US Tariffs Cut, Bangladesh Clothing Benefits

Bangladesh secured exemptions for some clothing and textiles made with US-produced materials, while also agreeing to open its markets to a wider range of American goods, according to a new agreement announced on Monday. The deal, which also included a reduction in US tariffs on Bangladeshi goods from 20 to 19 percent, comes after long-drawn talks with the White House, as reported by BBC Business.

Meanwhile, in other international developments, Somalia signed a military cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia on Monday, weeks after a similar deal with Qatar, as stated by Al Jazeera. The agreement, signed in Riyadh, aims to garner regional support. Also, Russia warned that Cuba's energy crisis was becoming critical, accusing the United States of using suffocating measures against the island nation, as reported by Al Jazeera. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow was discussing possible solutions to assist Havana.

In Mexico, authorities confirmed that five of ten employees abducted from a Canadian-run mine last month were found dead, according to Al Jazeera. The Attorney General's Office identified the bodies found in El Verde, Sinaloa, and was working to identify the remains of the other five individuals.

In a separate development, a major report warned that businesses risk extinction unless they protect and restore the natural world, as reported by BBC Business. The report, by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (Ipbes), highlighted how companies can shift from harmful approaches to ones that help restore nature. Experts are calling for urgent action to restore the natural systems that keep the economy running.