National China and the U.S. pledge to step up climate efforts ahead of Biden-Xi summit The nations promised to accelerate efforts to address climate change ahead of a major U.N. meeting on the issue, making plans to cut emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases besides CO2. The Associated Press
Politics Biden and China's Xi will meet next week. Don't expect it to be a game changer The meeting will follow months of back-and-forth diplomacy to smooth over disagreements and set stage for first interaction since they sat down together in Bali, Indonesia last year John Ruwitch Tamara Keith
World A Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of a B-52 bomber, U.S. military says A Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of an American B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea, nearly causing an accident, the U.S. military said. The Associated Press
Politics Citing 'tumultuous times,' the White House is toning down a state dinner for Australia The state visit for Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was planned months ago. But the Middle East crisis prompted the White House to change the tenor of the event. Deepa Shivaram
World Putin begins visit in China, underscoring Moscow's ties with Beijing Russia and China have forged an informal alliance against the United States and other democratic nations that is now complicated by the Israel-Hamas war. The Associated Press
World Making cities 'spongy' could help fight flooding — by steering the water underground Almost all of China's medium and large cities are susceptible to floods. Some experts are promoting a solution called sponge cities — urban landscapes that are softer and meant to absorb more water. John Ruwitch
Latin America Bogotá has some of the worst traffic. It's finally getting a metro, with China's help Colombia's capital is home to 11 million people — and to some of the worst traffic jams in the world. Now Chinese companies are building its first metro line. John Otis
Technology Meta says Chinese, Russian influence operations are among the biggest it's taken down Facebook's parent company says both operations used fake accounts across social media sites to promote Chinese and Russian interests Shannon Bond
Politics The U.S. imports most of its solar panels. A new ruling may make that more expensive The Commerce Department says solar panel makers in four Southeast Asian countries are evading U.S. duties on Chinese solar components. The finding could raise costs in the United States. Eric McDaniel
World China makes it harder for its Muslim citizens to go to Mecca, or anywhere else Chinese Muslims take roundabout trips for their Hajj pilgrimage, trying to circumvent China's tightened surveillance at every turn — and possible arrest on their return, pilgrims and tour leaders say. Emily Feng
