MOSCOW / AP Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has reacted angrily to comments of US Secretary of Defense James Mattis who on Wednesday spoke of the need to negotiate with Russia “from a position of strength. The statement came just hours before Gen. Joe Dunford and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the US and Russian Chiefs of Staff, were to hold ...

  BRUSSELS / AP Germany has signed a series of agreements with its NATO partners to jointly buy transport aircraft and submarines and develop new weapons. Details of the agreements seen by The Associated Press Thursday show Germany aims to buy eight Airbus A330 transport planes along with the Netherlands and Luxembourg if Norway and Belgium also sign up. NATO ...

  NICOSIA / AP The leader of ethnically divided Cyprus’ breakaway Turkish Cypriots has walked out of a meeting with the Greek Cypriot president amid ongoing reunification talks. It’s unclear why Mustafa Akinci left Thursday’s meeting with Nicos Anastasiades and what this means to the months-long peace process. Tensions have been high this week following strong Turkish Cypriot protests against ...

  YANGON / AP Myanmar’s national security adviser says the military has ended its four-month counterinsurgency operation in troubled Rakhine state, where it had been accused of rape, torture and other abuses against Muslim Rohingya minority residents. A statement issued on Thursday by the office of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi quoted newly appointed national security adviser Thaung Tan ...

  WASHINGTON / AP David Friedman, the firebrand attorney President Donald Trump picked to be his ambassador to Israel, faces a rocky confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after Trump signaled a dramatic shift in strategy for pursuing peace in the Middle East. Friedman’s hearing, scheduled for Thursday, already promised to be contentious. The son of an Orthodox ...

  KUALA LUMPUR / AP Malaysian authorities on Thursday announced the second and third arrests in the death of the North Korean leader’s half brother, whose apparent assassination this week unleashed tales of spectacular intrigue: a pair of women assailants, a broad-daylight killing and a dictator-sibling out for blood. But investigators were still piecing together details of the case, which ...

  MOGADISHU / AP The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility on Thursday for a mortar attack outside the presidential palace during a handover ceremony for the country’s new leader, a sign of the enormous security challenges he faces in trying to develop this long-chaotic country. The blasts were heard during the ceremony for President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo. The SITE ...

  Bloomberg The six largest US banks could see annual profit jump by an average of 14 percent if President Donald Trump delivers on his promise to cut corporate taxes. The lenders, which stand to benefit more than other industries because they typically have fewer deductions, could save a combined $12 billion a year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. ...

  Bloomberg Italy’s parliament approved a law to plow as much as 20 billion euros ($21 billion) into Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA and other troubled lenders as part of the nation’s efforts to revamp its banking industry. The lower house gave its final approval to the legislation Thursday, converting the decree law passed by Prime Minister Paolo ...

  Bloomberg UBS Group AG’s Asia-Pacific investment-banking bonus pool fell about 15 percent after profit at the division slumped in the region in 2016, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The decline compares with a strong previous year, when the pool rose 20 percent, the person said, asking not to be identified because the figures are confidential. ...