Paris Saint-Germain lost only twice in Ligue 1 last season and benefited from a lack of domestic rivalry to also embark on a victorious Champions League campaign.

This French season might be more difficult for coach Luis Enrique and PSG.

The Brazilian government on Wednesday unveiled a plan to support local companies affected by a 50% tariff imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on several of the country's exports.

Dubbed "Sovereign Brazil," the plan provides for a credit lifeline of 30 billion reais ($5.5 billion), among other measures.

China imposed sanctions on two Lithuanian banks in what it said was retaliation for the European Union including two Chinese financial institutions in its latest round of sanctions against Russia.

Lithuania's UAB Urbo Bankas and Mano Bankas AB are prohibited from having any cooperation with individuals or institutions in China, according to a statement Wednesday from the Ministry of Commerce.

Britain's economy slowed down during the second quarter of the year in the face of higher taxes on businesses and global tariff uncertainties, but growth came in higher than anticipated, official figures showed Thursday.

The Office for National Statistics said output expanded by 0.3% during the second quarter from the previous three-month period, largely as a result of a strong performance in June.

Human Rights Watch alleged Thursday that an Israeli airstrike on a notorious Iranian prison was "an apparent war crime", while also accusing Tehran of harming and disappearing prisoners after the attack.

Israel struck Evin Prison in Tehran, one of Iran's most notorious detention facilities for political activists and dissidents, on June 23, during its 12-day war with the Islamic Republic.

The leader of the small Baha'i community in Qatar was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison for social media posts that allegedly "cast doubt on the foundations of the Islamic religion," according to court documents obtained by an international Baha'i organization monitoring the case.

A three-judge panel of Qatar's Supreme Judiciary Council issued the verdict against Remy Rowhani, 71, who has been detained since April, according to documents provided to The Associated Press by the Baha'i International Community office in Geneva, Switzerland.

The U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska is happening where East meets West — quite literally — in a place familiar to both countries as a Cold War front line of missile defense, radar outposts and intelligence gathering.

Whether it can lead to a deal to produce peace in Ukraine more than 3 1/2 years after Moscow's invasion remains to be seen.

Markets are largely unchanged early Thursday ahead of a key meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin this week.

Futures for the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq all ticked down less than 0.1% before the opening bell.

Israel's far-right finance minister announced approval of contentious new settlement construction in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Thursday, which Palestinians and rights groups worry will scuttle plans for a future Palestinian state by effectively cutting the West Bank into two separate parts.

The announcement comes as many countries, including Australia, Britain, France, and Canada said they would recognize a Palestinian state in September.

More than 100 nonprofit groups warned Thursday that Israel's rules for aid groups working in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank will block much-needed relief and replace independent organizations with those that serve Israel's political and military agenda — charges that Israel denied.

At the same time, hospital officials reported more deaths from Israeli airstrikes and an increasing toll from malnutrition. The mounting backlash over aid restrictions and the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza has been cited by several countries as a factor in their moves toward recognizing Palestinian statehood.