Friday, November 15, 2024
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President-elect Donald Trump ruled out on Saturday re-appointing two senior figures from his first administration, ex-secretary of state Mike Pompeo and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley.
Writing on his Truth Social social network, Trump said he "will not be inviting" either figure to join his administration as speculation swirls about the identity of his new team.
Pompeo had outlined a hawkish plan for Ukraine in July involving more weapons transfers and tough action against Russia's energy sector which analysts noted on Saturday was at odds with Trump's campaign statements.
Trump has repeatedly boasted that he could end the war in Ukraine in his first 24 hours in power and criticised American aid to Kyiv in its fight against Russia.
Haley ran against Trump in the Republican primary this year before endorsing him, but she offered at times blunt advice such as when she urged him to "quit whining" about Democrat candidate Kamala Harris in August.
"I very much appreciated working with them previously and would like to thank them for their service to our country," Trump wrote on Saturday.Trump has made one cabinet appointment so far, naming his campaign manager Susie Wiles -- who he calls "ice baby" due to her supposedly unflappable temperament -- as his White House chief of staff.
She is the first woman to be named to the crucial White House gatekeeper role.
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03 - Gunmen kill 10 in central Mexico bar attack
MEXICO CITY, Nov 10, 2024 (AFP) - Gunmen attacked a bar in central Mexican city of Queretaro killing 10 people on Saturday, a local security official said.
The attackers opened fire inside the Los Cantaritos bar in the city's historic district, according to the head of Queretaro's public security department Juan Luis Ferrusca.
"Emergency services arrived at the scene and confirmed that at least four people armed with long weapons had arrived on board a pickup truck," he said in a video posted on social media.
"Inside, 10 people were reported dead and at least seven more were injured so far," he added.
One suspect was detained and the vehicle used in the attack was found abandoned and set on fire, Ferrusca said.
Queretaro is considered one of the safer cities in Mexico, where spiraling violence, much of it linked to drug trafficking and gangs, has seen more than 450,000 people murdered in since 2006.
