Axios

President Biden said at a COP26 press conference on Tuesday that Chinese leader Xi Jinping made a "big mistake" by not showing up to the UN climate summit, suggesting that Beijing has "lost an ability to influence" other countries as a result.

Why it matters: China is the world's largest source of greenhouse gases, but made no new commitments at COP26.

GLASGOW, Scotland —  As world leaders departed Glasgow on Tuesday, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson contended that the crucial COP26 climate summit was producing real progress, but there was “a very long way to go” to make it a success.

Why it matters: Johnson is hosting the most significant climate gathering since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, but the early gains have been at the margins and not on the scale envisioned by many participants in a conference Johnson has called the “last, best hope” to save the planet. Now, the negotiating phase really begins.

Public celebrations of Día de Muertos, underway in Mexico and parts of Latin America, are increasingly falling under the influence of Hollywood.

Why it matters: Movies popularizing the festivities are changing Indigenous traditions that date back 3,000 years. The changes could “muddle” the holiday so much that future generations may not be familiar enough with their roots, says anthropologist Tomás Pérez Suárez.

Swiss prosecutors on Tuesday charged former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini with fraud and other criminal offenses stemming from a multimillion-dollar payment in 2011.

The big picture: Switzerland's attorney general's office accused Blatter of unlawfully arranging payment of 2 million Swiss francs from FIFA to Platini.

China's new Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) took effect yesterday, and it's likely to change the private data protection landscape in China and beyond.

The big picture: The law is part of the Chinese government's ongoing campaign to assert control over data and it's also a response to growing calls within China for stronger protection of user data.

CIA Director William Burns met with Russian President Vladimir Putin's top national security adviser in Moscow on Tuesday, according to a brief statement from Russia's Security Council.

Why it matters: U.S.-Russia tensions remain high, with the State Department warning last week that it will be forced to maintain only a "caretaker presence" in Moscow after the Russian government banned the U.S. embassy from employing local staff.

Some U.S. progressives say America's China policy is a choice between challenging Beijing's abuses or saving the planet, but some diplomats warn the strategy won't work.

Why it matters: The icy U.S.-China relationship is deepening fears that the world's leaders won't be able to work together to prevent climate catastrophes.

105 world leaders on Tuesday signed onto the Global Methane Pledge, a U.S. and EU joint initiative, to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030 at the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

Why it matters: "Though it's less abundant than longer-lived carbon dioxide, methane is dozens of times more powerful at trapping heat in the atmosphere," Axios' Andrew Freedman reports.

Yahoo it ended its services in China Tuesday because of "the increasingly challenging business and legal environment" in the country, a spokesperson said in a statement.

Why it matters: Yahoo is the latest U.S.-based tech company to stop offering its services in China, where the government's strict control over the internet forces businesses to censor certain information that Beijing has deemed subversive.

On Tuesday, leaders of more than 90 countries will sign the U.S. and E.U.-sponsored Global Methane Pledge, which is designed to cut emissions of the powerful but short-lived planet-warming gas.

Why it matters: The significance of this pledge at the COP26 summit shouldn't be overlooked. Though it's less abundant than longer-lived carbon dioxide, methane is dozens of times more powerful at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

The Biden administration announced Tuesday plans to reduce methane emissions from the gas and oil sector.

Why it matters: For the first time ever, the Environmental Protection Agency would move to regulate new and existing oil and gas operations for methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas, Biden administration officials said at a briefing.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will step down from his role as chief financial officer of parent company ByteDance to "dedicate his time solely" on the short video platform, Reuters first reported.

Why it matters: The move is part of a major overhaul that will also see the creation of six business units, ByteDance CEO and co-founder Rubo Liang said Tuesday in a memo to staff, the details of which were also obtained by Axios.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined protesters Monday at a demonstration outside the COP26 conference to call out world leaders for failing to meet their goals to address global warming.

What they're saying: "No more blah blah blah," said Thunberg, whose solo climate strikes in 2018 gained international attention, said outside the summit. "No more whatever the f--k they're doing inside there."

Glasgow, Scotland — COP26 is barely underway but U.S. special climate envoy John Kerry is already looking ahead to what's next.

What they're saying: "What's really critical is making sure whatever promises and whatever ambition is put on the table here is empowered to execute," Kerry told Axios on the sidelines of the climate change gathering in Scotland.