Joe Biden invites 40 world leaders to virtual summit on climate crisis

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin among invitees as US heralds return to forefront of climate fight

Joe Biden has invited 40 world leaders to a virtual summit on the climate crisis, the White House said in a statement on Friday.

Heads of state, including Xi Jinping of China and Russia's Vladimir Putin, have been asked to attend the two-day meeting meant to mark Washington's return to the front lines of the fight against human-caused climate change, after Donald Trump disengaged from the process.