Hello Australia!! - So, what do you think of Exxon Mobil integrated with the power of the US military? - Colombia's president condemns the war on drugs - Venezuela cracks down on wealthy hoarders messing with the economy - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

US pretender-elect Donald Trump tweeted something stupid, so let's instead look at the things he is trying to distract from:  First, Trump has reportedly tapped  Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State.  NBC News Reports the announcement could be made in the coming days.  Hawkish former UN Ambassador John Bolton would be his deputy.  The 64-year old Tillerson has absolutely no diplomatic experience, but curiously has a strong business relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and no public opinion on Iran.  Bolton, one of the most-hated men in Washington, is famous for his childish tantrums, ability to alienate every single country on earth, and wants to bomb Iran.

The other thing, US intelligence agencies confirmed suspicions that Russia intervened in the US election to promote Donald Trump in the US presidential election.  Russia has long denied hacking election machines and the emails of top Democratic Party aides.  Intelligence agencies tell the Washington Post and the New York Times that the Russians actually hacked both major political parties, but filtered only information (likely altered) from the Democrats to Wikileaks.  This came after President Barack Obama ordered an intelligence review into Russian hacking into the election.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos used his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech to criticize the "war on drugs".  He called on world leaders to "rethink" zero-tolerance policies which he said might be "even more harmful" than all the other wars being fought worldwide - "It makes no sense to imprison a peasant who grows marijuana, when nowadays, for example, its cultivation and use are legal in eight states of the United States."  Mr. Santos became a laureate for his work to strike a peace deal with the Marxist FARC revolutionaries and end five decades of civil war. 

Venezuela arrested two toy company executives for hoarding nearly four million toys before the Christmas Holiday.  Authorities seized the toys and will distribute to the poor.  This is far from the first time that Venezuelan officials uncovered evidence to back-up their claims that the country's moneyed elites are hoarding food and products to create chaos at the retail level in a concerted effort to discredit the legally-elected Socialist government.

At least 13 people were killed in a bomb blast outside a football stadium in Istanbul.  Police say they were the targets of the car bomb, although witnesses also reported hearing gun shots after the blast.  Islamic State has carried out some recent bombings in Turkey, and Kurdish separatists have been blamed for other explosions.

A freight train derailed and exploded in northeastern Bulgaria, killing at least seven people and demolishing about 50 houses and public buildings.

As Syrian and Russian forces consolidate their hold on Aleppo, Islamic State fighters have reentered the the ancient city of Palmyra, where the terrorists had already destroyed several ancient artifacts earlier in the Syrian Civil War.  Civilians are once again said to be streaming out of the city in large numbers.

France's new Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve wants to extend the state of emergency until the middle of July next year.  This would cover the next round of presidential and parliamentary elections from April to June, and the Bastille Day holiday on 14 July.  Parliament is expected to approve the measure this week; it would be the fifth extension since France declared a state of emergency after the Paris attacks in November 2015.

The UN Security Council is demanding that Gambian president Yahya Jammeh step down on schedule and hand power to his successor.  Jammeh initially said he would respect the results of the election earlier this month in which he lost to reformer Adama Barrow, but on Saturday announced he would not because of alleged election irregularities.  Jammeh has ruled Gambia as a strongman since taking power in a coup 22-years ago.