The Albany Gazette - News from Albany, New York and the whole world

A US deportation flight headed to the Central African Republic on Friday, lawyers told AFP, carrying nationals from Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Georgia.

Afghans scrapped protest plans in Herat on Friday as heavily armed security forces were deployed in the city, after an earlier rally against tightening restrictions on women was violently dispersed.

Chinese actress Xin Zhilei said she was keen for new experiences and did not want to limit herself, as she helped kick off the Shanghai International Film Festival on Friday.

New Zealand's most prolific run-scorer and arguably greatest batsman Kane Williamson announced his immediate retirement from international cricket on Friday in the middle of their series against England.

Cristiano Ronaldo said on Friday that he was feeling "very positive" before flying out of Lisbon with the Portuguese team to their World Cup base camp in Palm Beach, Florida.

British artist David Hockney, one of the most influential and defining figures in contemporary art whose paintings captured the world in brilliant colour, has died aged 88, his publicist announced Friday.

George Russell was quickest in opening practice for the Barcelona-Catalunya Formula One Grand Prix on Friday, followed by McLaren's Oscar Piastri two tenths behind.

A decade after fierce battles reduced much of the University of Benghazi to rubble, students at Libya's oldest and largest university are once again looking to the future with optimism.

Mollie O'Callaghan and Meg Harris locked down the women's 100m freestyle slots for the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships at the Australian trials Friday as Sam Short completed an epic freestyle sweep.

Kenyan families were overwhelmed with grief at a mass Friday for 16 girls killed in a suspected arson attack on their school -- part of a string of pupil protests that have unnerved the country.

Iran insisted on Friday on its right to enrich uranium and maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz under any deal with the United States, after President Donald Trump said a draft accord was ready.

Stock markets rallied and oil tumbled Friday on hopes that a deal to end the Middle East war could be imminent.

Pope Leo XIV renewed his support for migrants on Friday in the Canary Islands, saying "all of us are migrants" and urged newcomers to do their part to integrate, on the final day of a weeklong visit to Spain focused on migration issues.

Nearly 100 campaign groups on Friday called on COP31 climate summit co-hosts Turkey and Australia to "lead by example" by addressing their reliance on planet-heating fossil fuels.

French driver Pierre Gasly's third place finish in last weekend's Monaco Grand Prix has been reinstated after stewards rescinded two penalties he received, the FIA announced Friday.

British artist David Hockney, one of the most influential and defining figures in contemporary art, whose paintings captured the world in brilliant colour, has died aged 88, his publicist announced Friday.

A South Korean court handed former president Yoon Suk Yeol a 30-year prison sentence on Friday for sending drones into North Korea to "manufacture" a crisis ahead of his disastrous martial law bid.

British artist David Hockney's paintings captured the world in brilliant colour, from carefree 1960s California to the bucolic landscapes of his native Yorkshire.

Belgian rider Wout Van Aert retired from the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes on Friday with a persistent elbow injury a day after sprinting to victory in stage five.

Pope Leo XIV told migrants at a reception centre on the Spanish island of Tenerife on Friday that "all of us are migrants", on the final day of a weeklong visit to Spain focused on the plight of irregular immigrants.

The Waikato Chiefs booked their place in the Super Rugby final on Friday after humiliating defending champions Canterbury Crusaders in Hamilton, with Kyren Taumoefolau scoring twice in a 49-12 romp.

Massive cuts to international aid have put the world's response to HIV "in peril", the UN's top AIDS official warned Friday, as a new report revealed the scale of disruption to HIV prevention efforts.

Asian and European stocks gained and oil dipped Friday after US President Donald Trump withdrew his threat of further strikes on Iran and said a deal could be signed in the coming days.

The United States begin their World Cup challenge on Friday, taking on a savvy Paraguay side in a high-stakes match in Los Angeles.

When drones strayed over the Danube and crashed in Romania, Roxana Saraev felt uneasy. But ensconced in her seaside jewellery shop at the country's easternmost tip, she has made up her mind -- she is not going anywhere.

Australia coach Tony Popovic signed a contract extension Thursday ahead of their World Cup opener against Turkey that will take him through to the Asian Cup early next year.

Switzerland's vote on proposed measures to restrict immigration to ensure the population does not exceed 10 million is dividing the country.

Families of those killed in last year's Air India plane crash gathered at the site on Friday to mark the anniversary of the disaster, still awaiting answers about its cause.

A major reform of European migration rules aimed at hardening border procedures and overhauling the asylum process comes into force on Friday.

The United States Navy will deploy a nuclear-powered submarine squadron to a strategic Australian navy port this year, Canberra's defence minister said on Friday.

On the balcony of his house in Indonesia, Muhammad Yusuf swayed to blaring music and waved a replica of the World Cup trophy as hundreds paraded past, many decked out in Argentina's colours.

A group of UN experts on Thursday denounced a crackdown on women in Afghanistan's western city of Herat, saying at least two people had been killed during a protest against the restrictions.