US deputy NSA, Melania Trump's chief of staff, WH dy press secy resign after US Capitol protest
Washington: US Deputy National Security Advisor Matt Pottinger, first lady Melania Trump's chief of staff Stephanie Grisham, and White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews have resigned following the violence at the US Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.
Grisham, who previously served as the White House press secretary before making way for current White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany in April, was the first to submit her resignation on Wednesday.
It has been an honor to serve the country in the White House," Grisham said in a statement posted on Twitter.
I am very proud to have been a part of Mrs. Trump's mission to help children everywhere and proud of the many accomplishments of this administration," Grisham said. She is the first senior White House staffer to resign.
Matthews also tendered her resignation.
As someone who worked in the halls of Congress, I was deeply disturbed by what I saw today, she said.
I will be stepping down from my role, effective immediately. Our nation needs a peaceful transfer of power, Matthews said.
Trump's deputy national security advisor Pottinger also resigned, officials said.
According to ABC News, White House social secretary Rickie Niceta also submitted her resignation in reaction to the violent protest by Trump supporters.
In an unprecedented assault on democracy in America, thousands of angry supporters of Trump stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday and clashed with police, resulting in casualties and multiple injuries and interrupting a constitutional process to affirm Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
