The United States House of Representatives has voted to advance a bipartisan bill to raise the debt ceiling, which limits the amount of money the federal government can borrow.

After calling for a recorded vote, the House passed the bill 314 – 117 in a late night sitting on Wednesday.

The vote comes as the government approaches the deadline of June 5 to lift the debt ceiling or default on its loans, which prospect experts warn could have devastating effects on the US economy.

But Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy faced a divided party as he rallied votes for the 99-page deal, which would suspend the $31.4 trillion borrowing limit until January 2025.

Far-right members of the Republican Party have blasted the deal since it was announced on Sunday after days of negotiations between congressional representatives and members of President Joe Biden’s Democratic White House.

Among the criticisms was the fact that the proposed spending cuts were not as deep as many Republicans hoped.

(Aljazeera)

Malaysian authorities have seized a Chinese registered dredger suspected of looting the wrecks of British warships that sunk off the east coast of the peninsula during World War II.

The Fuzhou-registered Chuan Hong 68 was detained off the coast of the Malaysian state of Johor on May 28, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said in a statement on Facebook on Tuesday.

In a joint operation with police, officers found 100 unexploded artillery shells on board. Photos released by the agency showed piles of rusted metal on the boat’s deck as well as cranes and cutting equipment.

“Maritime Malaysia (Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency) does not rule out the possibility that this vessel is involved in the theft of old British warship wrecks,” the statement said.

The HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales sank in the South China Sea after being attacked by Japanese fighter aircraft in December 1941. Nearly 850 sailors were killed in one of the worst disasters in British naval history.

(Aljazeera)