WORLD NEWS FLASH
UNITED STATES
Unless there is a miracle past deadline, by the time you read this, the United States of America will still be stuck in neutral.
That is because by the laws of the nation, business in the House of Representatives cannot be conducted unless there is a Speaker of the House. The holdup involves everything, from getting laws passed to appointing committees to simply swearing in members, which includes the much maligned George Santos (R-New York).
The issue in question surrounds one-time House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) who, thanks to the Republicans claiming a majority in the 2022 Midterms, feels he should be Speaker again. However, after six rounds of voting as of 4 p.m. Jan. 4, he was unable to secure the 218 votes needed to clinch the job.
While former President Trump has endorsed McCarthy for the post, at least 20 Republicans have spoken out against the former Speaker, either demanding concessions to his power or just flat out not liking the guy. In order to be Speaker, McCarthy cannot have more than four defectors.
Meanwhile, President Biden has come out and said that the impasse makes America look bad on the world stage.
The impasse is the first time in over 100 years that a Speaker vote dragged out past one round of voting.
WORLD
POPE BENEDICT XVI (1927-2022)
The UN chief paid tribute to Pope Emeritus Benedict on Dec. 31, who has died, aged 95, after standing down as head of the Catholic Church nearly a decade ago, due to ill health.
Secretary-General António Guterres said he had learned of his passing, “with great sadness,” describing him as a “humble man of prayer and study.”
“Principled in his faith, tireless in his pursuit of peace, and determined in his defense of human rights, he was a spiritual guide to millions across the world and one of the leading academic theologians of our time.”
Ascending to the papacy following his election in 2005, Pope Benedict XVI, formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, became the first pope to step down in six centuries. The Vatican announced that the celebrated German theologian’s funeral will take place in St. Peter’s Square.
His successor, Pope Francis, told a New Year’s Eve service in the Vatican that Benedict would be fondly remembered “with emotion, we remember his person, so noble, so kind. And we feel in our hearts so much gratitude.”
In his statement, Mr. Guterres recalled the former pontiff’s 2008 visit to UN Headquarters, and his appeal for “building international relations in a way that allows every person and every people to feel they can make a difference.”
The UN chief said his “powerful calls for solidarity with marginalized people everywhere and his urgent appeals to close the widening gap between rich and poor are more relevant than ever.”
The Secretary-General offered his deepest condolences to all Catholics “and others around the world who were inspired by his life of prayer and tenacious commitment to non-violence and peace.”
According to news reports, Benedict’s body will be laid in St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday, allowing the Catholic faithful the opportunity to file past and pay their respects.
Benedict was ordained in 1951 and became archbishop of Munich and Freising in 1977. Four years later he took on the powerful job of enforcer in the Vatican, defending church orthodoxy, as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
When he resigned in 2013, citing his ailing health, he said that he had done so freely “for the good of the church,” and retired to live out his days in a monastery that lay within the ground of the Vatican.
Benedict’s end occurred during a spate of several notable deaths, including soccer (football) legend Pele at the age of 82 and news icon Barbara Walters at the age of 93.
ASIA
CHINA COVID-19 SURGE DRAWS CONCERN
After the U.S. made travel restrictions on those entering from a superpower nation, the UN has its own concerns.
As COVID-19 infections surge in China, coronavirus experts gathered at the UN health agency on Tuesday, to discuss next steps.
In Geneva, a spokesperson for the WHO confirmed during a scheduled press briefing that Chinese scientists had been invited to participate in a meeting of the Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 (TAG).
The 30-strong expert group was formed in June 2020 to advise the UN health agency and Member States on coronavirus mutations and variants. The group’s last meeting was in October.
In an earlier statement, WHO said that Chinese scientists had been invited to present detailed data on viral sequencing to the expert meeting at WHO headquarters in Geneva.
The development follows a “high-level” encounter last Friday between the WHO and Chinese health officials, who were asked to share further information about China’s COVID-19 strategy.
“High-level officials from China’s National Health Commission and the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration briefed WHO on China’s evolving strategy and actions in the areas of epidemiology, monitoring of variants, vaccination, clinical care, communication and R&D,” WHO explained.
The UN agency in particular called on Chinese authorities to strengthen viral sequencing, clinical management and impact assessment of its COVID surge.
“WHO again asked for regular sharing of specific and real-time data on the epidemiological situation,” it noted, “including more genetic sequencing data, data on disease impact including hospitalizations, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and deaths – and data on vaccinations delivered and vaccination status, especially in vulnerable people and those over 60 years old.”
In addition to offering the UN health agency’s support in these areas, the WHO statement reiterated the importance of vaccination and boosters “to protect against severe disease and death for people at higher risk.”
The organization also offered to help counter vaccine hesitancy in China, where there has been a reported move away from the longstanding “zero COVID” policy.
UKRAINE
A NEW YEAR’S ONSLAUGHT
The New Year holiday period witnessed a fresh surge of deadly attacks by Russian forces in Ukraine, Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists on Jan. 3.
Citing UN humanitarian colleagues, he informed the media at the regular daily press briefing that intensified violence in different regions of the war-torn country caused “multiple civilian casualties,” which included children and journalists.
“Ukrainian authorities reported more than 50 civilian casualties on December 31st alone,” said Mr. Haq.
The latest attacks on the capital Kyiv, damaged a hotel, residential homes, and several education facilities, including a university.
And on Dec. 31, during hostilities in the Kherson region, two children were injured – one of them a 13-year-old boy who was evacuated to the children’s hospital in Kherson, which itself was shelled in the early hours of New Year’s Day, said Mr. Haq, citing the regional governor.
Moreover, intensive fighting also continues in eastern Donetsk and the Luhansk region, with civilian casualties and infrastructure damage reported “on both sides of the front line.”
“Despite continued attacks we, along with our humanitarian partners, continue to deliver support to the people in need in the most impacted communities,” said the UN Deputy Spokesperson.
He went on to outline some of the life-saving assistance being delivered by the Organization as the fighting continues.
“On Dec. 28, an inter-agency convoy delivered food, water, blankets, emergency shelter kits and other supplies from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), UNICEF (UN Children’s Fund) and the World Food Program (WHO) to the front-line towns of Lyman and Sviatohirsk in Donetska oblast.”
Both communities have been exposed to heavy fighting, which has destroyed houses, demolished critical infrastructure, and decimated access to basic services.
“The people who still live in these areas are mostly the elderly and people with limited mobility.”
