Japan Consumer Impact: A naphtha shortage tied to the Middle East crisis is starting to hit Japan’s air-conditioner installation pipeline, with contractors warning of material shortfalls and price hikes for refrigerant pipes and wiring. India Retail & Energy: India’s diesel retail cap (200 litres per day) is worrying hospitals, IT parks and data centres that depend on generators, while officials say fuel stocks are adequate and the move targets hoarding. India Macro: ICICI Bank Global Markets expects inflation to edge toward 5% in FY27, with food and fuel risks keeping rate-hike pressure alive. India Russia Energy: CREA says India remains the world’s second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels, importing about €5.8bn in May as refiners boost discounted crude purchases. South Asia Growth: The World Bank forecasts South Asia growth softening to 6.3% in 2026 as conflict-related energy and trade disruptions weigh on demand. China Trade & Payments: China’s garment and accessory exports stayed steady while the digital yuan upgrade aims to expand cross-border settlement and chip away at dollar dominance. Food & Nutrition: Global demand for high-protein products is outpacing whey protein supply, pushing prices higher. Indonesia Consumer Policy: Indonesia’s graded nutrition labels for sugar, salt and fat face scepticism from consumers and small businesses over testing and consistent implementation. Japan Tourism Finance: More Japanese local governments are adding accommodation taxes to fund tourism and manage visitor inflows. AI Policy Shock (India): Anthropic’s US export limits on new AI models are reigniting India’s push for sovereign AI and debate over reliance on foreign tech. Rare Earth Geopolitics: The US House passed the DOMINANCE Act to reduce China’s near-total control of rare-earth processing via allied supply hubs.