Axios

A resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh may hamper apparel production for H&M and other retailers, a new report suggests. 

Why it matters: Bangladesh is one of the biggest ready-made garment manufacturers in the world. The latest rise in cases is due in part to the Delta variant, which is spreading rapidly.

The Department of Transportation issued an order Tuesday proposing restrictions on the sale of passenger airline tickets between the U.S. and Belarus.

Why it matters: The move follows Belarus' decision last month to divert a commercial Ryanair flight in order to detain journalist and opposition leader Raman Pratasevich.

Venezuelan migrants are crossing the southern border along the Rio Grande into Texas in record numbers as they look to escape the political, social and economic crisis in their home country, AP reports.

By the numbers: A total of 7,484 Venezuelans were approached by U.S. Border Patrol agents in May at the southern border — "more than all 14 years for which records exist," AP writes.

The U.N.'s human rights investigator in Iran on Monday told Reuters he supports an independent probe into alleged state-ordered executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988, and President-elect Ebrahim Raisi's role as Tehran deputy prosecutor.

The big picture: Javaid Rehman, a U.N. investigator, said that his office has received testimonies and evidence over the years relating to the mass executions that took place under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

South Africa's highest court Tuesday sentenced former president Jacob Zuma to 15 months in prison, ordering him to be arrested on contempt after failing to appear at an inquiry into corruption while he was president, the New York Times reports.

The big picture: Zuma's presidency — from 2009 to 2018 — was tainted by financial scandals, corruption and mismanagement, per the New York Times.

Abu Dhabi will soon only allow adults vaccinated against COVID-19 in public places including schools, universities, shopping centers and gyms — banning anyone who hasn't been inoculated against the virus unless they've a valid reason.

The big picture: United Arab Emirates authorities said in a Twitter post Monday they're taking the action, effective Aug. 20, to "preserve public health" after vaccinating 93% of "target groups." Anyone in the UAE capital under 16 will be exempt from the rule, which doesn't apply to retailers selling essential goods, such as supermarkets and pharmacies.

American troops in northeast Syria came under fire from "multiple rockets" Monday evening, a spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition said.

What's happening: Col. Wayne Marotto said in a statement there were no injuries to U.S. troops in the attack, an apparent retaliation for Sunday's U.S. air strikes against Iran-backed militias in Syria and Iraq.

The House passed two bills on Monday that would bolster scientific research in an effort to give the U.S. a competitive edge over China.

Why it matters: There have been concerns among lawmakers that the U.S. is being left behind in science and technology innovation as the Chinese Communist Party gains ground — something President Biden noted in his statement welcoming the House legislation Monday.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights on Monday ruled that the Honduran government violated a trans woman's right to life and was responsible for her 2009 murder, according to attorneys in the case.

Why it matters: It's the first case to ask the court whether a government failed to protect a trans person. The court's ruling sets a legal precedent across Latin American, which has the highest concentration of trans murders in the world, activists say.

President Biden assured Israeli President Reuven Rivlin during talks at the White House Monday evening that he won't allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon during his time in office.

Why it matters: The United States' already struggling effort to resurrect the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was made more complicated by last week's election of hardliner Ebrahim Raisi to the Iranian presidency.

The U.S. launched airstrikes Sunday night against three facilities on the Iraq-Syria border, which the Pentagon says Iran-backed militias have been using to carry out drone attacks on U.S. personnel.

Why it matters: The Washington Post reported last month that U.S. officials were growing increasingly alarmed by the use of small, low-flying drones — rather than traditional rocket fire — to covertly strike U.S. targets in Iraq.

Ethiopia's government declared an immediate, unilateral ceasefire in its Tigray region on Monday after nearly eight months of deadly violence, AP reports.

Why it matters: The crisis in Tigray has killed thousands of civilians and displaced 1.7 million people, per the New York Times. Over 900,000 people are facing the world's worst famine in a decade. Government forces have also been accused of ethnic cleansing and sexual violence.

The U.S. and Israel are working to coordinate a White House visit for new Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in July, three Israeli officials and two U.S. sources told me.

Why it matters: It's another sign that the Biden administration wants to help stabilize the new and fragile Israeli government.

In a landmark report released Monday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet urged countries to adopt “transformative agendas" to uproot systematic racism in the wake of the killing of George Floyd last year.

Why it matters: The report, mandated by the Human Rights Council in June 2020, "could not find a single example of a state that has fully reckoned with the past or comprehensively accounted for the impacts of the lives of people of African descent today," one investigator told a news conference Monday.

Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, head of the Social Democratic Party, resigned Monday after losing a no-confidence vote last week and declining to call for snap elections.

The state of play: Löfven will remain as head of Sweden's caretaker government as the parliament speaker begins the process of asking party leaders to attempt to form a new governing coalition.

One year after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong, the city's once-lauded political freedoms have been dramatically curtailed, leaving residents to cope with their home's authoritarian transformation.

Why it matters: By asserting total political control over one of the world's top financial hubs, the Chinese Communist Party is trying to demonstrate that its model of authoritarianism can preserve the wealth of those who agree to toe the party line.

The parties of President Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen failed to win any of France's 12 mainland regions in the country's second round of regional elections Sunday.

Why it matters: The regional polls are seen as a barometer for next year's presidential election. The results suggest that election may end up being wide open, rather than a duel between Macron and Le Pen.

President Biden directed airstrikes on Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region in response to unmanned aerial vehicle attacks, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement Sunday.

Details: U.S. military forces conducted the "defensive precision airstrikes" against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the region on Sunday evening, said Kirby, who stressed the U.S. strikes were legal and in self-defense.

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison was convening an emergency COVID-19 meeting with state and territory leaders Monday afternoon, as outbreaks of the highly contagious Delta variant saw restrictions return across the country.

Why it matters: This is the first time in months that cases have emerged in multiple parts of Australia simultaneously. Some 18 million Australians, roughly 70% of the population, are now under some form of pandemic restriction, Reuters notes.