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Close to 100 people were on board the Bek Air plane, which came down after take-off near Almaty.

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It led to the evacuation of more than 58,000 people and stranded thousands over the holiday period.

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One hundred people were on board the Bek Air plane, which struck a building in Almaty.

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Shannon Lee alleges popular restaurant Real Kungfu has used her father's image without permission.

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Crews are bracing for another dangerous period as calls grow for volunteer firefighters to be paid.

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A political crisis is roiling Iraq, as protesters remain on the streets despite a rising death toll.

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Once dubbed the ashtray of Europe, Austria has finally banned smoking in restaurants, bars and cafes.

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Young, mostly female, wannabe stars are trained for a booming industry worth billions of dollars.

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An armed takeover of the Grand Mosque in Mecca put a halt to the modernisation of Saudi society.

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Scientists in the Seychelles have started the world's first large scale coral reef restoration project.

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Here are the women on the continent who've been shaking the table this year.

Abdullahi Bello Bodejo, President of the Miyetti Allah Association, addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.

Zonal Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria, Gidado Siddiki, has said that Islam as a religion encourages peaceful co-existence of people regardless of their faith.

He said, “While thanking God for His mercies on this day, we immensely appreciate the governors of the five South-East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo for the bold expressions of their belief in one Nigeria.

“We also appreciate the governors for individually and collectively accommodating our members in their states and for listening to them, particularly at very trying moments this year when the unruly activities of criminals tended to lead to a blanket demonisation of herdsmen.”

Siddiki asked members and other Muslims to extend Christmas greetings to Christians in their host communities and to always maintain cordial relationship with them.

He said identifying with non-Muslims during their ceremonies was in keeping with the noble ideals and teaching of Prophet Muhammed.

He added, “Islam has acknowledged the principle of peaceful coexistence with all people, regardless of their faith. Islam instructs Muslims all over the world to love their neighbours.”

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The United Nations has called on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government of Nigeria to take action to prevent further killing of citizens by terrorist groups in the country.

The UN said it was deeply concerned about reports that civilians have been executed and others abducted by an armed group in Borno State and other parts of the country.

Antonio José Canhandula, Acting UN Humanitarian Coordinator, said that aid workers in the region have condemned the incidents and what he described as “the increasing practice” by armed groups of setting up checkpoints targeting civilians. 

“It is urgent for the Nigerian authorities to do their utmost to prevent further violence and brutality and to protect the civilian population, including aid workers, from such grave violations of international laws, especially women and children who are among the most vulnerable and are caught up in the violence,” he said.

Similarly, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary-General in a statement said the Nigerian Government must hold those involved in the abduction and killings accountable.

Dujarric said, “Those responsible for these atrocities must be held accountable.

"International human rights must be fully respected, and all civilians in Nigeria must be protected.”

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General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Daniel Olukoya, has disputed December 25 as date of the birth of Jesus Christ.

The pastor, whose church does not celebrate Christmas, said the birth of Jesus Christ could be in April or May according to biblical accounts. 

He said there was nowhere in the bible where Christmas was mentioned or that says Jesus was born on December 25. 

He said, “If you really study the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, there is no word like Christmas. The bible only recorded that the Shepherds were taking care of their flocks during a very cold season when they sighted the star that announced the birth of Jesus Christ.

“This cold period could be around April or May.”

According to the MFM general overseer, December 25 is a date originally set aside by ancient Romans for Mars festival among worshippers of the sun.

Olukoya said the birth of Christ was subsequently co-opted into the same date to give the Mars festival more popularity and then renamed ‘Christmas’.

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Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has called for the inclusion of more women in the Nigerian political space, saying women have “a lot to offer society”. 

The traditional ruler said this at the opening session of the second edition of Queen Moremi, the Musical, Reloaded.

He also noted that a woman can someday be president of Nigeria because they have the strength and potential of good leadership.

He said, “We should try to uplift the position of women because they have a lot to offer the society.

“We’ll keep telling the story of Queen Moremi Ajasoro to bring out the strengths, talents and powers of women and what they can offer to our society to make a difference.

“Our prayer is that someday, we will have a female president, probably, they may even do better.

“We had only struggled to have a female speaker but she could not scale through to the end so we need to support them to excel in future.

“We’ll keep telling the story of Queen Moremi Ajasoro to focus on how the society can uplift the girl-child to have a sense of pride and occupy a place in the progress of the country in future.” 

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At least 48 members of Boko Haram sect were killed during a combat between the terror group and a task force of the Nigerian Army and Civilian Joint Task Force.

An official of the Civilian-JTF, whose members fought alongside the military against the insurgents, told Premium Times that 48 Boko Haram fighters were killed in the battle.

The military is yet to speak on the attack.

It was reported on Tuesday night how Boko Haram fighters gathered outside Biu to attack the town barely 24 hours after they were repelled by soldiers.

On Monday, the insurgents, in an attempt to attack Biu, ran over two villages on the outskirts of the town, killing two people and injuring 13 others. They were later repelled by soldiers after hours of gun battle on the outskirts of Biu.

The insurgents returned the next day.

At about 6pm on Tuesday, residents of Biu were alerted to the gathering of suspected Boko Haram gunmen, who arrived at a location near Kimba, a village close to  Biu.

Security sources said troops mobilised from locations to confront the insurgents.

A source confirmed to Premium Times that the troops in Biu and the ones in Damboa converged to engage the insurgents in a shootout that lasted till the early hours of Christmas day.

Backed by operatives of the Civilian-JTF, the battle continued until “48 of the Boko Haram gunmen dropped dead, while some fled with bullet injuries.”

“The operation lasted till about 4am when the soldiers and our members finished ransacking the areas for their bodies,” said a C-JTF operative, Muhammed Liberia.

The military has not issued any statement on the Biu attacks, but another public official in the town said normalcy had returned there.

Bulama Talba, Press Secretary to Borno State deputy governor, confirmed that the attackers were repelled.

“As I am talking to you now, normal activities are going in Biu town after the soldiers repelled the planned attack."

The Boko Haram insurgency in Northern Nigeria has caused over 30,000 deaths since 2009.

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About N75bn has been recovered from revenue collecting agencies working for the Federal Inland Revenue Service and Nigerian Customs Service.

According to a report by The Nation, Chairman of  Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Elias Mbam, said the sum was recovered following an audit on these agencies.  

He said, "The commission has carried out reconciliation and verification of revenue collections from revenue collecting agencies on behalf of the Federal Inland Revenue Services and Nigerian Custom Service. Over N75bn has been recovered in this process. The commission shall intensify its efforts in this regard.

"Given the activities of these revenue collecting agents, the RMAFC has been mandated to come up with a workable mechanism to block revenue leakages, diversion of funds and recover unremitted revenues.”

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Sparks fly as bailiffs cut open the door of the anti-corruption foundation led by Alexei Navalny.

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The Russian leader's war of words with Poland focuses on events from the distant past.

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The 27 activists from the People's Peace Movement had disappeared in Farah province two days ago.

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The Chinese man, who murdered a family of four, is the first foreigner to be executed in 10 years.

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The internal election is seen as the most serious challenge to the PM's hold on his party for years.

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Crowds have gathered to watch the 'once in a lifetime' eclipse in a number of countries.

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The boat with 71 migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan sank in Lake Van at night.