Islamic State Chief Is Dead and New One Is Picked. Both Are Unknown

By Ben Hubbard | The New York Times (free)

The jihadists of the Islamic State announced Wednesday that their leader, whose identity had remained shrouded in mystery, had been killed in battle less than nine months after taking charge of the terrorist organization.

Impeachment Edges Closer for South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa

By John Eligon & Lynsey Chutel | The New York Times

Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday moved to the brink of becoming the first South African president to face impeachment after a report found evidence that he might have broken the law in relation to a stash of money stolen at one of his properties.

More from WPR: South Africa—and Ramaphosa—Have an ANC-Sized Corruption Problem

China’s COVID Tsar Says Fight Against Virus Entering ‘New Stage’

By Thomas Hale, Edward White, William Langley & Eleanor Olcott | Financial Times

China’s top zero-COVID enforcer says the fight against the virus has entered a “new stage” while state media have downplayed its risks, bolstering expectations that Beijing is easing its anti-pandemic approach just days after a wave of unrest.

More from WPR: China’s COVID Protests Put the Lie to Xi’s Triumphalism

EU Asks Members to Set Russia Oil-Price Cap at $60

By Laurence Norman | The Wall Street Journal

The European Commission, the European Union’s executive body, has asked the bloc’s 27 member states to approve a price cap on Russian oil of $60 a barrel, according to people familiar with the matter.

Biden’s Meeting With Macron Comes Amid Rising Trans-Atlantic Tensions

By Alan Rappeport, Ana Swanson & Jim Tankersley | The New York Times

The president’s “Made in America” plan has drawn accusations of protectionism from Europe as the United States tries to keep its Western allies aligned against Russia.