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Rex Tillerson, front runner for Secretary of State, given Russian state award by Putin in 2013


RT
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 01:49 UTC
putin tillerson
© Michael Klimentyev / SputnikPresident Vladimir Putin, left, and ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO Rex W. Tillerson at a ceremony to present awards to the heads and employees of major energy companies
President-elect Donald Trump may propose an oil executive with close ties to Russia as his future secretary of state. Rex Tillerson's nomination may face opposition from Republican legislators who view Russia as a threat to the US, however.

NBC News, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and other media outlets citing their own sources discussed the oil exec's possible nomination throughout the weekend, describing it as highly probable.

Tillerson, 64, is a lifetime employee of US oil and gas giant Exxon Mobil, starting with the company in 1975 and rising through the corporate ranks to become one of the company's key negotiators. Among the deals he has sealed is a 2011 agreement with Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft, which gave Exxon access to the Russian Arctic and Rosneft a stake in the US company's projects in North America.

In 2013, President Vladimir Putin presented Tillerson with the Order of Friendship, one of the highest honors a foreigner may be awarded from Russia. After the US imposed economic sanctions on Russia over the crisis in Ukraine, the Arctic drill deal tanked and Exxon suffered as much as $1 billion in losses as a result, according to some estimates. Tillerson has been among the business executives advocating for ties between the two nations to be restored.
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Jet2

Trump says F-35 program cost 'out of control', wants to save 'billions' of dollars


RT
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 14:24 UTC
F-35 jet fighter
© Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images / AFP
The latest target of President-elect Donald Trump's criticism is the Joint Strike Fighter program. He tweeted that, under his administration, the US military will end the overspending and save billions of dollars.

"The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th," he wrote.

Comment: See also:
  • John Pilger's documentary: 'The Coming War on China' - breaking the silence with startling facts
  • Pentagon ballyhooed 'Russian threat' to increase budget


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Info

Pyongyang angers Seoul with simulated raid on South Korea's presidential Blue House


RT
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 14:19 UTC
North Korea combat drill
© KCNA / ReutersA combat drill of the service personnel of the special operation battalion of KPA Unit 525 is seen in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang on December 11, 2016.
Seoul has condemned North Korea for conducting its latest military exercise, which involved simulating a commando raid on South Korea's presidential palace.

Photos of the military drill, which was observed by North Korean leader Kim John-un, were released by the North Korea's state owned news agency, KCNA, on Sunday. The pictures show parachuting commandos landing near a mock-up of the Blue House, the official residence of South Korea's President, and storming the building, which was then apparently targeted by multiple rocket launchers.

South Korea's Unification Ministry condemned the drill on Monday, saying that it and other military exercises previously conducted by Pyongyang contribute to rising tensions on the peninsula.

"North Korea's move seems to be aimed at showing that the regime remains firm in contrast to (the political turmoil) in South Korea," ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee told a regular press briefing, referring to a scandal that has led to an impeachment process for South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who was suspended by the parliament last Friday and is awaiting a ruling from the country's Supreme Court.


Comment: And US and South Korea exercises don't contribute to the tensions?

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Document

The European Union signs historic deal with Cuba on political dialogue, cooperation


RT
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 14:16 UTC
EU Cuba flags
© Reuters
The European Union has signed a historic deal with Cuba on political dialogue and cooperation, according to the EU Council. Cuba was the only Latin American country to lack such an agreement with the 28-member bloc.

The deal was signed on Monday by the heads of EU member states, along with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla.

"Economic links with Europe will continue to be a priority for Cuba as we build a socialist economy," Parrilla said on Monday, as quoted by AFP. He added that the agreement "demonstrates that with good will and respect it is possible to make progress and resolve differences."
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Info

Trump chooses retired general John Kelly as head of Homeland Security


RT
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 14:13 UTC
John Kelly
© Jorge Dan Lopez / Reuters
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen retired general John Kelly as Secretary of Department of Homeland Security.

The pick was confirmed by Trump's transition team Communications Director Jason Miller.

Trump's transition team said in a statement that Kelly would "spearhead the urgent mission of stopping illegal immigration and securing our borders", streamline the Transportation Security Administration and improve ties between US intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

The former US Marine Corps general, who retired earlier this year, had been rumored to be among the favorites for the role in Trump's administration since the start of December.
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Chess

Intelligence community frets that Trump won't believe them, others question why anyone would


Sputnik
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 01:51 UTC
trump office intel
© CARLO ALLEGRI/REUTERS"Don't fret. I know what I'm doing."
President-elect Donald Trump's dismissal of a Washington Post story based on statements from anonymous intelligence officials claiming Russia "hacked" the US election has some worrying about the kind of relationship his administration will have with the CIA.

On December 9, Trump's transition team issued a statement in response to the story, saying, "These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction," and that it was "time to move on." (No such weapons, the purported reason for the US war against Iraq in 2003, were ever found.)

Two days later, the president-elect had tempered his rhetoric somewhat. In an interview with Fox News broadcast December 11, he called the story and the hacking claims "ridiculous" and "just another excuse" from Democrats to avoid taking the blame for their loss. Trump distinguished between the intelligence community, who he said he had "great respect for," and Democrats looking for excuses for their loss.

It is US Democrats pushing this story, he claimed. The CIA is not trying to overturn the election results, nor have they even clearly said Russian hacking took place, Trump said. Rather, the intelligence community is still fighting it out. "If you look at the story and you take a look at what they said, there's great confusion. Nobody really knows," Trump said. "And hacking is very interesting. Once they hack, if you don't catch them in the act you're not going to catch them. They have no idea if it's Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed someplace. I mean, they have no idea."

Comment: Trump is not the average, good, obedient president-elect. For all his unexpected rhetoric punctuated with bravado, he may just have the ticket to keep the wolves guessing at least a little longer. BTW: Someone should follow up on that "leak by an insider." Bet it won't be the intel services. They have it all figured out.

See also:

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Better Earth

Trump personality unprecedented, Kissinger can't predict vision of New World Order


RT
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 00:39 UTC
Trump group Kissinger
© berman_michael / Instagram
The personality of Donald Trump has "no precedent" in modern US history, but he should be given a chance to put forward his policies, Henry Kissinger said, highlighting the president-elect's potential to shape global politics and keep to the US tradition of "building world peace."


Comment: "Donald Trump has a unique personality" and "US has a tradition of building world peace." One of these is blatantly untrue.


Speaking at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum in Oslo, Norway, on the issue of "World Peace after the US Presidential Election," the 93-year-old former diplomat and Nobel Prize winner dispelled fears of the looming cataclysm of Trump's presidency. "Before postulating an inevitable crisis, an opportunity should be given to the new administration to put forward its vision of international order," Kissinger said.

Comment: "...overriding quest for peace and stability" of American presidents, "...contemporary structures of peace" of American origin. Kissinger either has his brain on auto-revision or he is playing his cards close to the vest. Hopefully Trump will knowledgeably and carefully evaluate any upcoming Kissinger influence in his administration.

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Rocket

Hamas offers Qassam rockets to any Arab army willing to fight 'Zionist entity'


RT
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 13:54 UTC
Qassam rockets
© Ibraheem Abu Mustafa / Reuters
A Hamas official said the militant group is ready to share its Qassam rockets with any Arab army willing to fight the Jewish state. The rockets can match similar products offered by international arms makers, the official claimed.

The statement was made by Fathi Hammad, a Gaza-based Hamas official, who told Al-Aqsa TV channel, that the group was "ready to ship missiles manufactured by the movement's military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, to Arab armies so as to fight the Zionist entity," according to Palestinian Ma'an news agency.

Despite the all-out blockade of Gaza by the Israelis that effectively prevents military- or dual-use items from coming to the area, Hamas' military production can compete with that of international manufacturers, Hammad claimed.
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Info

Eva Bartlett completely dismantles mainstream narrative on Syria


Sputnik
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 09:47 UTC
Syrian White Helmets celebrating with Al-Nusra
© Photo: Youtube / ΓΙΑΝΝΗΣ ALDEBARANSyrian White Helmets celebrating with Al-Nusra
Freelance journalist Eva Bartlett is no stranger to the Syrian conflict, having visited the country repeatedly since the conflict began to get a sense of the realities on the ground. This week, confronted by a mainstream journalist regarding the lies presented in media coverage of Syria, Bartlett succinctly laid out exactly what the problem was.

On Friday, the Canadian journalist and human rights activist took part in a press conference organized by the Syrian mission to the United Nations. After delivering her remarks regarding the current situation in Aleppo and throughout the country, in which she pointed out Western media bias regarding the conflict, Bartlett was asked by a journalist from the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten what the incentive was for Western media to spin a false narrative.

The Norwegian journalist asked her about "the agenda from us in the Western media, and why we should lie - why the international organizations on the ground should lie?...How can you justify calling all of us liars?"

Comment: Further reading:

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Quenelle

Former U.S. ambassador: Russian & Syrian actions in Palmyra a 'service to mankind'


RT
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 08:35 UTC
A Russian soldier in the historical part of Palmyra liberated from ISIS militants
© Maksim Blinov / SputnikA Russian soldier in the historical part of Palmyra liberated from ISIS militants
Russia's support of the Syrian Army battling ISIS terrorists in Palmyra is a service to mankind, a former US ambassador to Croatia told RT. He said the West and the opposition should realize that Assad "has won this war" and stop the bloodshed so as not to not "end up with nothing."

"Russian air strikes and [the] Syrian government putting more troops [in Palmyra] is a service to mankind, to preserve both the population of the area but also these important monuments that really are [part of the] common heritage of all mankind," former US ambassador to Croatia, Peter Galbraith, told RT with regards to the ongoing military operation against jihadists attacking Palmyra.

Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists launched an offensive to re-take Palmyra on Saturday, reportedly gaining a foothold in the city, before being pushed out by the Syrian Army. According to the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria, over 4,000 terrorists, backed by tanks, have since regrouped for yet another assault.


Comment: Reconciliation Center reports 4,000 ISIS fighters regroup, make new attempt to capture Palmyra, Syria


"Certainly one doesn't want to see the Islamic State retake Palmyra, and Russian air strikes and Syrian troops are there to protect them [the people], and I hope they succeed," Galbraith told RT.

The Russian Defense Ministry stressed that it doesn't strike residential areas of the city due to the risk of civilian casualties, yet confirmed air strikes against militants on the outskirts of Palmyra.

Comment: See also:

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