Anadolu Ajansı © 2026
Here's a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday, including US President Donald Trump saying a deal to end the US-Israeli war on Iran could be signed as soon as this weekend, Britain’s defense secretary resigning after accusing the government of failing to provide the level of defense spending he believed was necessary to meet growing threats, and the Israeli government allocating $51 million to prepare construction plans for 69 illegal settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank.
A deal to permanently end the US-Israeli war on Iran could be signed as soon as this weekend, President Donald Trump said, in a day dominated by whiplash developments.
"We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran, and we’re going to be subject to finalization of documents, which should get done over the next few days. We’ll probably have a signing, maybe in Europe," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump said the signing ceremony "could be soon, very soon, maybe over the weekend" and said Vice President JD Vance will represent the US, as well as negotiators special envoy Steve Witkoff and advisor Jared Kushner.
John Healey has resigned as the UK defense secretary, saying he could no longer remain in the post after the government failed to provide the level of defense spending he believed was necessary to meet growing security threats.
In a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which Healey said he “never expected to write,” the outgoing Cabinet member said a long-awaited defense investment plan did not provide the resources required by the armed forces.
The resignation comes as the defense investment plan has yet to materialize.
The Israeli government allocated 152 million shekels ($51 million) to prepare construction plans for 69 illegal settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said.
The allocation was made during a phone vote by ministers last week, the group said in a statement, adding the government is also preparing a draft resolution to allocate more than 1 billion shekels ($337 million) to establish new illegal settlements and outposts in the occupied territory.
Peace Now said the decision allocates the funds to the Housing Ministry to complete initial planning procedures for the settlements legalized by the government between 2023 and 2025, along with preparing plans to expand settlement building in the West Bank.
The conflict in the Middle East is expected to slow global growth to its lowest rate since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Bank Group said.
In its latest Global Economic Prospects report, the bank forecast global growth to slow to 2.5% in 2026, down from 2.9% in 2025, amid higher energy prices, steeper inflation and increased borrowing costs.
The bank said forecasts for two-thirds of economies had been downgraded compared with January. Global growth is expected to improve to 2.8% in 2027 but remain 0.4 percentage points below the average recorded during the 2010s.
US producer inflation rose more than expected in May, reaching its highest annual level since November 2022, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Producer Price Index (PPI) increased 1.1% in May, the same pace as in April, while accelerating from a 0.7% rise in March.
The monthly figure came above market expectations of a 0.7% increase.
On an annual basis, final demand prices rose 6.5% in May, exceeding market expectations of 6.4%. The annual headline inflation rate was the highest since November 2022, when the index advanced 7.4%.
The European Central Bank (ECB) raised its three key interest rates by 25 basis points, marking its first rate hike since September 2023, as the war in the Middle East fuels renewed inflation pressures through higher energy prices.
The bank increased the deposit facility rate to 2.25%, the main refinancing operations rate to 2.40%, and the marginal lending facility rate to 2.65%, with effect from June 17.
The decision came after the ECB kept its key rate at 2% in its previous seven consecutive meetings.
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