Israel is set to sign (CNN) agreements to normalize diplomatic ties with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in a White House ceremony today. The Bahrain-Israel deal will be primarily declarative (National) and less detailed than the Israel-UAE deal, according to an unnamed U.S. official.
 
The agreements, championed by the Donald J. Trump administration, offer all three countries political and economic advantages (FT). But they have been roundly rejected by Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fatah, that have recently coalesced in opposition (Al Jazeera). Protests are planned today in Gaza and the West Bank and outside embassies around the world.

The United States banned imports (WaPo) of goods, including apparel and electronics, from five Chinese entities that allegedly use forced labor in the Xinjiang region. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused the United States (SCMP) of “sabotaging global supply chains.”
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at China’s repression of Uighurs in Xinjiang.
 
Vietnam: A court issued prison sentences (AFP) to four people and suspended sentences to three others in connection with the deaths of thirty-nine Vietnamese migrants last year, according to state media. The victims’ bodies were discovered in a truck near London.

The Afghan government strengthened its push (RFE/RL) for a cease-fire with the Taliban as historic peace talks between the two continue in Qatar. The Taliban has previously resisted calls for a long-term cease-fire.
 
CFR’s Center for Preventive Action explains the Afghan peace negotiations.
 
Pakistan: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said authorities detained (Dawn) one of two suspects for the rape of a woman near Lahore in an attack that shocked Pakistan (WaPo) last week. The man confessed, and his DNA matched samples from the crime scene, Buzdar said. The second suspect remains at large.

A court handed (Haaretz) a Jewish settler three life sentences plus additional time in prison for a 2015 firebomb attack that killed three Palestinians, including a toddler. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the attack (NYT) an act of terrorism.

The Ivory Coast’s Constitutional Council allowed President Alassane Ouattara to seek a third term (DW), which critics say would violate the constitution. The court also blocked some Ouattara opponents, including former President Laurent Gbagbo, from running in the country’s October election. Violent protests erupted in several cities.
 
Rwanda: Paul Rusesabagina, whose actions during the Rwandan genocide inspired the film Hotel Rwanda, appeared in court (RFI) to face twelve charges, including terrorism. Rusesabagina, a critic of President Paul Kagame, was detained last month under contested circumstances.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a $1.5 billion loan (FT) to Belarus. He also said Russia would hold military exercises with Belarus “practically every month.” Putin met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko yesterday amid unrest in Belarus over its disputed election.
 
CFR’s Stephen Sestanovich explains why Putin shouldn’t save Lukashenko.
 
United Kingdom: The House of Commons handily passed (BBC) a controversial bill that seeks to override parts of the Brexit agreement, including safeguards for Northern Ireland, which would violate international law. Voting on amendments to the bill will start next week (Politico).

The Venezuelan government claimed it foiled a plot (WaPo) to blow up oil and power facilities. The government said it detained eight alleged participants, including a U.S. citizen whom Attorney General Tarek William Saab accused of espionage.
 
Brazil: Prosecutors charged former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva with money laundering, alleging he accepted bribes (MercoPress) from construction company Odebrecht in return for contracts with Brazil’s state oil company. His attorneys said prosecutors have no evidence.
 
This CFR Backgrounder explains Brazil’s corruption fallout.

Wildfires continue to blaze across California, Oregon, and Washington, and have killed more than two dozen people. President Trump visited California (FT), where he told state officials that poor forest management, not climate change, was to blame for the fires.