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Mauricio Pochettino believes Premier League leaders Tottenham are genuine title contenders as he braces himself for a return to his former club as Chelsea boss on Monday.

Grigor Dimitrov moved into the semi-finals of the Paris Masters on Friday after overcoming Hubert Hurkacz 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi dedicated his team's victory over the Netherlands to the "people struggling" at home and insisted they are still "dreaming" of reaching the World Cup semi-finals.

Three people died when a sailing boat capsized on Friday and ran aground on a beach in central Portugal, where the coast has seen heavy swells caused by Storm Ciaran, naval authorities said.

Erik ten Hag said Friday that Manchester United's players "want to put this right" as he struggles to rescue a season that is spiralling out of control.

Pep Guardiola said Erling Haaland was happy just to be in the running to win the Ballon d'Or after missing out to Lionel Messi for the coveted prize recognising the world's best player.

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken met Israeli leaders on Friday to call for more to be done to protect Palestinian civilians during the war to destroy Hamas.

Afghanistan swept past the Netherlands by seven wickets on Friday to boost their chances of reaching the World Cup semi-finals.

Stocks rose and the dollar fell Friday after data showed US job growth cooled in October, easing concerns about further interest rate hikes.

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is due to return to Italy next week to continue his recovery from injury as speculation intensifies over his future with the Serie A champions.

Sweden's metalworkers union said Friday that it was expanding its strike against Tesla, a week after mechanics walked off the job over the electric carmaker's refusal to sign a collective wage agreement.

Japan and the Philippines said Friday they will start negotiations for a defence pact that would allow the countries to deploy troops on each other's territory.

England will try to salvage something from the wreckage of a woeful World Cup title defence when they face Australia in a pool match in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

Mikel Arteta says there is "unprecedented" quality at the top of the Premier League as he prepares to take his unbeaten Arsenal team to face in-form Newcastle at St James' Park on Saturday.

The families of nine Israeli victims of last month's Hamas attacks have lodged a complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for suspected war crimes, their lawyer said Friday.

Ukrainian officials said Friday that Russia had launched a "massive" drone attack on its cities and infrastructure overnight, warning that Moscow could be escalating its strikes ahead of winter.

Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has been ruled out for "several weeks" with a hamstring injury, the club announced on Friday, adding to manager Erik ten Hag's woes.

Job growth in the United States cooled in October, according to government data released Friday, in part dragged down by an auto workers strike.

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel said Friday his undermanned side needed to "be clever" against Borussia Dortmund in Saturday's meeting between two teams unbeaten in the league.

Afghanistan restricted error-plagued Netherlands to 179 all out on Friday as they chased a victory which would keep them in the hunt for a World Cup semi-final place.

Afghanistan restricted error-plagued Netherlands to 179 all out on Friday as they chased a victory which would keep them in the hunt for a World Cup semi-final place.

Levi's and H&M are among top global clothing brands to suffer production halts in Bangladesh, a garment union leader said Friday, after days of violent protests by workers demanding a near-tripling of their wages.

European stocks and oil prices steadied Friday, while the dollar dropped, before the release of key US jobs data that should provide clues on the outlook for interest rates in the world's biggest economy.

Luis Diaz will decide whether he wants to be involved in Liverpool's Premier League match against Luton after the kidnapping of his parents in Colombia, manager Jurgen Klopp said on Friday.

Mikel Arteta says Eddie Howe has "transformed" Newcastle as he prepares to take his unbeaten Arsenal team to face the high-flying Magpies at St James' Park on Saturday.

At least 12 people were killed as Storm Ciaran battered Western Europe with record winds of up to 200 kilometres per hour, causing travel mayhem with closed ports and flight and rail disruptions.

King Charles III's final day in Kenya on Friday was disrupted by heavy rains and floods as he toured the historic heart of the Indian Ocean city of Mombasa.

Nobel-winning writer Abdulrazak Gurnah says removing offensive words from the likes of Agatha Christie is "futile", but says Britain did produce openly racist literature during the last century of its empire.

An alliance of Myanmar ethnic minority groups said it made more gains in its offensive against the ruling junta on Friday, with the regime vowing it would hit back at the biggest military challenge it has faced since it seized power.

Daryl Mitchell on Friday backed injury-plagued New Zealand "to do a job" against Pakistan on Saturday in a World Cup clash which is key to both sides' hopes of making the semi-finals.

Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur on Friday described the tight security facing his team at the World Cup in India as "stifling", leaving players feeling as if they are "back in Covid times".

England star Ben Stokes on Friday said he will undergo surgery on his troublesome knee after the World Cup and hopes to be fit for the Test series in India in January.