Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of President-Elect Donald Trump, said on Saturday she has removed her name from consideration to replace outgoing US Senator Marco Rubio.

Syria's ruling authorities have appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency which toppled Bashar al-Assad, as defense minister in the interim government, an official source said on Saturday.Abu Qasra, who is also known by the nom de guerre Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group which ousted Assad from power this month and led numerous military operations during the Syrian revolution, the source said.

Suspected jihadists killed more than 20 people in a string of attacks on villages in central Mali's insurgency-hit Mopti region on Friday, two local sources said.The unidentified assailants struck during the day and into the evening, ransacking and burning six villages in the Bandiagara area, the sources said on Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity.One of the sources said the assailants had come in large numbers on motorcycles and attacked a first village, where they killed everyone and destroyed everything.

US President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday he will nominate billionaire Houston Rockets pro basketball team owner Tilman Fertitta to be his administration's ambassador to Italy.Fertitta is the chairman and owner of Landry's, which operates a large collection of restaurants, hotels and casinos throughout the United States.In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump lauded the 67-year-old Texas native as an "accomplished businessman" and philanthropist.

An earthquake of magnitude 5.48 struck South Africa on Sunday, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said.The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6 miles), GFZ said.

The IDF is set to conduct a military exercise in the Jordan Valley area starting Sunday afternoon, the military said. During the exercise, there will be a noticeable movement of vehicles, vessels, and military forces throughout the area, the IDF added.Traffic routes are expected to remain unchanged, and the military noted that there are no special instructions for the civilian population.