Doha, Qatar | AFP | Novak Djokovic was surprisingly defeated in Doha on Friday, beaten in the Qatar Open semi-final by world number 24, Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-3, 6-7 (8/6), 6-4. The Serb fell to his first defeat of the season in a high-quality contest lasting more than two-and-a-half hours, …

Berlin, Germany | AFP | Private data stolen from hundreds of German politicians, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, have been released online, the government said Friday. The information, which comprised home addresses, mobile phone numbers, letters, invoices and copies of identity documents, was published via Twitter in December but inexplicably only …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Burton manager Nigel Clough is not spending much time briefing his players on Manchester City’s qualities because he does not want to “frighten the life out of them” ahead of the first leg of the League Cup semi-final. League One club Burton will head …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Attempts by authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo to crack down on dissent during tense vote counting could “backfire”, the UN said Friday, warning it was “watching carefully” as events unfold. Elections held last Sunday will determine who succeeds President Joseph Kabila, at the …

The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | US internet giant Google used a legal mechanism to transfer almost 20 billion euros from the Netherlands to Bermuda in 2017 for tax purposes, a Dutch newspaper report said Friday. Google, which is owned by US parent company Alphabet, moved 19.9 billion euros ($22.7 …

Shenzhen, China | AFP | Former world number one Maria Sharapova abandoned her quarter-final tie in the Shenzhen Open on Friday after struggling with a thigh injury. Just 10 days before the start of the Australian Open, Sharapova received treatment for a painful left thigh after losing the first set …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Callum Hudson-Odoi should fight for a place in the Chelsea starting line-up and not be swayed by a multi-million euro offer from German giants Bayern Munich, according to Blues assistant manager Gianfranco Zola. The 18-year-old winger — a pivotal member of the England side …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Around 16,000 people have fled into the Democratic Republic of Congo’s neighbour after inter-communal clashes erupted last month in the southwest of the country, the UN said on Friday. Violence in Yumbi, in the DRC province of Mai-Ndombe, prompted an exodus to the neighbouring Republic …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese police fired tear gas at protesters on Friday as they took to the streets after midday prayers to chant anti-government slogans in the capital’s twin city of Omdurman, witnesses said. Anti-government rallies have rocked cities across Sudan since December 19 when protests first broke …

Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn is likely to appear in a Japanese court next Tuesday to hear the reasons for his detention, after his lawyers deployed a little-used article of the Constitution. The shock move was the latest in a series of unexpected twists in …