Russia Inflation Watch: Russia’s central bank says June’s fuel-driven inflation surge is spreading beyond petrol stations, raising forecasts for inflation and rates and dimming hopes for easier policy. Gold & Oil: Gold slid as Middle East escalation revived oil-price worries and kept rate expectations firm; spot gold fell 0.6% while oil extended gains after strikes tied to Iran tensions. UK Growth Check: The UK economy eked out 0.1% growth in May, helped by services but still fragile amid Iran-war uncertainty and higher energy costs. Global Outlook: Moody’s Analytics expects world growth to slow to 2.5% by 2026 as inflation, tensions and trade frictions weigh on demand. China Mixed Signals: China reported 4.7% H1 growth with exports and high-tech supporting momentum, but demand and investment gaps point to a “two-speed” economy. India Transport Policy: India’s Power Ministry circulated draft CAFE-III norms, tightening fuel-efficiency targets from 2027-28 and adding EV and biofuel incentives. Digital Payments Push (Pakistan): Pakistan targets 100% digital remittances, expanding QR and mobile banking to boost transparency and cashless activity. Energy M&A (US): Regulators are urged to approve Dominion’s $67B deal with NextEra, aiming to build a major regulated utility as data-center demand rises. Space Funding (Switzerland): SWISSto12 closed a $70M Series C to scale multi-orbit satellite capacity. SME Tax Pressure (UK): New research finds 22% of SMEs fear they’ll be forced out over tax-payment problems, with many missing deadlines.