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ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson delivers remarks on March 27, 2015, in Washington. If it weren't real, it might read like a dark climate change comedy. President-elect Donald J Trump is expected to turn to the leader of America's largest oil company, and the main villain in a new wave of climate change activism, to lead the State Department: ExxonMobil Corp. CEO Rex Tillerson. Multiple news organizations reported the pick on Saturday. Tillerson has worked at Exxon for his entire career, which is important since Exxon is currently under investigation for misleading its investors and the American public about the threat of global warming since the 1970s. The investigations and environmental activism surrounding it are known by the hashtag #ExxonKnew. Attorneys general in Massachusetts, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands are leading probes into the company for working to deceive the American public and delay climate action. The climate investigations are similar to the successful p...

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei  Lavrov (R) shake hands at the conclusion of their news conference  following their meeting in Geneva, Switzerland where they discussed the  crisis in Syria Washington (Telephost) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday sought to diffuse criticism of a U.S.-Russian ceasefire agreement on Syria arguing that without it violence would increase significantly with many more Syrians slaughtered or forced to flee the war-torn country. The deal struck between Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva on Friday agreed to a seven-day period of reduced violence and increased humanitarian aid deliveries. If the truce holds, U.S. and Russian militaries would begin to coordinate air strikes against Nusra Front and Islamic State militants in an agreed area. The plan aims to bring together the warring Syrian sides for talks on a political transition, which would involve Syrian President Bas...

The announcement came as de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi visits Washington Naypyidaw (Telephost) - Long-standing trade sanctions against Myanmar are to be lifted, US President Barack Obama has said. The news came as Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, arrived in Washington on her first official visit. Myanmar's access to trade benefits for poorer nations had been suspended in 1989 over human rights abuses. President Obama said the country should now be allowed to benefit from preferential tariffs as it emerges from decades of military rule. He confirmed the move in a letter to Congress on Wednesday, adding Myanmar - also known as Burma - to the Generalised System of Preferences, a list which exempts certain countries from high import taxes. Though many companies will now enjoy lower tariffs, there are some sanctions which remain in place. These include a "blacklist" of at least 100 companies and individuals with links to the former military ...

Lula and his wife Marisa Leticia are accused of failing to declare a luxury penthouse São Paulo (Telephost) - Federal prosecutors in Brazil have asked a judge to file corruption charges against former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The prosecutors had been investigating whether Lula and his wife failed to declare ownership of a luxury penthouse in the seaside resort of Guaruja. He has denied owning the flat and says the case is politically motivated. The flat was built by a construction company implicated in a corruption scandal at state oil company Petrobras. A former union leader, Lula served as president from 2003 to 2010. He announced plans earlier this year to run for office again in 2018 but in July he was indicted on charges of obstructing investigations into Petrobras. His successor as president, Dilma Rousseff, was dismissed by the Senate last month after an impeachment trial. A judge is due to rule in the next few days whether to formally charge Lula. The flat was buil...

A truck is overturned in southern Pingtung county, Taiwan on September 14, 2016. The island is bracing for the impact of Super Typhoon Meranti. Hong Kong (Telephost) - Typhoon Meranti aimed for China's mainland after pounding Taiwan, making landfall near Xiamen in Fujian Province, according to CNN meteorologists. The powerful storm slammed southern Taiwan early Thursday local time, bringing winds of up to 230 mph (370 kilometers per hour) -- faster than a Formula One race car -- at one point and torrential rains. Meranti is the strongest typhoon since Super Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines in 2013. Meranti's strength prompted China to issue its highest warning for high ocean waves as emergency crews and officials prepared for the deluge. "The typhoon will bring gales and heavy rains when it makes landfall," meteorologist Li Mei said, according to state-run Xinhua news agency. No longer super but still dangerous Meranti had been classified as a super typhoo...