By David Morgan and Makini Brice

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government looked all but certain to enter a partial shutdown on Sunday as House Republicans and Senate Democrats held to starkly different courses on funding.

The Democratic-majority Senate planned another procedural vote on a stopgap bill to fund the government through Nov. 17, which has been moving forward with broad bipartisan support, which the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has rejected so far.

House Republican lawmakers on Friday blocked their own party’s stopgap bill, known as a “continuing resolution” or CR. That bill included multiple conservative policy additions that Democrats opposed, and had no chance of winning the Senate support it would need to become law.

Infighting among Republicans who control the House by a 221-212 margin has pushed the United States to the brink of its fourth partial shutdown in a decade, as the chamber has been unable to pass legislation that would keep the government open beyond the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees will lack the funding to do their jobs if the two chambers do not send a spending bill for Democratic President Joe Biden to sign into law by 12:01 a.m. (0401 GMT) on Sunday.

Federal agencies have already drawn up detailed plans that spell out what services must continue, like airport screening and border patrols, and what must shut down, like scientific research and nutrition aid to 7 million poor mothers.

Most of the government’s 4 million-plus employees would not get paid, whether they were working or not.

House Republicans emerging from a closed-door party meeting on Saturday said they expected to vote for a measures that would ensure that members of the military, border security and the Federal Aviation Administration were paid during the shutdown. Those would only take effect if the Senate passed it and Biden signed it into law.

“We will vote to keep our troops paid and fully operational,” said Representative Darrell Issa.

Some hardline Republicans said a shutdown was worth it to achieve their goals.

“I fear the majority of the conference is willing to do anything to avoid the discomfort of a potential government shutdown,” Representative Bob Good told reporters. “If we don’t have the willingness to say ‘no’ and the resolve to say ‘no,’ the Senate and the White House will not accept any spending cuts.”

CREDIT CONCERNS

The standoff comes just months after Congress brought the federal government to the brink of defaulting on its $31.4 trillion debt. The drama has raised worries on Wall Street, where the Moody’s ratings agency has warned it could damage U.S. creditworthiness.

Congress typically passes stopgap spending bills to buy more time to negotiate the detailed legislation that sets funding for federal programs.

This year, a group of Republicans has blocked action in the House as they have pressed to tighten immigration and cut spending below levels agreed to in the debt-ceiling standoff last spring.

On Friday, 21 Republicans joined with Democrats to defeat legislation that reflected those demands, saying the chamber should focus instead on passing detailed spending bills for the full fiscal year, even if it leads to a shutdown in the near term.

That angered other Republicans, who said they had blown an opportunity to advance conservative policies.

“There’s a lot of frustration growing with the 21 individuals who chose to vote ‘no’ on what was a very good plan,” Republican Representative Nicole Malliotakis of New York said on Friday.

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Friday the chamber might try to rely on Democrats to help pass a stopgap bill that would continue funding at current levels, even though that could prompt a challenge to his leadership from hardliners.

The Senate is due to hold a procedural vote at 1:00 p.m. (1700 GMT) to extend government funding through Nov. 17. It enjoys wide support from Republicans and Democrats, but the chamber’s arcane rules mean that a vote on final passage could be delayed until Tuesday.

Even if that passes, the two chambers would have to resolve their differences before sending any bill to Biden’s desk. That could pose another hurdle, as McCarthy said he opposed $6 billion in Ukraine aid included in the Senate bill.

“We continue to try to find a way out of this,” he said on Friday.

(Reporting by David Morgan and Makini Brice, Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone and Andrea Ricci)

By David Morgan and Makini Brice

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government looked all but certain to enter a partial shutdown on Sunday as House Republicans and Senate Democrats held to starkly different courses on funding.

The Democratic-majority Senate planned another procedural vote on a stopgap bill to fund the government through Nov. 17, which has been moving forward with broad bipartisan support, which the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has rejected so far.

House Republican lawmakers on Friday blocked their own party’s stopgap bill, known as a “continuing resolution” or CR. That bill included multiple conservative policy additions that Democrats opposed, and had no chance of winning the Senate support it would need to become law.

Infighting among Republicans who control the House by a 221-212 margin has pushed the United States to the brink of its fourth partial shutdown in a decade, as the chamber has been unable to pass legislation that would keep the government open beyond the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees will lack the funding to do their jobs if the two chambers do not send a spending bill for Democratic President Joe Biden to sign into law by 12:01 a.m. (0401 GMT) on Sunday.

Federal agencies have already drawn up detailed plans that spell out what services must continue, like airport screening and border patrols, and what must shut down, like scientific research and nutrition aid to 7 million poor mothers.

Most of the government’s 4 million-plus employees would not get paid, whether they were working or not.

House Republicans emerging from a closed-door party meeting on Saturday said they expected to vote for a measures that would ensure that members of the military, border security and the Federal Aviation Administration were paid during the shutdown. Those would only take effect if the Senate passed it and Biden signed it into law.

“We will vote to keep our troops paid and fully operational,” said Representative Darrell Issa.

Some hardline Republicans said a shutdown was worth it to achieve their goals.

“I fear the majority of the conference is willing to do anything to avoid the discomfort of a potential government shutdown,” Representative Bob Good told reporters. “If we don’t have the willingness to say ‘no’ and the resolve to say ‘no,’ the Senate and the White House will not accept any spending cuts.”

CREDIT CONCERNS

The standoff comes just months after Congress brought the federal government to the brink of defaulting on its $31.4 trillion debt. The drama has raised worries on Wall Street, where the Moody’s ratings agency has warned it could damage U.S. creditworthiness.

Congress typically passes stopgap spending bills to buy more time to negotiate the detailed legislation that sets funding for federal programs.

This year, a group of Republicans has blocked action in the House as they have pressed to tighten immigration and cut spending below levels agreed to in the debt-ceiling standoff last spring.

On Friday, 21 Republicans joined with Democrats to defeat legislation that reflected those demands, saying the chamber should focus instead on passing detailed spending bills for the full fiscal year, even if it leads to a shutdown in the near term.

That angered other Republicans, who said they had blown an opportunity to advance conservative policies.

“There’s a lot of frustration growing with the 21 individuals who chose to vote ‘no’ on what was a very good plan,” Republican Representative Nicole Malliotakis of New York said on Friday.

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Friday the chamber might try to rely on Democrats to help pass a stopgap bill that would continue funding at current levels, even though that could prompt a challenge to his leadership from hardliners.

The Senate is due to hold a procedural vote at 1:00 p.m. (1700 GMT) to extend government funding through Nov. 17. It enjoys wide support from Republicans and Democrats, but the chamber’s arcane rules mean that a vote on final passage could be delayed until Tuesday.

Even if that passes, the two chambers would have to resolve their differences before sending any bill to Biden’s desk. That could pose another hurdle, as McCarthy said he opposed $6 billion in Ukraine aid included in the Senate bill.

“We continue to try to find a way out of this,” he said on Friday.

(Reporting by David Morgan and Makini Brice, Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone and Andrea Ricci)

By David Morgan and Makini Brice

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is expected to urge Republicans on Saturday to back a short-term funding bill with disaster relief that could avert a partial government shutdown by gaining support from Democrats, a source familiar with the plan said.

The source, who asked not to be named in order to discuss internal deliberations, described the move as a “Hail Mary pass.” It will test McCarthy’s hold over his narrow 221-212 majority.

Republican lawmakers on Friday blocked another stopgap bill, known as a “continuing resolution” or CR. That bill included multiple conservative policy additions that Democrats opposed, while the new bill likely would be a so-called clean CR without those additions, which could win Democratic support.

Infighting among Republicans who control the House of Representatives has pushed the United States to the brink of its fourth partial shutdown in a decade, as the chamber has been unable to pass legislation that would keep the government open beyond the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year.

On the other side of the Capitol, the Democratic-controlled Senate is due to advance a stopgap funding bill, but a final vote might not come for days.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees will lack the funding to do their jobs if the two chambers do not send a spending bill for Democratic President Joe Biden to sign into law by 12:01 a.m. (0401 GMT) on Sunday.

Federal agencies have already drawn up detailed plans that spell out what services must continue, like airport screening and border patrols, and what must shut down, like scientific research and nutrition aid to 7 million poor mothers.

Most of the government’s 4 million-plus employees would not get paid, whether they were working or not.

In Atlanta, festivities for former President Jimmy Carter’s 99th birthday were moved up from Sunday to Saturday to avoid disruption, according to local media.

The standoff comes just months after Congress brought the federal government to the brink of defaulting on its $31.4 trillion debt. The drama has raised worries on Wall Street, where the Moody’s ratings agency has warned it could damage U.S. creditworthiness.

Congress typically passes stopgap spending bills to buy more time to negotiate the detailed legislation that sets funding for federal programs.

This year, a group of Republicans has blocked action in the House as they have pressed to tighten immigration and cut spending below levels agreed to in the debt-ceiling standoff last spring.

On Friday, 21 Republicans joined with Democrats to defeat legislation that reflected those demands, saying the chamber should focus instead on passing detailed spending bills for the full fiscal year, even if it leads to a shutdown in the near term.

That angered other Republicans, who said they had blown an opportunity to advance conservative policies.

“There’s a lot of frustration growing with the 21 individuals who chose to vote ‘no’ on what was a very good plan,” Republican Representative Nicole Malliotakis of New York said on Friday.

McCarthy said on Friday the chamber might try to rely on Democrats to help pass a stopgap bill that would continue funding at current levels, even though that could prompt a challenge to his leadership from hardliners. He did not provide further details.

The Senate is due to hold a procedural vote at 1:00 p.m. (1700 GMT) to extend government funding through Nov. 17. It enjoys wide support from Republicans and Democrats, but the chamber’s numerous hurdles mean that a vote on final passage could be delayed until Tuesday.

Even if that passes, the two chambers would have to resolve their differences before sending any bill to Biden’s desk. That could pose another hurdle, as McCarthy said he opposed $6 billion in Ukraine aid included in the Senate bill.

“We continue to try to find a way out of this,” he said on Friday.

(Reporting by David Morgan and Makini Brice, Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone and Andrea Ricci)

VILLA AHUMADA/PIEDRAS NEGRAS (Reuters) – Migrants were stranded in Mexico on Friday miles from the U.S. border after the freight train they were traveling on top of abruptly stopped, amid the ongoing suspension of dozens of northbound trains over fears around migrant safety.

Hundreds of migrants were seen by a Reuters witness aboard a stationary train in a desert-like area near Villa Ahumada, some 123 km (76.43 miles) from the border town of Ciudad Juarez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

“They’re treating us like animals,” said Sasha Pacheco, who was on the stationary train, surrounded by her family including an infant.

“We’re in a desert, there’s only one tree… we’re just an hour (from our destination), but it would take a day walking with a baby.

“Why would they take us if they’re going to do this to us?” she asked, adding that there were no options to get buses or taxis from their current spot.

Sixty northbound cargo trains run by Mexico’s Ferromex were stopped last week, after about half a dozen migrants suffered death or injury. The company later said it restarted some routes where there was no known “heightened risk.”

Banners on the side of the train stopped in Villa Ahumada read, “Thank you Ferromex,” put up by migrants who had been initially grateful that the trains had begun the journey.

Grupo Mexico, which owns Ferromex, could not immediately be reached about the sudden train stoppage with migrants aboard near Villa Ahumada.

Earlier in the day, a spokesperson said they had no additional updates to share about the exact number of trains still stopped.

“Concentrations of migrants continue to be monitored, and trains are moved, ensuring continuity of traffic, but avoiding high risks for people and for operations,” they said.

Venezuelan migrant Marlon Vera, who’d been traveling for two months, told Reuters that the train he was traveling on had stopped for several days before being halted once again near Villa Ahumada.

“We’re here… without food, water, facing the cold, the heat,” he said.

The stoppage of trains in the past week has caused around $1 billion worth of goods to be stuck at the border.

Meanwhile, further east, in the border city of Piedras Negras that sits opposite Eagle Pass, Texas, Venezuelan migrant Jose Julian said on Friday he had similarly been stranded while traveling aboard the cargo trains.

He said he had climbed aboard a freight train along with some 2,000 other migrants in Monterrey several days ago, but somewhere past Torreon, the train stopped.

“They left us in the middle of the desert,” he said, speaking on the banks of the Rio Grande river. “They didn’t care that there were children.”

He said it took 10 hours on foot to reach the next town, and in total three days to make it to the border.

For years, migrants trying to reach the United States have crisscrossed Mexico on cargo trains. Collectively, such trains have become known as “La Bestia,” (The Beast), for the risks riding via rail represented.

(Reporting by Jose Luis Gonzalez in Villa Ahumada and Daniel Becerril in Piedras Negras, Additional reporting by Isabel Woodford and Kylie Madry in Mexico City, Writing by Isabel Woodford, Editing by Valentine Hilaire and Michael Perry)

By Ange Kasongo

KINSHASA (Reuters) – Democratic Republic of Congo opposition leader Martin Fayulu confirmed on Saturday he will submit his candidacy for the December presidential election, where he is expected to be one of the main challengers to President Felix Tshisekedi.

The 66-year-old former Exxon Mobil executive came second to Tshisekedi in the contentious 2018 election.

His party, the Engagement for Citizenship and Development party, the African Union and Congo’s influential Catholic Church questioned the outcome and Fayulu challenged the results in court.

Since then he has remained a vocal critic of Tshisekedi’s presidency, threatening to boycott the Dec. 20 ballot in protest at alleged fraud linked to the voter list – a decision he now says would have played into his opponents hands.

“Many preferred for me to stay away, the better to cheat,” he told a news conference in the capital Kinshasa, saying he would formally register his candidacy with the election commission on Oct. 4.

In an effort to allow greater scrutiny, his party is pushing for election results to be announced by polling station unlike the 2018 vote, which pre-election polls had predicted Fayulu would win by a landslide.

“We will continue to fight for transparency in the elections, and if we don’t have transparency in the electoral register, we will have it in the monitoring of the elections,” Fayulu said.

TSHISEKEDI EXPECTED TO RUN AGAIN

Tshisekedi, the son of Congo’s beloved long-term opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi, says he won the 2018 election fairly. He promised to root out corruption and authoritarianism and has rejected accusations by rights groups and critics that he has fallen short on this goal.

The ruling coalition is set to confirm Tshisekedi as its presidential candidate in a ceremony on Sunday.

Responding to criticism of the electoral list, Congo’s electoral body in May hired international experts to conduct a review, and they declared it reliable. But the United States, the European Union and other Western powers have jointly expressed concern about the handling of the audit.

The lead-up to the polls has been tense for months, with several opposition candidates complaining of delays and issues with electoral process which they say disadvantage them.

In May, security forces fired tear gas and fought running battles in the streets with anti-government protesters demonstrating over alleged the irregularities in voter registration.

(Reporting by Ange Kasongo Additional reporting by Justin Makangara; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

By David Morgan and Makini Brice

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is expected to urge Republicans on Saturday to back a short-term funding bill with disaster relief that could avert a partial government shutdown by gaining support from Democrats, a source familiar with the plan said.

The source, who asked not to be named in order to discuss internal deliberations, described the move as a “Hail Mary pass.” It will test McCarthy’s hold over his narrow 221-212 majority.

Republican lawmakers on Friday blocked another stopgap bill, known as a “continuing resolution” or CR. That bill included multiple conservative policy additions that Democrats opposed, while the new bill likely would be a so-called clean CR without those additions, which could win Democratic support.

Infighting among Republicans who control the House of Representatives has pushed the United States to the brink of its fourth partial shutdown in a decade, as the chamber has been unable to pass legislation that would keep the government open beyond the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year.

On the other side of the Capitol, the Democratic-controlled Senate is due to advance a stopgap funding bill, but a final vote might not come for days.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees will lack the funding to do their jobs if the two chambers do not send a spending bill for Democratic President Joe Biden to sign into law by 12:01 a.m. (0401 GMT) on Sunday.

Federal agencies have already drawn up detailed plans that spell out what services must continue, like airport screening and border patrols, and what must shut down, like scientific research and nutrition aid to 7 million poor mothers.

Most of the government’s 4 million-plus employees would not get paid, whether they were working or not.

In Atlanta, festivities for former President Jimmy Carter’s 99th birthday were moved up from Sunday to Saturday to avoid disruption, according to local media.

The standoff comes just months after Congress brought the federal government to the brink of defaulting on its $31.4 trillion debt. The drama has raised worries on Wall Street, where the Moody’s ratings agency has warned it could damage U.S. creditworthiness.

Congress typically passes stopgap spending bills to buy more time to negotiate the detailed legislation that sets funding for federal programs.

This year, a group of Republicans has blocked action in the House as they have pressed to tighten immigration and cut spending below levels agreed to in the debt-ceiling standoff last spring.

On Friday, 21 Republicans joined with Democrats to defeat legislation that reflected those demands, saying the chamber should focus instead on passing detailed spending bills for the full fiscal year, even if it leads to a shutdown in the near term.

That angered other Republicans, who said they had blown an opportunity to advance conservative policies.

“There’s a lot of frustration growing with the 21 individuals who chose to vote ‘no’ on what was a very good plan,” Republican Representative Nicole Malliotakis of New York said on Friday.

McCarthy said on Friday the chamber might try to rely on Democrats to help pass a stopgap bill that would continue funding at current levels, even though that could prompt a challenge to his leadership from hardliners. He did not provide further details.

The Senate is due to hold a procedural vote at 1:00 p.m. (1700 GMT) to extend government funding through Nov. 17. It enjoys wide support from Republicans and Democrats, but the chamber’s numerous hurdles mean that a vote on final passage could be delayed until Tuesday.

Even if that passes, the two chambers would have to resolve their differences before sending any bill to Biden’s desk. That could pose another hurdle, as McCarthy said he opposed $6 billion in Ukraine aid included in the Senate bill.

“We continue to try to find a way out of this,” he said on Friday.

(Reporting by David Morgan and Makini Brice, Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone and Andrea Ricci)

MILAN (Reuters) – Italy’s coast guard rescued 177 people including 27 crew from a ferry that caught fire travelling from the Italian island of Lampedusa to Porto Empedocle in Sicily, it said on Saturday.

The ferry’s passengers included 83 migrants being transferred from Lampedusa, a coast guard statement said.

All passengers were transferred to a coast guard vessel and are on their way to Porto Empedocle, except three who are returning to Lampedusa. During the rescue the coast guard used water jets to cool parts of the ferry affected by the fire, which broke out in the engine room late on Friday night.

(Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro; Editing by William Maclean)

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Saturday further cemented his legacy, elevating 21 prelates to the high rank of cardinal and significantly raising the percentage of electors chosen by him who will have the right to vote for his successor.

At a ceremony in St. Peter’s Square known as a consistory, Francis “created” 21 new cardinals, the red-hatted “princes of the Church” who are his closest advisers at the Vatican and around the world.

There are now 137 cardinal electors, about 73 percent of them chosen by Francis. This increases – but does not guarantee – the possibility that the next pope will share his vision of a more progressive, inclusive Church.

Eighteen of the 21 are under the age of 80 and thus eligible under Church law to enter a secret conclave to elect the next pope after Francis’ death or resignation. They are known as cardinal electors. The three 80 or over were given the honour because of their long service to the Church.

The new cardinals come from the U.S., France, Italy, Argentina, Switzerland, South Africa, Spain, Colombia, South Sudan, Hong Kong, Poland, Malaysia, Tanzania, Venezuela, and Portugal.

South Sudan got its first cardinal and Malaysia got the second in its history, a continuation of Francis’ policy of giving more recognition to places he has called the “peripheries” of the world, often those racked by war or where Catholics are a minority.

KEY APPOINTMENTS

One significant appointment is that of Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-Yan of Hong Kong. Chow is one of the major links to the Catholic Church in communist China, where the Vatican is trying to improve conditions for Catholics. The bishop made a historic visit to Beijing in April.

Another is that of Italian Bishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Francis’ apostolic administrator in the Holy Land, where the Vatican fears that the historical presence of Christians is under threat.

“Diversity is necessary; it is indispensable,” Francis said in his homily at the service, during which each new cardinal received a ring of office and the red, three-blade hat known as a “biretta”.

It was the pope’s ninth consistory since his election in 2013 and continued changes over the past decade, during which the percentage of Asian and African cardinal electors has grown while that of those from Europe has fallen.

Francis turns 87 in December and whether he convokes another consistory next year or in 2025 depends on how long he lives. While he uses a wheelchair and a cane and has undergone several operations, overall he has not slowed down and still keeps a busy schedule.

On October 4, he will open a month-long major meeting in the Vatican, known as a synod, that could chart the Church’s future.

In his homily on Saturday morning he called for “an ever more symphonic and synodal Church”.

Using the metaphor of an orchestra, Francis appeared to refer to divisions between progressives and conservatives in the 1.3 billion member Church, saying one section or instrument cannot play alone or drown out the others.

It was his job, as “conductor” to listen and try to achieve a “creative fidelity”.

The Oct. 4-29 synod has been in preparation for two years, during which Catholics around the world were asked about their vision for the future of the Church.

Proponents have welcomed the consultations as an opportunity to change the Church’s power dynamics and give a greater voice to lay Catholics, including women, and people on the margins of society.

Conservatives say the process has been a waste of time, may erode the hierarchical structure of the nearly 1.3 billion-member Church and in the long run could dilute traditional doctrine. A second final session will be held in 2024.

(This story has been corrected to show that Malaysian is the second in the country’s history, not the first, in paragraph 6)

(Reporting by Philip Pullella, Editing by William Maclean)

By David Morgan and Makini Brice

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is expected to urge Republicans on Saturday to back a short-term funding bill with disaster relief that could avert a partial government shutdown by gaining support from Democrats, a source familiar with the plan said.

The source, who asked not to be named in order to discuss internal deliberations, described the move as a “Hail Mary pass.” It will test McCarthy’s hold over his narrow 221-212 majority.

Republican lawmakers on Friday blocked another stopgap bill, known as a “continuing resolution” or CR. That bill included multiple conservative policy additions that Democrats opposed, while the new bill likely would be a so-called clean CR without those additions, which could win Democratic support.

Infighting among Republicans who control the House of Representatives has pushed the United States to the brink of its fourth partial shutdown in a decade, as the chamber has been unable to pass legislation that would keep the government open beyond the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year.

On the other side of the Capitol, the Democratic-controlled Senate is due to advance a stopgap funding bill, but a final vote might not come for days.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees will lack the funding to do their jobs if the two chambers do not send a spending bill for Democratic President Joe Biden to sign into law by 12:01 a.m. (0401 GMT) on Sunday.

Federal agencies have already drawn up detailed plans that spell out what services must continue, like airport screening and border patrols, and what must shut down, like scientific research and nutrition aid to 7 million poor mothers.

Most of the government’s 4 million-plus employees would not get paid, whether they were working or not.

In Atlanta, festivities for former President Jimmy Carter’s 99th birthday were moved up from Sunday to Saturday to avoid disruption, according to local media.

The standoff comes just months after Congress brought the federal government to the brink of defaulting on its $31.4 trillion debt. The drama has raised worries on Wall Street, where the Moody’s ratings agency has warned it could damage U.S. creditworthiness.

Congress typically passes stopgap spending bills to buy more time to negotiate the detailed legislation that sets funding for federal programs.

This year, a group of Republicans has blocked action in the House as they have pressed to tighten immigration and cut spending below levels agreed to in the debt-ceiling standoff last spring.

On Friday, 21 Republicans joined with Democrats to defeat legislation that reflected those demands, saying the chamber should focus instead on passing detailed spending bills for the full fiscal year, even if it leads to a shutdown in the near term.

That angered other Republicans, who said they had blown an opportunity to advance conservative policies.

“There’s a lot of frustration growing with the 21 individuals who chose to vote ‘no’ on what was a very good plan,” Republican Representative Nicole Malliotakis of New York said on Friday.

McCarthy said on Friday the chamber might try to rely on Democrats to help pass a stopgap bill that would continue funding at current levels, even though that could prompt a challenge to his leadership from hardliners. He did not provide further details.

The Senate is due to hold a procedural vote at 1:00 p.m. (1700 GMT) to extend government funding through Nov. 17. It enjoys wide support from Republicans and Democrats, but the chamber’s numerous hurdles mean that a vote on final passage could be delayed until Tuesday.

Even if that passes, the two chambers would have to resolve their differences before sending any bill to Biden’s desk. That could pose another hurdle, as McCarthy said he opposed $6 billion in Ukraine aid included in the Senate bill.

“We continue to try to find a way out of this,” he said on Friday.

(Reporting by David Morgan and Makini Brice, Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone and Andrea Ricci)

By Mohammed Ghobari

ADEN (Reuters) – Yemen’s national airline will suspend the only international commercial flight from Yemen’s capital Sanaa in response to the Houthi administration blocking the carrier from withdrawing its funds in Sanaa banks, four company executives, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

Yemenia will halt six weekly flights to Jordan in October, the company officials said, after negotiations with the Houthis failed to secure the release of airline funds which executives at the carrier said amounted to $80 million.

Yemenia had proposed the Houthi administration take 70% of the funds while the remaining 30% would go to the internationally recognised government, the sources said.

The Houthi administration rejected the offer which was when the airline decided to suspend flights to Jordan, they added.

Yemenia said in a statement that it had been unable to withdraw its funds in Sanaa banks for several months and called on the Houthi authorities to lift restrictions “illegally” imposed on its assets.

Reuters could not reach the Houthi Ministry of Transport for comment.

Yemenia resumed flights from Sanaa to Amman, Jordan’s capital, in April 2022.

The Houthis, aligned with Iran, ousted a Saudi-backed government from Sanaa in late 2014, and have de facto control of north Yemen, including Sanaa.

(Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari, writing by Alexander Cornwell, editing by Kirsten Donovan)