers the fall in gas costs that energy suppliers have seen over recent months."
Britain's Big Six energy suppliers have been under pressure to treat loyal customers on standard tariffs fairly.
A recent report accused them of overcharging households and making six times as much profit as they admitted to - claims rejected by the industry.
Bills are set to rise by 1.2%, or £13, to a typical £1,082 when the changes take effect next year, EDF Energy said.
The French-owned energy firm is cutting its standard gas tariff by 5.2% from 6 January but hiking electricity prices by 8.4% from 1 March.
EDF said: "Electricity costs have been rising for some time, but gas prices are not facing the same pressures.
"The company believes it is right that prices reflect this."
It also said customers could choose to switch to its cheapest fixed price deal, at a typical £967.
Meanwhile, about 200,000 prepayment customers will see a 12.9% cut in gas tariffs from 6 January ahead of a price cap on these types of energy charges due to be introduced in April.
EDF's announcement comes after British Gas, the UK's biggest energy provider, said it would freeze tariffs until March while rivals SSE and E.ON said they would hold prices until April.
The 1.2% rise in bills matches the latest official figure for UK inflation, though EDF said it was lower than the rate forecast for next year.
EDF supplies gas and electricity to more than five million customer accounts. It said 1.5 million would not be affected by the price changes as they are on fixed tariffs.
Beatrice Bigois, managing director for customers at EDF Energy, said: "We want to help loyal customers by cutting gas prices ahead of the coldest winter months, and delaying electricity increases until later in the year.
"This will save customers money this winter.
"We are being open about the fact our electricity prices will go up after our price freeze.
"But we also know it is right to pass on to loyal customers the fall in gas costs that energy suppliers have seen over recent months."
Britain's Big Six energy suppliers have been under pressure to treat loyal customers on standard tariffs fairly.
A recent report accused them of overcharging households and making six times as much profit as they admitted to - claims rejected by the industry.
UN 'cancels Gambia army chief visit'
A diplomatic source has told the BBC that the UN has cancelled the head of the Gambian army's visit to Gambian peacekeepers serving with the UN mission in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Gambian soldiers this week occupied the Gambian election commission's headquarters in an apparent show of loyalty to the outgoing president, Yahya Jammeh, who has reneged on his initial promise to accept the result of this month's election.
BBC World Service Africa editor James Copnall says that by cancelling General Ousman Badjie's visit to Sudan, the UN is putting pressure on the military to not side with President Jammeh and to allow the man announced as the winner, Adama Barrow, to be sworn in as president.
Mr Jammeh is believed to retain the support of key members of the security forces, apparently including Gen Badjie, who arrived at a meeting with West African leaders on Tuesday wearing a badge bearing Mr Jammeh's face.
Human Rights Watch has urged the army not to launch a crackdown on the opposition and its supporters, saying the military must put human rights above loyalty to Mr Jammeh.
Gambian soldiers this week occupied the Gambian election commission's headquarters in an apparent show of loyalty to the outgoing president, Yahya Jammeh, who has reneged on his initial promise to accept the result of this month's election.
BBC World Service Africa editor James Copnall says that by cancelling General Ousman Badjie's visit to Sudan, the UN is putting pressure on the military to not side with President Jammeh and to allow the man announced as the winner, Adama Barrow, to be sworn in as president.
Mr Jammeh is believed to retain the support of key members of the security forces, apparently including Gen Badjie, who arrived at a meeting with West African leaders on Tuesday wearing a badge bearing Mr Jammeh's face.
Human Rights Watch has urged the army not to launch a crackdown on the opposition and its supporters, saying the military must put human rights above loyalty to Mr Jammeh.
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