United States: The Republican leader Mr. Kevin McCarthy has repeatedly failed in his bid to be an elected Speaker of the US House of Representatives. The House adjourned without a speaker since it had failed to choose a leader after a first-round vote.

In the first two ballots to decide the next speaker, 19 Republicans opposed Mr. McCarthy, leaving him 15 votes short of the 218 needed to win. In the third vote, Mr. McCarthy lost one more supporter, which strengthened the concerns that he would fail to unite his caucus.

The Democrat Mr. Hakeem Jeffries received more votes than McCarthy on the first three ballots. The failed votes marked the first time in 100 years that the majority party in the House has not elected a speaker on its first vote.

“We may have a battle on the floor. But the battle is for the conference and the country, and that’s fine with me,” Mr. McCarthy remarked.

The Republican opposition to Mr. McCarthy has been led by members of the House Freedom Caucus, a hard-right group that has pushed for changes to chamber rules.

Mr. Scott Perry, the Freedom Caucus chair, accused the Republican leader of failing to work in good faith with his group.

“At nearly every turn, we have been sidelined or resisted by Mr. McCarthy and any perceived progress has often been vague or contained loopholes that further amplified concerns as to the sincerity of the promises being made,” Mr. Perry added.

WORLD ROUNDUP: Tesla reports record 1.3 million vehicle deliveries in 2022