The U.S. ambassador to Israel said on the 18th that Israeli forces need not withdraw from the Gaza Strip until Hamas is "completely disarmed." He denied reports of a clash on the 17th between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Jared Kushner over the next phase of a Gaza peace plan, saying the U.S. does not expect Israel to withdraw while Hamas still holds weapons. He added the U.S. and Israel have reached a "good" agreement. President Trump has said Hamas must be disarmed and barred from future Gaza g

U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said Turkey did not receive prior warning of Israeli airstrikes and could reasonably have prepared to respond.

Fitch unit India Ratings & Research (Ind‑Ra) forecasts India GDP slowing to 6.8% in FY2026‑27 from 7.6% a year earlier, citing Middle East conflict‑linked fuel and food inflation risks, a weaker rupee and potential El Nifio damage to agriculture. Ind‑Ra’s quarterly profile is 6.9%/6.6%/6.7%/6.9% for Q1–Q4; the Reserve Bank of India’s forecasts are 7.0%/6.4%/6.5%/6.8%. Ind‑Ra now assumes an FY2026‑27 average oil price of $85/bbl (May view $95) and a rupee average of 93.98 per USD (May: 94.28), implying a 6.4% YoY depreciation. Ind‑Ra chief economist Pant put the basket crude average at $101.31/bbl for Apr–Jun 2026 and $96.49/bbl for Apr–Jul 2026. The agency said lower oil should narrow the trade/current‑account deficit and support growth, but El Nifio‑driven inflation could limit that upside.