Your Thursday Briefing

Xi rebuffs U.S. climate efforts

John Kerry, the U.S. climate envoy, had traveled to Beijing in hopes of persuading officials there to start reducing China’s carbon emissions on a faster timeline. But after three days of talks, Kerry emerged without any new agreements.

In fact, Xi Jinping, China’s president, insisted in a speech that his country would pursue its goals to phase out carbon dioxide pollution at its own pace — and in its own way. China would not act “under the sway of others,” he said.

Still, Kerry insisted he was not disappointed. He said that just talking showed progress. “We had very frank conversations, but we came here to break new ground,” he said, adding, “It is clear that we are going to need a little more work.”

Analysis: Xi’s comments suggested that tensions between the U.S. and China were making it difficult to work together on the climate crisis.

Sweden’s embassy in Iraq is set afire

Hundreds of protesters stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad early today and set fire to it, Reuters reported. Recent Quran burnings in Sweden have angered many Muslims and also drawn condemnation from Swedish authorities.

Footage shared on social media showed a building identified as the embassy in flames and people holding pieces of the building. The images could not be immediately verified. All embassy staff members were safe, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said, according to Reuters.

The protest was called by supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr, a populist cleric. He had urged hundreds of people in Iraq to protest outside the Baghdad embassy in June, after a man tore up and burned the Quran outside the central mosque in Stockholm on the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

Tragedy before the World Cup

Hours before the Women’s World Cup was set to begin, a gunman killed at least two people in Auckland, New Zealand, and injured five others. The shooting happened just three miles from the stadium where New Zealand is set to open the competition by facing off against Norway.

The shooting occurred very close to Team Norway’s hotel, where many players were sleeping. A spokesman for the team said that “everything is calm” and that “preparations are going as normal.” The team’s captain, Maren Mjelde, said the team had “felt safe the whole time.”

Details: The police said the gunman had been killed, and the commissioner said his motive was believed to have been “connected to his work at the site.” Armed with a shotgun, he had stormed a building under construction.

Other upcoming matches: Australia, the other host country, will face Ireland. Then, Nigeria plays Canada. Here’s a schedule of the matches.

An injury epidemic: Knee problems are sidelining top players. Experts can’t figure out why, or how to fix it.

Newsletter: Sign up for our daily briefing. We’ll bring you analysis and stories from the Women’s World Cup that you won’t see on TV.

Golden retrievers and their human fans come to the Scottish Highlands every five years to celebrate the breed’s founding. This was the largest gathering yet: 488 dogs showed up.

One man, whose last golden had just died, showed up anyway. “I’m an addict,” he said, “and this is where I come to get me fix.”

Lives lived: Dermot Doran, an Irish priest, was a linchpin of the Biafran airlift in Nigeria. It was one of the largest-ever civilian humanitarian efforts. He died at 88 earlier this year.

SPORTS NEWS FROM THE ATHLETIC

An interview with Wayne Rooney: The former England striker opens up to David Ornstein on his managerial dreams, thoughts on Manchester United and hopes for U.S. soccer.

Just Stop Oil’s war on sports: How protests over the climate crisis and other matters have interrupted sporting events around the globe in the past year.

Planning to lift the Claret Jug again: Cameron Smith feels ready to defend the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool after decamping to LIV Golf.

ARTS AND IDEAS

A big swim to celebrate a cleanup

The Hudson River, which runs from the Adirondack Mountains to New York City, could be dangerous to humans: There’s sewage and rats that could lead to infections, and mercury could poison people.

But it used to be much worse. And Lewis Pugh, a British endurance swimmer, plans to swim the whole waterway to celebrate the river’s steady revival — in just a Speedo, a cap and goggles.

During his monthlong swim, Pugh is looking to raise awareness about how toxic waterways can be cleaned up. He wants to prove to people along the Nile, the Seine, the Yangtze or the River Thames that their river can be saved, too.

“I’ve been looking for a river for many, many years which could tell the story about all rivers,” he said. “And always, every single time, it comes back to the Hudson.”

PLAY, WATCH, EAT

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