Diane is a perfectionist. She enjoys searching the internet for the hottest events from around the world and writing an article about it. The details matter to her, so she makes sure the information is easy to read and understand. She likes traveling and history, especially ancient history. Being a very sociable person she has a blast having barbeque with family and friends.
Right-winger David Friedman is Donald Trump’s choice as the next US ambassador to Israel.
David Friedman is strongly critical of the long-held US goal of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The 57-year-old lawyer also supports Jewish settlement building in the occupied West Bank, which the Obama administration considers an “obstacle to peace”.
A liberal Jewish group opposed David Friedman’s nomination. Conservatives welcomed it.
David Friedman said he looked forward to working “from the US Embassy in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem”, a statement that will anger Palestinians.
The UN does not recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and the US embassy has been located in Tel Aviv for decades.
Image source timesofisrael.com
However, Donald Trump had promised during the presidential campaign to move it to Jerusalem, one of several overtures he made to Israel.
The status of Jerusalem is one of the most contentious issues between Israel and the Palestinians.
Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and considers the entire city its indivisible capital; Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
David Friedman advised the president-elect on US-Israel issues during the election campaign.
He has made clear his support for Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which he refers to using the biblical names of Judea and Samaria, and East Jerusalem.
About 570,000 Israelis live in more than 130 settlements built in these areas since 1967.
The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
J Street, a liberal pro-Israel group based in Washington, said it was “vehemently” opposed to the nomination of David Friedman, explaining: “As someone who has been a leading American friend of the settlement movement, who lacks any diplomatic or policy credentials and who has attacked liberal Jews who support two states as <<worse than kapos>>, Friedman should be beyond the pale for senators considering who should represent the United States in Israel.”
Kapos were Jewish prisoners in Nazi camps in World War II who the SS put in charge of other inmates. They have been viewed by some as complicit in the brutal treatment of other prisoners.
Conservative pro-Israel group The Zionist Organization for America welcomed the nomination, saying David Friedman had “the potential to be the greatest US ambassador to Israel ever”.
In the same time, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who has not enjoyed warm relations with President Barack Obama, has welcomed Donald Trump’s election.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has claimed his campaign email account was hacked by Russians.
Sen. Lindsey Graham also told CNN that he believed “the Russians” hacked into the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and accused them of trying to “destabilize democracy all over the world”.
Russian officials have repeatedly denied hacking accusations.
Donald Trump rejected a CIA report that Russian hackers tried to sway the election in his favor.
Also this week, NBC News reported that US intelligence officials now believe with “a high level of confidence” that Russian President Vladimir Putin became personally involved in a covert Russian campaign to interfere in November’s presidential election.
The attack targeted emails of the Democratic Party and of Hillary Clinton’s aide, John Podesta. The contents, passed to WikiLeaks and posted online, were embarrassing to the Democrats and shook up the presidential campaign.
The NBC report, quoting two unnamed senior officials, says that new intelligence shows how the hacked material was leaked and used.
According to the NBC report, the operation began as a “vendetta” against Hillary Clinton before becoming “an effort to show corruption in American politics and split off key American allies”.
Photo Wikipedia
Lindsey Graham, a member of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, said on CNN that “we were told by the FBI in August that we were hacked in June”.
He said: “I do believe the Russians hacked into the [DNC]. I do believe they hacked into [John] Podesta’s email account. They hacked into my campaign account.”
Lindsey Graham also said that he believed that “all the information released publicly hurt Clinton and didn’t hurt Trump.”
However, he stressed that the outcome of the election was not in doubt.
“I think Hillary Clinton lost because she wasn’t an agent of change and she tried to disqualify Trump and she wasn’t able to do it.”
He added that this was not “a Republican or Democratic issue” and must be tackled on a bipartisan basis.
Lindsey Graham accused Russia of attempting to destabilize democracy: “We should tell the Russians that on no uncertain terms, you interfere in our elections, we don’t care why, we’re going to hit you and hit you hard, we’re going to introduce sanctions.”
Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte has revealed he personally killed criminal suspects as mayor of Davao.
It is the first such admission Rodrigo Duterte has made since becoming president in June, but echoes comments he made in 2015.
Rodrigo Duterte ran Davao for two decades, earning a reputation for cutting crime, and criticism for allegedly supporting death squads.
He was speaking to business leaders at the presidential palace on December 12, before an overseas trip.
It is the latest in a series of controversial comments by Filipino president.
Rodrigo Duterte said during the meeting: “In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys [police] that if I can do it why can’t you.
“And I’d go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble also. I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill.”
In 2015, he admitted killing at least three men suspected of kidnapping and rape in Davao.
Rodrigo Duterte’s comments have been condemned by human rights group Amnesty International, which has called on him to put an immediate end to the killings.
Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty International director for South East Asia and the Pacific said: “The climate of impunity in the Philippines has intensified even further since President Duterte began his brutal crackdown on suspected drug users and dealers in July, with a wave of unlawful killings claiming more than 5,000 lives across the country.
“By boasting about the blood on his own hands, President Duterte will further embolden police and vigilantes to blatantly violate laws and carry out more extrajudicial executions without fear of being held to account.”
Just hours before Rodrigo Duterte’s latest remarks, he insisted “I am not a killer”, in a speech for The Outstanding Filipino Awards 2016. He has also previously both acknowledged and denied being involved with death squads.
In September a Senate inquiry heard testimony from a self-confessed former death squad member that Rodrigo Duterte had, while serving as Davao mayor, shot dead a justice department agent with an Uzi submachine gun.
Nearly 6,000 people are said to have been killed by police, vigilantes and mercenaries since Rodrigo Duterte launched his drug war after being elected in May.
Rodrigo Duterte has expressed few regrets about the policy, once saying: “Hitler massacred three million Jews… There’s three million drug addicts. I’d be happy to slaughter them.”
Some human rights lawyers believe Rodrigo Duterte’s open support for a shoot-to-kill policy by the police could make him vulnerable to prosecution for crimes against humanity at the international court.
China has warned the incoming Trump administration that any attempt to challenge the “One China” policy could affect peace in the Taiwan Strait.
A Beijing spokesman said that interference may also damage developing US-China relations.
Under the “One China” policy, the US has formal ties with China rather than the island of Taiwan, which China sees as a breakaway province.
Image source Flickr
However, Donald Trump has expressed doubts about continuing to abide by the policy.
The president-elect had already angered China by taking a phone call from Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, and then tweeting about it.
On December 12, China said it was “seriously concerned” by Donald Trump’s comments, and urged sensitivity around the issue.
However, An Fengshan, a spokesman for China’s policy-making Taiwan Affairs Office, went further on December 14, warning of more serious consequences.
He said: “Upholding the <<One China>> principle is the political basis of developing China-US relations, and is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
“If this basis is interfered with or damaged then the healthy, stable development of China-US relations is out of the question, and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait will be seriously impacted.”
An Fengshan’s comments came as Admiral Harry Harris, head of the US Pacific Command, vowed the United States will keep challenging Beijing’s “assertive, aggressive behavior in the South China Sea”.
Speaking to Australian think tank the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Admiral Harry Harris said: “We will not allow the shared domains to be closed down unilaterally, no matter how many bases are built on artificial features in the South China Sea.
“We will co-operate where we can but we will be ready to confront where we must.”
Beijing has been developing artificial islands capable of hosting military planes in the region.
The Chinese government also insists on sovereignty over virtually all the resource-endowed South China Sea, despite rival claims from its South East Asian neighbors.
Washington has repeatedly said it does not recognize the claims, and has sent warships into the area to assert the right to freedom of navigation.
Donald Trump has confirmed that Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his choice for secretary of state.
In a statement, the president-elect praised Rex Tillerson, 64, as among the “most accomplished business leaders and international dealmakers” in the world.
Rex Tillerson is said to have a good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, alarming both Democrats and some Republicans.
The nomination needs Senate approval.
The secretary of state is in effect the most senior US diplomat, responsible for enacting the government’s foreign policy.
Under a Trump presidency, his in-tray could include everything from handling rows with China to revisiting the nuclear accord with Iran.
According to new reports, Donald Trump has also selected former Texas Governor Rick Perry as his Energy Secretary.
Rick Perry, 66, famously forgot the name of the energy department during a cringe-inducing gaffe at a 2011 Republican primary debate, when he said it was among the agencies he would eliminate if he was elected president.
He has also been a vocal critic of Donald Trump, calling him a “barking carnival act” and a “cancer on conservatism” before he dropped out of his second bid for the White House in 2015.
Image source Flickr
Donald Trump said: “Rex Tillerson’s career is the embodiment of the American dream.
“His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him an excellent choice for secretary of state.”
Rex Tillerson said he was “honored” by the nomination, adding that he shared Donald Trump’s “vision for restoring the credibility of the United States’ foreign relations and advancing our country’s national security”.
The announcement had been widely expected, with Rex Tillerson favored over high-profile Republicans, including the party’s 2012 presidential nominee, Mitt Romney.
Although he has no formal foreign policy experience, as Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson oversees a company with 75,000 employees and business activities in more than 50 countries.
He has warned of the “catastrophic” impact of unchecked climate change, although his company has been accused of deliberately misleading the public about the role of fossil fuels in global warming.
However, it is Rex Tillerson’s connections to Russia that have drawn most flak.
He has forged multi-billion-dollar deals with Russia’s state oil company, Rosneft, spoken out against international sanctions imposed on Moscow and in 2013 was awarded an Order of Friendship by the Kremlin.
As rumors of his nomination gathered pace in recent days, one of Donald Trump’s rivals for the Republican nomination, Marco Rubio, said being “‘a friend of Vladimir is not an attribute I am hoping for from” the next secretary of state.
Another Republican Senator John McCain expressed concern over Rex Tillerson’s links to Vladimir Putin but promised he would get a “fair hearing” in the Senate.
Reacting to the nomination, Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yury Ushakov, said all Russian officials and not just the president enjoyed “good, businesslike relations” with Rex Tillerson.
Jakarta’s governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama has denied he intended to insult the Quran at the start of his blasphemy trial, marked by rival rallies outside the court.
A Christian of Chinese descent, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known as Ahok, cried as he denied allegations he insulted Islam.
Ahok is the first non-Muslim governor of Indonesia’s capital in 50 years.
Image source YouTube
The case is being seen as a test of religious tolerance in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.
The prosecution said Ahok insulted Islam by misusing a Quranic verse which suggests Muslims should not be ruled by non-Muslims, to boost public support ahead of February’s governorship election.
Ahok insisted his comments were aimed at politicians “incorrectly” using a Quranic verse against him, not at the verse itself.
If convicted, Ahok faces a maximum five-year jail sentence. After the short hearing, the trial was adjourned until December 20.
Venezuela has decided to close its border with Colombia for 72 hours in the latest measure to combat smuggling gangs.
According to President Nicolas Maduro, the “mafia” operating in border areas is causing huge damage to the economy.
Many items subsidized by Venezuela’s socialist government, including diesel and petrol, are sold at a huge profit over the border in Colombia.
On December 11, Nicolas Maduro announced that Venezuela’s highest denomination bank note, 100-bolivar, would be taken out of circulation.
He said the move would stop gangs hoarding the currency.
“Let’s destroy the mafia before the mafias destroy our country and our economy,” Nicolas Maduro said on national TV.
“This measure was inevitable, it was necessary,” he added.
“The mafias will go bust.”
Venezuela last closed most border crossings with Colombia in August 2015 and it was partially reopened a year later.
In 2015, Colombia complained that it had not been consulted or informed.
However, both sides eventually reached an agreement to cooperate on tackling crime and smuggling along the 1,370 miles border.
The measure caused huge disruption for the people who live and work in border cities.
This time, Nicolas Maduro said the border would be reopened after 72 hours, once the 100-bolivar notes ceased to be valid.
Venezuela’s central bank data suggests there are more than six billion 100-bolivar notes in circulation, making up almost half of all currency.
Venezuelans will then have 10 days to exchange the notes for coins and new, higher-value bills, but only at the Central Bank.
President Nicolas Maduro said the gangs held more than 300 billion bolivares worth of currency, most of it in 100-bolivar notes.
He said there were “entire warehouses full of 100-bolivar notes in the [Colombian cities of] Cucuta, Cartagena, Maicao and Buaramanga”.
On December 11, he said: “I have given the orders to close all land, maritime and air possibilities so those bills taken out can’t be returned and they’re stuck with their fraud abroad.”
Nicolas Maduro’s critics have predicted chaos and doubt that the facilities will be in place for people to exchange all their 100-bolivar notes.
Opposition leader Henrique Capriles tweeted: “When ineptitude governs! Who would possibly think of doing something like this in December amid all our problems?”
Top Republicans Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell have said they will support further investigation of findings that Russian hackers meddled in the November election.
The House speaker and Senate majority leader said any foreign intervention in the polls was unacceptable.
Donald Trump has repeatedly poured scorn on the claims, made by the CIA.
The CIA concluded on December 9 that Russia’s motive was to help Donald Trump.
Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan said their respective intelligence committees would investigate the allegations.
Photo AP
“Any foreign breach of our cyber-security measures is disturbing and I strongly condemn any such efforts,” Senator Mitch McConnell told reporters, adding that “the Russians are not our friends”.
Paul Ryan echoed these remarks, but warned against exploiting the work of the intelligence community for “partisan purposes”.
The remarks came amid suggestions by Donald Trump that the claims were politically motivated.
On December 11, the president-elect told Fox News the Democrats were disseminating the “ridiculous” hacking reports because they lost the election.
Then on the next day Donald Trump tweeted: “Can you imagine if the election results were the opposite and WE tried to play the Russia/CIA card. It would be called conspiracy theory!
“Unless you catch <<hackers>> in the act, it is very hard to determine who was doing the hacking. Why wasn’t this brought up before election?”
The FBI said two month ago that it believed Russia was behind the Democratic Party hacks, but on December 9 the CIA went further by concluding Russia’s motive was to help Donald Trump.
On December 12, the Hillary Clinton campaign, which lost to Donald Trump in last month’s election, said it was supporting an effort by a handful of members of the electoral college to request an intelligence briefing on the latest hacking allegations.
The Electoral College meets next week to ratify the results of the election.
Last week, President Barack Obama has ordered a complete review of the hacks, which targeted emails at the Democratic Party and John Podesta’s emails.
The contents of the emails, passed to WikiLeaks and posted online, were embarrassing to the Democrats and shook up the presidential campaign.
A federal judge has blocked Jill Stein’s attempt to force a recount in Pennsylvania of votes cast in last month’s presidential election.
The Green Party’s candidate has sought a recount there, as well as in Michigan and Wisconsin. Donald Trump narrowly beat Hillary Clinton in all three states.
Last week a judge halted a recount in Michigan after three days.
Image source Flickr
Wisconsin’s is expected to finish on December 12. At issue are fears that voting machines are vulnerable to hacking.
In Pennsylvania, Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton by about 44,000 votes out of 6 million cast – less than 1%.
Announcing his ruling on December 12, US District Judge Paul Diamond said: “There is no credible evidence that any <<hack>> occurred, and compelling evidence that Pennsylvania’s voting system was not in any way compromised.”
Correspondents say that none of the recounts were likely to change the final result.
Hillary Clinton has kept silent on the matter, but her campaign has said it will co-operate with Jill Stein’s recount efforts.
Unlike Wisconsin and Michigan, most of Pennsylvania’s voting machines leave no paper trail. This would have made a recount there a cumbersome process.
Requests would have had to be filed for each individual precinct.
IMF managing director Christine Lagarde has gone on trial in France for negligence over a compensation payment made by a state-owned bank to Bernard Tapie in 2008.
As finance minister of then-President Nicolas Sarkozy, Christine Lagarde approved an award of €404 million ($429 million) to Bernard Tapie for the disputed sale of a company.
Bernard Tapie had supported Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2007 presidential election.
Christine Lagarde, 60, is accused of allowing the misuse of public funds, rather than corruption. She denies wrongdoing.
The case originates in the early 1990s, when Bernard Tapie was a majority shareholder in sports goods company Adidas.
Photo Getty Images
After launching a political career and becoming a cabinet minister in Francois Mitterrand’s Socialist government in 1992, Bernard Tapie had to sell the company.
In 1993, Tapie sued Credit Lyonnais, a state-owned bank that handled the sale, alleging that the bank had defrauded him by deliberately undervaluing the firm.
By 2007, the long-running case was referred by Christine Lagarde to binding arbitration. A three-member panel awarded the compensation a year later, causing a public outcry.
In 2015, after eight more years of legal wrangling, a French court ruled that Bernard Tapie had not been entitled to compensation and should repay the €404 million.
Christine Lagarde is now facing the Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR) on charges of “negligence by a person in position of public authority”.
The court, composed mostly of politicians rather than judges, handles allegations of crimes committed by cabinet ministers. If convicted, she could face one year in prison.
Christine Lagarde replaced Dominique Strauss-Kahn as IMF managing director in 2011.
DSK – also a former French finance minister – resigned following his arrest in New York on charges of assault that were later dropped.
Bill English has become New Zealand’s prime minister after John Key unexpectedly resigned from office last week.
The former finance minister and deputy prime minister for the ruling National Party was sworn in at Government House in Wellington.
Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett has been named as deputy prime minister.
The appointments were confirmed after a meeting of the National Party’s caucus.
Image source Wikipedia
In his first speech following his election, Bill English said he would lead a strong team of lawmakers, full of ideas.
He described Paula Bennett as “smart, accomplished and energetic”.
National Party’s President Peter Goodfellow said Bill English and Paula Bennett would be “outstanding leaders” who would “provide a good mixture of experience and fresh thinking” .
Bill English joined parliament in 1990 and has held several ministerial posts in education, health and finance.
John Key said last week his decision to stand down was for family reasons and “the hardest decision I’ve ever made”.
He said he would not be seeking a fourth term in the 2017 election.
John Key tweeted soon after December 12 announcement: “Congratulations to my good friend @honbillenglish on becoming the new leader of the @nznationalparty and the next Prime Minister of NZ.”
Australia’s PM Malcolm Turnbull also congratulated Bill English in a phone call.
Donald Trump has rejected as “ridiculous” a CIA assessment that Russian hackers tried to sway the US election in his favor.
The president-elect told Fox News the Democrats were putting out the reports because they were embarrassed at the scale of the election defeat.
On December 9, CIA officials told media they had concluded that Russians hackers were trying to help Donald Trump.
Russian officials have repeatedly denied the hacking accusations.
Donald Trump said it might have been Russia but it was impossible to know.
“They have no idea if it’s Russia or China or somebody sitting in a bed some place,” he said.
President Barack Obama has ordered a complete review of the hacks, which targeted emails at the DNC and the emails of John Podesta, a key aide to presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
The contents of the emails, passed to WikiLeaks and posted online, were embarrassing to the Democrats and shook up the presidential campaign.
Senior Republicans have now joined Democrats in calling for a full investigation.
Republican Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a joint statement on December 11 with top Democrats that the CIA’s report “should alarm every American”.
John McCain said in an interview that the congressional investigation should be more thorough than the one ordered by the White House.
In October, US government officials pointed the finger at Russia, accusing it of meddling in the campaign to undermine the electoral process.
On December 9, the intelligence community went further when media reports said the CIA had “high confidence” that Russians were trying to influence the election in Donald Trump’s favor.
Russians had hacked the Republican Party but chose not to reveal the contents of what they found, the reports said.
Donald Trump told Fox News on December 11: “I think it’s ridiculous. I think it’s just another excuse. I don’t believe it.”
The president-elect said the Democrats were behind the news reports, not the CIA, because they suffered such a big defeat.
While backing the Obama review, Donald Trump warned that it should not pin the blame solely on Russia but on other countries or individuals too.
GOP spokesman Sean Spicer said the party had not been hacked and the intelligence report was wrong.
Donald Trump also said in the interview he did not need daily intelligence briefings.
“I’m a smart person, I don’t need to be told the same thing in the same way for eight years.”
Gambian incumbent President Yahya Jammeh says he will launch a legal challenge to contest an election defeat that will bring an end to his 22-year rule.
Yahya Jammeh initially conceded after rival Adama Barrow won last week’s vote, but then backtracked on December 9, saying he “totally” rejected the result.
The United Nations Security Council has demanded Yahya Jammeh accepts defeat.
The streets remain calm despite a heavy army presence in the capital Banjul.
Yahya Jammeh’s Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction party announced on December 10 that a petition will be filed to The Gambia’s Supreme Court.
By law, election results can be contested up to 10 days after the vote.
President-elect Adama Barrow said on December 11 that he feared for his safety. He had previously accused his rival of damaging democracy by refusing to agree to hand over power.
Yahya Jammeh, who took power in a coup in 1994, has cited “abnormalities” in the vote and wants a re-run.
Donald Trump has questioned whether the United States should continue its “One China” policy.
The 1979 policy has respected China’s stance on Taiwan, which it sees as a breakaway province.
However, the president-elect said that without concessions from Beijing on trade and other issues, he did not see why that should continue.
The US relations with China became strained when Donald Trump took a phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
Donald Trump went on to post a series of tweets criticizing China for its exchange rate policy and its operations in the South China Sea.
Image source Flickr
Speaking in an interview with Fox News broadcast on December 11, Donald Trump said: “I don’t know why we have to be bound by a One China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade.”
He also said China was not co-operating with the United States on its handling of its currency, on North Korea, or on tensions in the South China Sea.
In the same interview, Donald Trump said he “doesn’t believe” a CIA assessment that Russian hackers tried to sway the presidential election in his favor.
Donald Trump’s decision to take a phone call from the Taiwanese president earlier this month was a break with US diplomatic tradition and prompted a formal protest from China.
No US president or president-elect had spoken directly to a Taiwanese leader for decades.
In the Fox interview, Donald Trump said it was not up to Beijing to decide whether he should take a call from Taiwan’s leader.
“I don’t want China dictating to me and this was a call put into me,” he said.
“It was a very nice call. Short. And why should some other nation be able to say I can’t take a call?
“I think it actually would’ve been very disrespectful, to be honest with you, not taking it.”
Paolo Gentiloni has been appointed Italy’s new prime minister after Matteo Renzi’s resignation.
Matteo Renzi resigned after losing a referendum on constitutional reform last week.
The 62-year-old former foreign minister is a loyalist from Matteo Renzi’s Democratic Party.
Correspondents say that if Gentiloni is successful in rallying support a government could be formed in days.
Image source Wikipedia
In a brief acceptance speech, Paolo Gentiloni said he realized the urgency of forming the government to reassure the country.
The new prime minister said he would work within the framework of the previous administration, making it likely that he will reappoint several ministers.
Paolo Gentiloni faces a banking crisis and a rise in popular support for anti-establishment and eurosceptic parties.
Opposition parties have ruled out joining a national unity government, with the populist Five Star Movement saying it will boycott a parliamentary approval vote, due to take place on December 14, because it would have not legitimacy.
The party has called for immediate elections, currently due to be held in May 2018.
However, President Sergio Mattarella has said the current electoral rules must be revised so both houses of parliament are synchronized.
The law was changed to the so-called “Italicum” system last year to give the leading party a parliamentary majority through bonus seats in the lower Chamber of Deputies. But there has been no such change in the Senate, which is elected by proportional representation.
Senate reforms formed part of the package of reforms put to Italian voters on December 4, while the legitimacy of the system for the Chamber of Deputies is to be ruled on in January.
Matteo Renzi’s plans for constitutional reform were rejected by a margin of 59% to 41%, prompting his decision to stand down.
Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson is being tipped as Donald Trump’s secretary of state.
Rex Tillerson, 64, has met the president-elect amid growing speculation that he is being considered for secretary of state.
NBC News quotes sources close to Donald Trump as saying that Rex Tillerson is likely to be named next week.
Former UN ambassador John Bolton will serve as his deputy, NBC adds.
Image source Flickr
The news comes as Donald Trump’s team challenged the accuracy of intelligence reports that Russia intervened to boost his election prospects.
Veteran Republican Mitt Romney is among others who have also been linked to the role of secretary of state.
NYC ex-Mayor Rudy Giuliani withdrew himself from consideration for the post last week. Rudy Giuliani’s foreign business dealings had raised questions over his suitability.
Rex Tillerson has extensive experience in international negotiations and a business relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He has been a critic of the international sanctions against Russia for annexing Crimea.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s presidential transition team took issue with CIA assessments that said Russia had attempted to assist Trump during the November election by releasing hacked emails harmful to Hillary Clinton.
In a statement, Donald Trump’s transition team said the officials making the assessment were “the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction”.
Spokesman Sean Spicer said there were “people within these agencies who are upset with the outcome of the election”.
Tens of thousands of South Koreans have marched in Seoul to celebrate the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye and demanding her full removal.
Park Geun-hye is suspended while the top court considers whether to uphold December 9 parliamentary vote to impeach her.
She is accused of allowing a close friend to profit from her connections with the presidency.
According to correspondents, the gathering, estimated at 200,000 by organizers, was smaller than in recent weeks.
Meanwhile PM Hwang Kyo-ahn, who became acting president after yesterday’s vote, sought to calm concerns over national security and to reassure markets
He said on December 10: “So far, financial and foreign exchange markets have been relatively stable and there are no signs of unusual movements by the North [Koreans], but all public servants should bear vigilance in mind.”
Image source Wikimedia
The motion to impeach Park Geun-hye passed by 234 votes to 56, meaning many members of her Saenuri party voted in favor.
Park Geun-hye’s supporters held a Seoul rally that drew an estimated 15,000 people on December 10. Waving national flags, they carried banners that read: “President Park, Don’t Cry” and “Nullify impeachment”.
At the heart of the case is Park Geun-hye’s relationship with long-time friend Choi Soon-sil, who faces charges of coercion and abuse of power.
It is alleged that after Park Geun-hye became president in 2013, Choi Soon-sil, 60, used their friendship to pressure powerful corporations into donating to foundations she controlled and then siphoned off funds for her personal use.
Prosecutors say Park Geun-hye had a “considerable” role in the alleged corruption, which she has denied.
The Constitutional Court has 180 days to make a final ruling.
If at least six of the court’s nine judges rule against Park Geun-hye, she will become the first sitting South Korean president to be deposed in the country’s democratic era and a new presidential election will be held within 60 days.
According to new reports, US intelligence agencies believe Russia acted covertly to boost Donald Trump in the election race.
The New York Times and the Washington Post reports say the agencies had “high confidence” about Russian involvement in hacking.
However, Donald Trump’s team dismissed the CIA line, saying: “These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.”
Russian officials have repeatedly denied the hacking accusations.
On December 9, President Barack Obama ordered an investigation into a series of cyber-attacks, blamed on Russia, during the US election season.
Image source Flickr
The hacks targeted emails at the Democratic Party and John Podesta, a key aide to presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
In October, US government officials pointed the finger at Russia, accusing it of meddling in the campaign.
Now, senior administration officials quoted by the New York Times say they are confident that Russian hackers also infiltrated the Republican National Committee’s computer systems as well as those of the Democratic Party, but did not release information gleaned from the Republican networks.
According to intelligence agencies, the Russians passed on the Democrats’ documents to WikiLeaks, the Times reported.
Democrats reacted furiously when email accounts of the DNC and Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, were hacked.
John Podesta’s emails were revealed by WikiLeaks and posted online.
Quoting an unnamed “senior US official”, the Washington Post said “intelligence agencies” had “identified individuals with connections to the Russian government who provided WikiLeaks with thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and others, including Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman”.
At one point in the campaign, Donald Trump publicly encouraged Russia to “find” Hillary Clinton’s emails, although he later said he was being sarcastic.
Democrats claimed the hacks were a deliberate attempt to undermine Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
White House spokesman Eric Schultz said President Barack Obama wanted the investigation carried out on his watch “because he takes it very seriously”.
Gambia’s incumbent President Yahya Jammeh has rejected the result of the presidential election held earlier this month, a week after admitting defeat.
Yahya Jammeh, who took power in a coup in 1994, cited “abnormalities” in the vote and called for fresh elections.
He was defeated by Adama Barrow, who won more than 43% of this month’s vote.
Adama Barrow accused Yahya Jammeh of damaging democracy by refusing to accept the result. His transition team said the president-elect was safe.
The results were revised by the country’s electoral commission on December 5, when it emerged that the ballots for one area were added incorrectly, swelling Adama Barrow’s vote.
The error, which also added votes to the other candidates, “has not changed the status quo” of the result, the commission said.
However, it narrowed Adama Barrow’s margin of victory from 9% to 4%.
Yahya Jammeh said that he now rejected the results of the election “in totality”.
“After a thorough investigation, I have decided to reject the outcome of the recent election,” he said.
“I lament serious and unacceptable abnormalities which have reportedly transpired during the electoral process.
“I recommend fresh and transparent elections which will be officiated by a God-fearing and independent electoral commission.”
Adama Barrow’s spokesperson said the head of the army, General Ousman Badjie, supported the president-elect, having pledged his allegiance after the initial result.
The US has “strongly condemned” Yahya Jammeh’s rejection of the result.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said: “This action is a reprehensible and unacceptable breach of faith with the people of The Gambia and an egregious attempt to undermine a credible election process and remain in power illegitimately.”
The streets of the capital, Banjul, were reported to be calm on December 9 although soldiers were seen placing sandbags in strategic locations across the city, AFP news agency reports.
Only last week, Yahya Jammeh was shown on state TV calling Adama Barrow to wish him well.
“You are the elected president of The Gambia, and I wish you all the best. I have no ill will,” he said at the time.
Adama Barrow, a property developer, is due to take office in late January.
The Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, with a population of fewer than two million.
In his 22 years in power, Yahya Jammeh acquired a reputation as a ruthless leader.
According to new reports, Donald Trump is expected to appoint Gary Cohn, the third Goldman Sachs executive, to his administration.
Despite vilifying Goldman Sachs while campaigning, the president-elect is tipped to pick Goldman president Gary Cohn to lead the White House National Economic Council.
Gary Cohn would join former colleagues Steven Mnuchin – the incoming Treasury Secretary – and Steve Bannon – the new senior White House adviser.
Donald Trump had said if Hillary Clinton won, she would be the bank’s puppet.
Image source Wikimedia
In another development, reports suggested that Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson was being considered for the crucial post of secretary of state. Veteran Republican politician Mitt Romney and others have also been discussed for the role.
Another CEO, Andrew Liveris of Dow Chemical Co, has been picked by Donald Trump to head up an “American manufacturing council” tasked with bringing industry back to the US.
Meanwhile, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani ruled himself out of contention for a post in Donald Trump’s cabinet.
Rudy Giuliani had also been mentioned as a possible nominee for secretary of state but his foreign business dealings raised questions over his suitability.
In a statement, the Trump transition team said Rudy Giuliani had informed Donald Trump of his withdrawal at a November 29 meeting.
Goldman’s dominance of Donald Trump’s economic team is not incompatible, the president-elect’s advisers say, with his campaign promise to put the interests of Americans on main street ahead of Wall Street.
During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump had accused the bank of belonging to a “global power structure” that he said was robbing the working class.
Donald Trump had also poured scorn on rival Ted Cruz, saying that Goldman Sachs had “total control over him”.
On December 9, Kellyanne Conway told MSNBC: “You’re not going to find better people than those who have been at the top of finance, the top of our markets, understand the way our markets work.”
Gary Cohn, 56, does not need to face a Senate confirmation hearing for his White House post, which will involve co-ordinating economic policy across the Trump administration.
He struggled with dyslexia as a child and once told his parents that if they were really lucky he might grow up to be a truck driver.
According to Reuters, Gary Cohn retains $190 million worth of stock in Goldman, where he was known for his abrasive manner.
Steve Mnuchin, the incoming treasury secretary, does need to face a hearing before senators, and is likely to be questioned about his Wall Street background.
Goldman Sachs has produced several Treasury secretaries, White House chiefs of staff and top economic advisers.
South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye has been impeached over a corruption scandal after parliament voted with 234 to 56.
The number of votes on impeachment motion shows that some members of Park Geun-hye’s ruling Saenuri party voted in favor.
PM Hwang Kyo-ahn has become interim president.
Image source Wikimedia
Thousands of people took to the streets in recent weeks demanding Park Geun-hye’s removal. After the vote, she again apologized that she had “created this national chaos with my carelessness”.
At the heart of the crisis is the relationship between Park Geun-hye and her close friend Choi Soon-sil, who stands accused of using her connections to gain influence and financial benefits.
Choi Soon-sil is now in custody, facing charges of coercion and abuse of power.
Prosecutors say Park Geun-hye had a “considerable” role in the alleged corruption, which she has denied.
Hwang Kyo-ahn, 59, spent most of his career as a prosecutor, is now acting-president.
He had earlier served as justice minister, before becoming prime minister in June 2015.
In 2014, as justice minister, Hwang Kyo-ahn oversaw the banning of the Unified Progressive Party, which was accused of holding pro-North Korean views.
The move was criticized by the human rights group Amnesty International.
Hillary Clinton has called for urgent action to stop the proliferation of “fake news”.
The former Democratic presidential candidate said it was an epidemic with “real world consequences” that threatened America’s democracy.
Hillary Clinton urged the private and public sector to combat the numerous false reports, propaganda and malicious stories that had been spread over the past year.
She herself has been the target of fake news, including Pizzagate story.
Pizzagate wrongly stated during the election campaign that a pedophilia ring involving people at the highest levels of the Democratic Party was operating out of a Washington pizza restaurant.
On December 4, a man was arrested after firing a rifle inside the restaurant. The attacker later said he wanted to “self-investigate” the news reports. No-one was injured in the incident.
On December 8, Hillary Clinton told lawmakers on Capitol Hill: “It’s now clear that so-called <<fake news>> can have real world consequences.
“This isn’t about politics or partisanship. Lives are at risk. Lives of ordinary people just trying to go about their days, to do their jobs, contribute to their communities.
“It’s imperative that leaders from the private sector and the public sector step up to protect our democracy and innocent lives.”
Hillary Clinton was speaking at a ceremony for outgoing Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid – one month after losing the presidential elections to Donald Trump.
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen anti-regulation fast-food executive Andrew Puzder, opposed to a higher minimum wage, to lead the US Department of Labor.
Donald Trump said Andrew Puzder, the latest tycoon added to his cabinet, had a “record fighting for workers”.
Andrew Puzder is the chief executive of CKE Restaurants, which operates the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s.
He has often argued a higher minimum wage would kill jobs.
The Labor Department regulates wages along with workplace safety.
Image source RT
Andrew Puzder has criticized a new Labor Department rule aimed at extending overtime pay to more than four million US workers.
He has also dismissed a nationwide campaign by fast-food workers for a $15 minimum wage, more than double the current federal level.
Donald Trump, in a statement released by his transition team, said Andrew Puzder would make workers “safer and more prosperous”.
“He will save small businesses from the crushing burdens of unnecessary regulations that are stunting job growth and suppressing wages,” the president-elect said.
In the same statement, Andrew Puzder said “the right government policies can result in more jobs and better wages for the American worker”.
Democrats and their allies have been critical of the Californian’s appointment.
Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO union, said Andrew Puzder’s “business record is defined by fighting against working people”.
Andrew Puzder was one of Donald Trump’s earliest campaign financiers, contributing more than $330,000 to his White House bid, reports the Washington Post.
He opposes the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, claiming it has left working families with less money to spend dining out, spawning a “restaurant recession”.
Andrew Puzder has brushed off allegations that his fast-food restaurants’ racy commercials – featuring scantily clad models gorging on burgers – are sexist.
“I like beautiful women eating burgers in bikinis,” he once said.
“I think it’s very American.”
Donald Trump’s latest cabinet appointment came amid his Twitter spat with the head of a local United Steelworkers union in Indiana.
Commodities trader Glencore and Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund are together buying a 19.5% stake in Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil company, the Kremlin has announced.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said: “It is the largest privatization deal, the largest sale and acquisition in the global oil and gas sector in 2016.”
The surprise move sees Glencore and Qatar paying $11.3 billion for the stake in Rosneft, where BP already owns 19.75%.
However, the state will keep the controlling stake.
The long-planned sale is part of the Russian government’s efforts to sell some state assets to help balance the budget amid a two-year recession caused by a drop in global oil prices and Western sanctions.
Image source kremlin.ru
A deadline for the sale was missed, and speculation grew that Rosneft was struggling to find a buyer.
The deal also marks a turnaround for London-listed Glencore, which had seen a collapse in its share price amid a plan to sell assets and cut its huge debts.
Glencore’s shares have rebounded this year. The Qatar Investment Authority is one of the biggest investors in Glencore.
Speaking at a TV meeting with Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin, Vladimir Putin noted that the deal follows a rally in global oil prices after OPEC’s decision to cut production.
Russia, although not a member of OPEC, has agreed to cut its output in line with the cartel, and will attend a meeting with its member countries on December 10 to discuss specific details.
Igor Sechin said that Glencore and the Qatari fund will form a consortium and have equal stakes. He added that Rosneft had conducted talks with more than 30 potential bidders before striking the deal.
It had been thought that the US and EU sanctions imposed on Russia following the Ukraine conflict would deter huge investment in Russia, although companies were not explicitly prohibited from participating in the Rosneft sale.
Donald Trump’s election as US president has, however, raised speculation of a thaw in relations with Moscow.
In a statement, Glencore said that it would finance part of the deal by putting up €300 million of its own equity, with the rest financed by banks and by the Qatari sovereign fund. QIA had yet to make a statement.
Glencore stands to benefit by gaining access to Rosneft’s crude output, while Qatar will further establish itself as a major investor in some of the world’s biggest businesses.
Italy’s PM Matteo Renzi has handed in his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella, three days after losing a constitutional referendum he had staked his career on.
Matteo Renzi had promised to wait until the Senate passed the 2017 budget, which it did earlier in the day.
President Mattarella will start consultations with political parties over forming a caretaker government at 18:00 on December 8.
In the meantime, Matteo Renzi is to act as a “caretaker prime minister”.
The consultation, which is due to end on December 10, will look at where support lies for a new government, presidential aide Ugo Zampetti told reporters on December 7.
According to Reuters, President Mattarella is expected to ask a member of Matteo Renzi’s cabinet, or a politician from his Democratic Party (PD), to try to form a new government.
However, some are calling for the election, due in 2018, to be called early.
Italians voted on December 5 by a margin of 59% to 41% against Matteo Renzi’s plans for constitutional reform, prompting his decision to stand down.
However, Matteo Renzi still wants to stay on the frontline of politics as he remains the leader of the biggest party in parliament, the PD, and will play a considerable role in suggesting the name of his replacement.
Before heading to the Quirinale presidential palace, Matteo Renzi told the PD it should only participate in a “government of national responsibility” if it has the support of the other political parties.
Otherwise, he said, “the PD is not afraid” of early elections.
Two of the big winners in December 3 referendum, the anti-EU Northern League and anti-establishment Five Star Movement, are pushing for early elections.
Other parties, such as the centre-right Forza Italia, are trailing in the polls and want elections delayed. Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi, 80, had tests in a Milan hospital on December 7, six months after he had heart surgery.
Names suggested as a possible leader of a new administration include PD Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan and Senate leader Pietro Grasso, who is apolitical.
According to a source quoted in Italy, President Sergio Mattarella believes it is “inconceivable” that elections can be held before electoral laws governing both houses of parliament are synchronized.
The law was changed to the so-called “Italicum” system last year to give the leading party a parliamentary majority through bonus seats in the lower Chamber of Deputies. But there has been no such change in the Senate, which is elected by proportional representation.
Senate reforms were part of the package rejected on December 3. Another factor is that the constitutional court will rule on January 24 on whether the lower house reforms are legitimate.
Italy’s political turmoil has also led to days of uncertainty in international markets, amid questions over the fate of Italy’s indebted banks, especially its third largest, Monte dei Paschi, which is seeking €5 billion ($5.3 billion) to recapitalize.
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