Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the EU's new round of sanctions on Russia Friday as "essential and timely", as Moscow intensifies strikes after invading his country almost three-and-a-half years ago.

"This decision is essential and timely, especially now, as a response to the fact that Russia has intensified the brutality of the strikes on our cities and villages," Zelensky said on social media.

Lebanese authorities intend to shut down all money exchange firms that deal with Hezbollah and the Central Bank intends to shut down Al-Qard Al-Hasan’s branches across Lebanon, Al-Arabiya’s Al-Hadath channel quoted unnamed sources as saying on Thursday.

PepsiCo reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue in the second quarter despite sluggish North American sales.

Sales of Frito-Lay and other snacks fell 1% in North America during the April-June period, PepsiCo said Thursday, while beverage sales slid 2% in the region.

Japan sank into a trade deficit of 2.2 trillion yen ($15 billion) for the first six month of this year, according to government data released Thursday, as exports were hit by President Donald Trump's tariffs.

In June, Japan's exports slipped 0.5% from a year earlier after its shipments of vehicles and other products were slapped with a 25% tariff. Trump has postponed implementing that higher import duty until Aug. 1, to allow time for negotiations but so far no deal has been reached.

American companies in China are reporting record-low new investment plans for this year and declining confidence in their profitability, with uncertainty in U.S.-China relations and President Donald Trump's tariffs their top concerns, according to a survey released Wednesday.

The companies are also challenged by China's slowing economy, where weak domestic demand and overcapacity in local industries are eroding profitability for the Americans.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are set to sign a treaty on Thursday pledging to tighten defense ties and step up law-enforcement cooperation against gangs that smuggle migrants across the English Channel.

The center-right German leader is in London on his first official visit to Britain since taking office in May. Starmer visited Berlin in August 2024, announcing plans for the U.K.-Germany "friendship and cooperation" treaty with Merz's predecessor, Olaf Scholz.

The Senate has passed about $9 billion in federal spending cuts requested by President Donald Trump, including deep reductions to public broadcasting and foreign aid, moving forward on one of the president's top priorities despite concerns from several Republican senators.

The legislation, which now moves to the House, would have a tiny impact on the nation's rising debt but could have major ramifications for the targeted spending, from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to U.S. food aid programs abroad.

President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday that he plans to place tariffs of over 10% on smaller countries, including nations in Africa and the Caribbean.

"We'll probably set one tariff for all of them," Trump said, adding that it could be "a little over 10% tariff" on goods from at least 100 nations.

U.S. stock indexes are ticking higher on Wednesday following a better-than-expected update on inflation across the country.

The S&P 500 was up 0.2% in early trading and approaching its all-time high set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 170 points, or 0.4%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was hovering around its own record set the day before.

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has described the Lebanese Central Bank’s decision to bar banks and brokerages from dealing with the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Qard Al-Hasan financial institution as a “step in the right direct by the Lebanese government.”