Bangladesh secured a deal with the United States that would lower tariffs and provide exemptions for some clothing and textile goods, while President Donald Trump threatened to block a new bridge connecting the US and Canada in a separate development. The agreement with the US, announced on Monday, would see Washington cut tariffs on Bangladeshi goods from 20 to 19 percent, in exchange for Dhaka opening its markets to a wider range of American products, according to BBC Business.
The apparel industry is the backbone of Bangladesh, the world's second-largest exporter of clothes after China, BBC Business reported. The South Asian country had been in long-drawn talks with the White House after President Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on global trading partners in April last year.
Meanwhile, Trump threatened to block the Gordie Howe Bridge in a social media post, as reported by The Guardian. He claimed the bridge would only open when the US was fully compensated. The president also made a false claim about increased trade between Canada and China, stating it would include a ban on Canadians playing ice hockey, according to The Guardian.
In other news, more than two million Kenyans faced hunger due to a severe drought, according to the United Nations, as reported by Al Jazeera. Northeastern cattle-raising communities were suffering the most, with images of starving livestock near the Somali border highlighting the devastating impacts of climate change. Shortened rainy seasons have increasingly exposed communities to drought conditions, and animals are often the first casualties, Al Jazeera reported.
In Ukraine, deaths from hypothermia were rising as Russia attacked the energy system, Al Jazeera reported. Residents were seeking refuge in government-run humanitarian aid points to warm up, charge devices, and receive support. One resident, Taira Sluisarenko, described the impact of a Russian drone strike on her apartment building in Kyiv, stating, "I was sitting on the bathroom floor and right away felt the explosion shook us more than usual, shattering windows and outer walls of apartments several storeys above hers," according to Al Jazeera.
Additionally, a heavy Russian drone struck a fast-moving train in northern Ukraine on January 27, killing five, according to Al Jazeera. Such an attack was impossible back in 2022, when Russia started dispatching roaring swarms of Shaheds, the Geran-2s Iranian prototypes, Al Jazeera reported.
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