Iraq

If the US "intelligence services" were worried about Russian trolls, a phrase appearing 6 times in the joint report which concluded - without presenting any evidence - that Russia’s "undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrated Secretary Clinton, and harmed her electability and potential presidency" and that the "Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump", it may have an entire nation of trolls at its hands now.

An Iraq war veteran is accused of killing five people at an airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Friday. Esteban Santiago 26 was taken into custody immediately following the shooting, questioned at length and was expected to face federal charges in the shooting rampage, said George Piro, a special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s office in Miami. Authorities said Santiago had suffered from psychological problems and had complained that the US government was controlling his mind.

Back on December 15, two weeks ahead of the day the OPEC production cut agreement was set to begin, according to which some 1.2 million barrels per day in oil production from OPEC member states would be removed, a report emerged that contrary to its mandated production cut of 210Kbpd, Iraq was actually preparing to boost its exports by 7%.

Russian authorities have confirmed that the assassin of Turkish ambassador Andrey Karlov has ties to an American CIA base in Iraq.  After President Putin ordered an 18-person investigation into the assassination of Ambassador Karlov last week, investigators say they found strong evidence that proves Mevlut Mert Altintas was connected to a CIA base in Erbil Governorate in Iraq, and had been connected to the attempted coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erodgan in July.

In a new book due to hit shelves later this month, John Nixon, a former CIA officer who was responsible for interrogating Saddam Hussein after he was captured in 2003, admits being convinced by the fallen dictator that he was best suited to rule Iraq.  Per an excerpt published in Time Magazine, Nixon recalls an encounter with Hussein in which he warned that America would fail in Iraq because "you do not know the language, the history, and you do not understand the Arab mind."