Chinese state media issued a seven-point rebuttal to US calls for Beijing to wind back its rare earth controls, as both sides struggle to move beyond a volley of barbs and accusations of blindsiding the other.

Fossil fuels still power much of the world, even though renewable energy has become cheaper in most places and avoids both pollution and the climate damage caused by burning coal, oil and natural gas.

An airstrike targeting TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud in Kabul failed, intensifying border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mehsud, credited with rebuilding the TTP, has shifted tactics to target the Pakistani army, fueling a renewed insurgency from his sanctuary in Afghanistan.