| Sweeping investment | The Biden administration is likening the magnitude of the president's infrastructure plan to the 1960s space program and 1950s interstate-highway system. Nancy Cook and Jennifer Epstein outline the proposal's targets for transportation and manufacturing as well as clean water and high-speed broadband. - Three House Democrats say they won't support Biden's tax hikes to fund his program unless the plan includes a repeal of the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions.
Pushing back | China refuted criticism of the World Health Organization probe of the origins of the coronavirus in Wuhan, noting experts had concluded it's extremely unlikely the virus leaked from a lab and urging relevant countries to "respect facts." It comes after the White House slammed the WHO report, calling it incomplete and faulting data and access provided to its authors by China. Warming ties | Pakistan's government is set to resume trade with India after it today approved the import of cotton yarn from its bitter rival in the latest sign that tensions are easing between the two nations. Islamabad downgraded diplomatic relations and suspended bilateral trade with India in 2019 after New Delhi revoked autonomy for the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir. The neighbors surprised the world last month with a rare joint commitment to respect a 2003 cease-fire agreement.  Indian Border Security Force personnel and Pakistani Rangers perform during the daily beating of the retreat ceremony at the India-Pakistan Wagah Border Post. Photographer: Narinder Nanu/AFP/Getty Images Spending boost | Saudi Arabia's biggest listed companies, including energy giant Aramco, will reduce their dividends and redirect the money to the local economy as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman tries to get his economic overhaul plan back on track. Twenty-four firms have agreed to contribute 5 trillion riyals ($1.3 trillion) over the next 10 years, which will help diversify the economy of the world's largest oil exporter and create enough jobs for the kingdom's youthful population. Cocaine plot | Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez participated in a violent cocaine conspiracy, a U.S. prosecutor alleged at a hearing that saw the leader's brother sentenced to life in an American prison. Matthew Laroche told a federal court in Manhattan that the Central American nation is being operated as a "virtual narco state." The president dismissed the case as corrupt. What to Watch - French President Emmanuel Macron will address the nation tonight, when he is expected to impose further movement restrictions following a spike in Covid-19 cases.
- A French air strike that killed 22 people allegedly attending a wedding in Mali earlier this year could constitute a violation of international humanitarian law, the United Nations said.
- Italy's Matteo Salvini is expected to meet today with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Polish counterpart, Mateusz Morawiecki, to discuss the formation of a far-right political party.
And finally ... Liberal initiatives introduced by Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha — a 67-year-old former army general and coup leader — could reshape the country's once conservative society. Entrepreneurs are now poised to launch marijuana-infused food and drinks following the introduction of new cannabis laws. It's just one of a raft of changes from abortion rights to same-sex partnerships that Prayuth is pushing as part of his business-friendly image, even as protests against his government continue.  A cannabis plant mascot in Bangkok in January 2020. Photographer: Mladen Antonov/AFP | 
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