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

German prosecutors on Friday accused six young members of a notorious criminal family of carrying out a "purposefully prepared" heist on a state museum in Dresden, as a trial opened over the spectacular robbery of priceless 18th-century jewels.

Stefanos Tsitsipas said he has spent "countless hours" talking with his father-coach Apostolos over coaching violations after yet another warning helped trigger a semi-final collapse against Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open Friday.

Italy on Friday sought to accelerate the process of electing a new president after days of deadlock that has paralysed Prime Minister Mario Draghi's government, but parliament remained bitterly divided.

Campaigning wraps up Friday for a tightly-fought weekend general election in Portugal, with polls pointing to a hung parliament and huge gains by the far-right.

Prince Andrew has given up his honorary membership at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews as he faces a US civil suit for sexual assault.

Rwanda said Friday it would reopen its land border with Uganda next week after a three-year closure, a major breakthrough in repairing relations between the neighbours.

French telecoms multinational Orange said on Friday it had appointed Christel Heydemann as its first female chief executive, replacing Stephane Richard, who is leaving after his conviction in a case over his past work at the finance ministry.

European stock markets tumbled Friday nearing the end of a highly volatile trading week worldwide as investors assessed the economy's recovery outlook faced with soaring inflation, rising interest rates and mixed earnings.

Daniil Medvedev won a tempestuous Australian Open semi-final against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday and will face Rafael Nadal, who is bidding to become the all-time men's Grand Slam leader, in Sunday's final.

Hong Kong's economy grew by 6.4 percent in 2021 but the city warned that anti-Covid measures in response to the latest outbreak may stifle further recovery, a government spokesperson said on Friday.

Rugby chiefs on Friday announced that a new law designed to improve player safety in the scrum would be trialled during the Six Nations, which starts next month.

Nearly 40 percent of people in Ethiopia's Tigray are suffering "an extreme lack of food" in the face of an extended de-facto blockade of the war-hit region, a UN agency said Friday.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, set to double natural gas supplies from Russia to Germany, has become a key bargaining chip for the West in its bid to stop Moscow from invading Ukraine.

A Japanese gunman was arrested after he allegedly took a doctor hostage and shot him, police said Friday, with local media reporting that the victim had died from his wounds after the 11-hour standoff.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen spoke of her shock and pain on Friday after her niece suggested she would back a rival in this year's presidential election, in what would be a heavy personal and political blow.

A funding crisis battering China's big property developers could start to shake the wider economy and global markets, the IMF warned on Friday, saying deeper reforms were needed to fully curb the threat.

China on Friday revealed a list of visiting dignitaries for next week's Winter Olympics that includes the leaders of Russia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt for an event that is being diplomatically shunned by some Western nations.

Relations have rarely been good between Albania and Serbia. But for Serbian footballers playing in the land of their erstwhile foes, the sport transcends the long standing differences between the rivals.

In her flat on the outskirts of Madrid, Pamela Ponce no longer turns on the heating despite the biting chill coming in through the windows.

Matteo Berrettini said he will learn from the experience of playing Grand Slam great Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals at the Australian Open Friday and become a better player.

Japanese investment giant SoftBank Group said Friday its chief operating officer Marcelo Claure is leaving the company, following reports that his demands for as much as $1 billion in compensation had fuelled an internal clash.

Six rockets were fired Friday at the Iraqi capital's airport, causing damage but no casualties, security sources said, the latest in a string of attacks the US blames on Iran-linked militias.

Google will invest up to $1 billion in India's second-largest mobile operator, Airtel, the companies said Friday, as the Android-maker looks to bolster its presence in the vast nation's booming telecoms market.

"No pain, no gain" is a mantra often heard anywhere elite athletes train. Danielle Collins has had more than her fair share of pain on the long road to a first Grand Slam final.

Multi-talented Ashleigh Barty has been a professiona cricketer, won a golf tournament and collected two tennis Grand Slam titles, with a third beckoning at the Australian Open on Saturday.

Danielle Collins faces a daunting task in the Australian Open final on Saturday against a world number one who is aiming to become the first homegrown women's champion in 44 years, backed by a fiercely partisan crowd.

Rafael Nadal marched into the final of the Australian Open to be just one match away from becoming the all-time men's Grand Slam leader after overcoming Matteo Berrettini in their semi-final on Friday.

Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan said Friday they had agreed a ceasefire after shootouts at their contested border left two Tajik citizens dead.

Toyota retained its crown as the world's top-selling automaker on Friday, having overcome a chip shortage and supply chain woes to beat Volkswagen for a second straight year.

The Philippines will re-open to fully vaccinated tourists from most countries on February 10 and lift quarantine requirements, officials said Friday, nearly two years after closing its borders to contain the coronavirus.

The threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine has reignited debate in Finland and Sweden over whether they should join NATO to fend off any possible eastern aggression.

A judge on Thursday canceled the sale of oil and gas exploration leases of some 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico, after environmental groups sued the Biden administration citing major concerns.