JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli security officials say they have asked Russia to cancel the imminent sale of an advanced air defense system to Syria.

TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia said on Thursday police had arrested a Libyan "terrorist" trying to enter a southern port with explosives, as security forces wage a nationwide campaign against militants. "The anti-terrorism task force ... arrested on Wednesday a terrorist Libyan trying to enter with a quantity of explosives in Port of Ktef in Ben Guardan," the interior ministry said. ...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A celebrated car customizer who painted James Dean's Porsche and made the "Monkeemobile" for "The Monkees" TV show has died. Dean Jeffries was 80.

LONDON (AP) — The Royal Bank of Scotland says it has named Bruce Van Saun chief executive of Citizens Bank, its U.S. business, ahead of its expected partial stock market flotation.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The foreign minister of Burkino Faso briefly passed out during a live televised news conference with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara.

MILAN (AP) — Ottavio Missoni, the patriarch of the iconic fashion brand of zigzag-patterned knitwear that has added a classy touch of color and style to countless well-dressed women, died Thursday in northern Italy. He was 92.

MADRID (AP) — Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova reached the quarterfinals at the Madrid Open on Thursday, with the two top-ranked players winning in straight sets.

By Jessica Donati and Ghaith Shennib TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A daughter of Muammar Gaddafi's jailed former intelligence chief accused Libya on Thursday of denying him access to a lawyer, family visits and exercise and she likened his detention to "passive torture". Abdullah al-Senussi was one of the late strongman's most feared associates until his 42-year regime was toppled by rebels in 2011. He was handed over to Libya in September by Mauritania, where he had been arrested with a false Malian passport after arriving on a flight from Morocco. ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits fell by 4,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 323,000, a five-year low. Layoffs have returned to pre-recession levels, a trend that could lead to more hiring.

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq on Thursday rejected a key element of an accord to bring an end to a long Kurdish uprising in Turkey — offering refuge to rebel fighters in country's north.

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian church officials say Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II has left for the Vatican, marking the first such visit in 40 years.

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - A mango project in Burkina Faso exporting to Europe will receive the first grant from a new $25 million agriculture fund launched on Thursday that is designed to connect small farmers to international markets. With global food demand expected to grow by at least 70 percent by 2050 and with sub-Saharan Africa home to about 60 percent of the world's unused arable land, experts see African farmers as leading the next agricultural boom. ...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Dubai-based Emirates airline says its annual net profit rose by 52 percent as the carrier's fast growth outpaced rising fuel costs.

CAIRO (Reuters) - The head of the Arab League on Thursday welcomed a new effort by Russia and the United States to seek a negotiated end to Syria's civil war and called on the Syrian government and opposition to participate. "This Russian-American cooperation to work together and directly constitutes a significant and positive development," Nabil Elaraby said in a statement. Moscow and Washington agreed this week to try to bring President Bashar al-Assad's government and his opponents to the negotiating table, but it remains unclear if they will agree. U.S. ...

NEW YORK (AP) — Stock futures edged lower Thursday following an extraordinary streak for U.S. markets this week.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's central government said on Thursday it would not accept armed groups entering its territory as Kurdish militants began withdrawing from Turkey under a peace deal, but Baghdad has no control over its northern border which is run by Iraqi Kurds. Under the nascent peace deal, Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters should cross from Turkey, where they have been fighting for Kurdish rights for three decades, into Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region where they have their headquarters. ...

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Two multinational drugmakers are teaming up with top global health groups to protect millions of girls in the world's poorest countries from deadly cervical cancer.

MILAN (AP) — The Venice Film Festival has announced that Oscar-winning director Bernardo Bertolucci will chair the jury for the 70th Venice Film Festival.

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A Nigerian military helicopter has crashed in the country's oil-rich southern delta, just days after one of its jets crashed.

By Andrei Khalip LISBON (Reuters) - When Nelson Craveiro lost his minimum wage job selling soft drinks last October due to Portugal's raging economic crisis, he dared not imagine that his fluent German would soon get him a better-paying job without the need to emigrate. He now works at a call center helping German clients deal with holiday bookings around the globe. He earns 700 euros ($920) a month, 200 euros more than previously, plus bonuses, and the company covers his rent - a rare perk in Portugal. ...