The parent company of planemaker Airbus on Tuesday reported an 89 percent gain in fourth-quarter net profit but warned of a “very challenging” year ahead.

The parent company of planemaker Airbus on Tuesday reported an 89-percent gain in fourth-quarter net profit but warned of a “very challenging” year ahead.

A man dubbed “the Swiss gigolo” by the German media was sentenced to six years in prison Monday for defrauding Germany’s richest woman of euro7 million ($9 million) and attempting to blackmail her for tens of millions more.

A man dubbed “the Swiss gigolo” has been sentenced to six years in prison for attempted extortion and fraud in a scheme to blackmail Germany’s richest woman.

A Swiss man’s lawyer says his client admits to blackmailing Germany’s richest woman and defrauding her of millions.

Russia welcomes President Barack Obama’s determination to start a new era in diplomatic relations but that will take time, Russia’s deputy prime minister said Sunday after meeting with Vice President Joe Biden.

Russia appreciates overtures being made by the United States to improve relations, but sees no need to immediately respond in kind, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said Sunday.

A senior Russian envoy says Moscow did not influence Kyrgyzstan’s decision to end American access to a base used to resupply U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

In an effort to strike at a key income source for Taliban militants, the top NATO commander said Sunday that operations to attack drug lords and labs in Afghanistan will begin within the “next several days.”

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says the only way for Afghanistan to succeed is to reconcile with some members of the Taliban.