US House Passes Debt Ceiling Bill in Crucial Step to Avert Historic Default

By Lauren Fedor | Financial Times (free)

The House of Representatives has passed a bill to raise the U.S. debt ceiling, a victory for Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy that brings Washington closer to averting a historic default.

NATO Squabbles Over Speedy Accession of Ukraine as Decisive Summit Looms

By Sabine Siebold and Gwladys Fouche | Reuters (registration required)

Moscow cannot stop Ukraine from becoming a NATO member, the alliance’s chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday, as divisions among allies about the speed of Kyiv’s accession became apparent only weeks before a decisive mid-July summit in Vilnius.

Chile Closes State Copper Smelter That Polluted Bay for Decades

By Eva Vergara | Associated Press (free)

Chile’s state-owned copper mining giant Codelco on Wednesday shut down its Ventanas copper smelter after decades of polluting Quintero Bay with toxic gases and turning it, along with 15 other companies, into what environmentalists called a “sacrifice zone.”

More from WPR: ‘Green Jobs’ Alone Are No Magic Bullet for Chile’s Informal Economy

European Summit in Moldova Tackles Ukraine War, Regional Conflicts

By Justin Spike | Associated Press (free)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took his quest for more arms and support to a sprawling summit of some 50 European leaders in Moldova on Thursday, becoming the focal point of an event that seeks to quell regional conflicts and shore up unity in the face of Russia’s war.

Nigeria President’s Move to End Petrol Subsidies Sparks Chaos

By Aanu Adeoye | Financial Times

A proposal by Nigeria’s new president to remove costly fuel subsidies has sparked a rush to snap up cheap petrol and led to long queues outside gas stations across Africa’s most populous country.

More from WPR: For Nigeria, Spiking Global Oil Prices Are More Headache Than Windfall

As Iran Seizes Tankers in Gulf, U.A.E. Pulls Back From U.S.-Led Maritime Force

By Vivian Nereim | The New York Times

The United Arab Emirates announced on Wednesday that it had stopped participating in a maritime security force led by the United States, the latest hint of tensions between Washington and key Persian Gulf allies who complain that America has not done enough to protect them from Iranian threats.

More from WPR: Iran and Saudi Arabia Battle for Supremacy in the Middle East