Depression hits athletes in wide spectrum of sports

Reuters, Mumbai, March 26: Athletes who practise their trades in public are no more immune to stress and crippling anxiety than the fans who flock to watch them perform.

Although the threat of physical injuries is the major concern, mental problems are not uncommon and this week England all-rounder Michael Yardy was forced to fly home early from the World Cup because of depression.

"There can be raw pain and bleeding where so many thousands see the inevitable ups and downs of only a game," said the celebrated Trinidad writer CLR James in the cricket classic "Beyond a Boundary."

Depression has affected athletes in a variety of sports, including former New Zealand All Blacks winger John Kirwan, a member of the 1987 World Cup winning team.

"I woke up one morning and looked in the mirror and I didn't know who was staring back," Kirwan told the BBC. "It was the biggest nightmare and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

"But for me someone coming home from the Cricket World Cup with depression is like somebody coming home from the cricket World Cup because he has torn his hamstring."

Marcus Tresothick, who cut short an outstanding international career with England, has written vividly of the time depression hit him on a tour of India in 2006.

"I was petrified. I started sweating heavily and shaking. My mind was racing. And I could hear a loud thumping noise—like someone banging a big drum," he said.

"I couldn't work it out. Then I realised it was my heart. For a moment I was convinced I was dying. I knew I was in serious trouble."

EVERYONE VULNERABLE

Kirwan and Trescothick are in agreement that depression is an illness which can strike anybody in any walk of life.

"Rich, poor, skinny, fat, famous or not famous," Kirwan said. "It's an illness, if you had any other illness you'd go straight to the doctor and get help."

Lou Vincent, who made a century on debut for New Zealand against an Australian attack containing Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, also dropped out of top-class cricket because of depression.

"It's not the stress of playing, it's the stress of off-the-field stuff," he told Spin magazine.

"But it's not just sportsmen who go through this lull of depression, this black beast of constant anxiety. There's a lot of pressure on everyone—pressure to earn money, to consume."

In 2009, a BBC television programme called Mind Games examined the issue of stress in sport, including an interview with Britain's former world heavyweight champion Frank Bruno who has suffered well-documented problems with depression. While it was being edited, Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke committed suicide.

"One in six of us will suffer stress, mental illness or depression over the course of our lives," wrote presenter Gabby Logan.

"Is the sportsman predisposed to mental illness or does the sport induce it? Sport-induced depression seems to develop through different triggers: the stress of continued peak performance, the despair in long periods of injury and the futility of life in retirement.

"The highs and lows of sport are so intense, focusing on such small detail to gain advantage and then enjoying victory for just a few snatched moments before the next goal is laid down."

Initial reaction to Yardy's sudden departure from Sri Lanka has been sympathetic.

"People have to understand that depression is a physical illness, not a sign of any kind of weakness," said former England captain Michael Vaughan.

"There's a lot of pressure playing in a World Cup but if you've got these issues you're never going to get the best out of yourself.

"I bet there are players in other sports who are struggling with depression and aren't being as up front as some cricketers."

Panthers get 3 compensatory draft picks

AP, New York, March 26: The Carolina Panthers have been awarded three compensatory picks in April's draft for free agents they lost before last season.

A total of 23 teams have been allotted selections, beginning with a third-rounder (97th overall) to Carolina, which also has the top overall choice after going 2-14 in 2010.

Tennessee, Baltimore, the New York Giants, Minnesota, San Diego, Philadelphia, and San Francisco each get two additional picks.

Overall, 32 compensatory choices have been given.

The Panthers lost Julius Peppers to Chicago and A.J. Feeley to St. Louis.

Heynckes to coach Bayern for third time

Reuters, Berlin, March 26: Jupp Heynckes will return for a third stint as coach of Bayern Munich after the German side confirmed on Friday he would replace Louis van Gaal at the end of the season.

The club said Heynckes, previously at the helm from 1987 to 1991 and again in 2009, would take over on July 1 on a two-year contract.

'Jupp Heynckes was the candidate we were wishing for,' Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on the club website (www.fcbayern-t.home.de). 'We're very fortunate.

'I'm convinced that we will have a successful working relationship with Jupp Heynckes.'

Heynckes is currently with Bayer Leverkusen, who are second in the Bundesliga but he had already agreed to leave at the end of the season despite their success.

Last season, Leverkusen equalled the record for the longest unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season when they went 24 games without defeat. The previous record had been set by Bayern, also coached by Heynckes, in 1988-89.

Heynckes won two Bundesliga titles in his first stint with Bayern but failed to win a trophy the second time around.

He has also coached Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid and Benfica among others.

Champions Bayern had already announced Van Gaal would be leaving at the end of the campaign after a disappointing season. They lie fourth in the league.

Bolt, Gay unlikely to meet before world championships

Reuters, Salvo, North Carolina, March 26: A sprint showdown between the world's fastest men, Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay, appears unlikely until the world championships in South Korea in August.

'I don't think it is all that likely (before then),' Gay's agent Mark Wetmore told Reuters in a telephone interview.

'It is a little early to know for sure. It's still possible but there is not one planned at the moment.'

Jamaican Bolt has five European races scheduled ahead of the Aug. 27-Sept. 4 world championships in Daegu and his agent Ricky Simms is looking at two other possibilities including London.

Britain's tax laws, though, could keep Bolt out of the London Diamond League meeting on Aug. 5-6 just as they did in 2010.

While American Gay is expected to run in London again this year, Simms said he was concerned about the tax implications of an appearance by world record holder Bolt.

'The situation with London is a little more difficult with the taxes there,' Simms told Reuters. 'We would like to run there but it is outside of our control really.'

The UK system would tax not only Bolt's earnings at any race in London but also a proportion of his huge personal endorsements throughout the year, even though he does not reside in Britain.

'It is regrettable that two years out from our home Olympic Games that British sports fans are denied the chance to see this amazing talent in action,' UK Athletics said in a statement after Bolt decided not to run in the 2010 London Diamond League meeting.

'However, this is an issue facing all major sporting events in the UK and we are, along with a number of other sports, continuing to work towards a resolution.

'Football Champions League and the London 2012 Olympics have secured an exemption to this law and we would hope we can follow this precedent,' the statement read.

If Bolt and Gay do not meet ahead of Daegu there will be races this season involving one of them and former world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica.

Powell and Bolt, for instance, will clash over 100 metres in the Rome Diamond League meeting on May 26.

Bolt is also due to compete in Oslo, Paris, Monaco and Ostrava.

Gay will run his first major 100 metres at the New York Diamond League meeting in June. His other races have not yet been announced.

Japan victims remembered at Australian Grand Prix

Reuters, Melbourne, March 26: Formula One is a sport known for a cacophony of noise but on Sunday, the growl of the engines will fall silent for a minute to remember the victims of recent natural disasters in Japan, New Zealand and Australia.

The silence would be observed on the starting grid at Albert Park before the Australian Grand Prix, the opening race of the new season, organisers said on Friday.

More than 10,000 people were killed and 17,500 remain missing after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan two weeks ago.

The victims were remembered by a majority of the teams on the first day of practice on Friday, including seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher, who wore the Japanese flag on his helmet.

Both Ferrari cars had stickers on the front with a Japanese flag and the words 'Don't give up Japan' written in the local script.

'We wanted to show that Japan was in the thoughts of all of us at Ferrari, which is why we ran with a sticker dedicated to the people of a country that has brought a lot to Formula One, where our sport has a great following,' Ferrari's Fernando Alonso said.

New Zealand's second city of Christchurch was struck by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake on Feb. 22, which killed at least 166 people and destroyed large parts of the city.

Summer floods and cyclones killed more than 35 people and swamped more than 30,000 homes in the northern Australian state of Queensland.

Renault driver Robert Kubica, who suffered career-threatening arm, leg and hand injuries in a crash during a minor rally in Italy on Feb. 6, was also remembered by an 'RK' on the helmet of Nick Heidfeld, the driver who replaced him in the team.

Sachin will have to wait for 100 international tons: Afridi

PTI, Karachi, Mar 25: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi predicted that Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar will have to wait until after the World Cup to reach the milestone of scoring 100 international centuries.

'Sachin will have to wait until after the World Cup for his 100^th international century because we are not going to allow either him or any other Indian player to play a big innings,' Afridi told the Express newspaper.

Tendulkar has been in prolific form in the World Cup and completed 18,000 runs in One-dayers in the previous game against Australia. He needs just one more hundred to complete 100 international centuries, the first by any batsman.

Pakistan will take on India in the second semifinal of the World Cup to be held in Mohali on March 30 and Afridi said he was confident of his side beating India.

'It is a game of cricket and both teams can lay claim they will win the semifinal but given our current form I am confident we can beat India,' Afridi said.

Admitting that his teammates wanted to face India in the semifinals, the skipper said, 'The players wanted this clash and we are looking forward to it. We know the expectations are high but at the end of the day I have told the players that the team, which controls and keeps its nerves in such a high tension match, will prevail.'

Afridi also felt that the pressure on India would be far more in the semifinal as compared to Pakistan, as they would be playing in front of their home crowd.

'Normally whenever both teams play there is great pressure because of the high expectations of the people but this time India are playing in front of their home crowd and the pressure will be greater on them,' he said.

Stating that his players were under no pressure because of the fact that Pakistan had never beaten India in a World Cup match before, Afridi said, 'That is history and this team has a habit of changing history. More importantly the winning momentum we have got it allows the players to be better prepared for the big match.'

The flamboyant allrounder also made it clear the players were not feeling the pressure of having to go and play in India after a gap of nearly four years.

'We have a young team and many of our players have not played in India before but it is not a problem for them because they have become used to playing even home matches abroad. I am confident they can handle the pressures of playing in India.'

Afridi, meanwhile, also appealed to the fans to treat this high-profile clash between the neighbours as just another cricket match.

Bowling variety gives Sri Lanka edge over England

Reuters, Mumbai, March 26: The winner of the match will fill the last available spot in the semi-final line-up and will play New Zealand on Tuesday in Colombo.

The 1996 champions have dispelled most doubts about their chances of bagging a second title with a strong batting line-up ably supporting their potent bowling attack.

An attack comprised of Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis will delight most captains and the home conditions will make them even more dangerous.

Muralitharan, 38, who will retire after the World Cup, had a week to recover from a hamstring injury and is raring to roll his arm again.

'Murali is a guy who rises to the occasion and does really well in the big games,' said Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara.

'He is fine to play and one hundred percent okay which is great for us. The side feels confident about what he can produce for us in important games and that's exactly the way we are going to look at it and that's exactly how we are going to try and play this game.'

Not good news for England who have struggled throughout the tournament with inconsistency stemming maybe from a number of injuries.

In the group stages, they narrowly escaped an upset against the Netherlands, tied with India, went down to Ireland before losing to Bangladesh but somehow scraped through to the quarter-finals.

England, trying to win the trophy for the first time, lost Kevin Pietersen (hernia), Stuart Broad (side strain) and Ajmal Shahzad (hamstring) to injuries and all-rounder Michael Yardy was the latest to fly back home suffering from depression.

While Tim Bresnan is supposed to be available after an injury scare, captain Andrew Strauss refused to name his opening partner for the do-or-die match.

England have struggled with their opening pair after the departure of Pietersen and Matt Prior has failed to shine in the role so far.

'It's a big challenge for us. Sri Lanka is a good side with a lot of attacking options with both ball and bat. We are very excited about the challenge and I still think we are going out with very positive attitude,' captain Andrew Strauss told reporters.

'At this stage there is nothing to lose, you got to go and win games. That sort of a mindset served us very well in the past.'

The organisers will hope that rain does not play spoilsport in the humdinger as dark clouds engulfed the Colombo sky during Friday evening.

Statbox of Cricket-Sri Lanka v England in World Cup quarter-finals

Reuters, Sri Lanka, March 26: Facts and figures relating to the World Cup quarter-final between Sri Lanka and England (0900 GMT) at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Saturday Skip related content

Head-to-head record:

England lead 23-21

In the World Cups: England lead 6-2

In the sub-continent: Sri Lanka lead 10-7

Sri Lanka lost their first five World Cup encounters against England but have won two of the last three, including a two-run victory in the 2007 event.

The two teams have faced each other at the Premadasa four times and Sri Lanka has emerged victorious on three occasions.

Sri Lanka (WW, NR, WLW) recorded convincing wins in all their games, except when they slipped up against Pakistan and had a washout against Australia.

They have looked the most complete side so far - strokeplayers like Tillakaratne Dilshan (286 runs) and Upul Tharanga (261 runs) have scored heavily while their skipper, Kumar Sangakkara (363 runs) was the leading run scorer at the end of the group stages.

They have a good combination of fast and spin bowling - led by Muttiah Muralitharan (11 wickets) and Lasith Malinga (seven wickets from four matches)

England (WLWLTW) deserve a share of the television revenues given the excitement they have generated this World Cup. While they beat fellow quarter-finalists South Africa and West Indies and tied with India, they slipped up against Bangladesh and Ireland.

Jonathan Trott (336 runs) and Andrew Strauss (329 runs) have been among the runs but the middle and lower middle order have struggled to get going.

England's bowling is also a concern with fitness and form deserting their frontline fast bowlers. Other than off-spinner Graeme Swann (12 wickets), and to some extent, Tim Bresnan (nine wickets), none of the other bowlers have created much of an impact.

I’m right man for England says defiant Capello

AFP, Cardiff, March 26: Fabio Capello has insisted he is the right man to lead England to Euro 2012 despite the furore over his handling of the captaincy ahead of Saturday's qualifier with Wales.

Capello, who surprised many onlookers by opting to remain in his job following a hugely disappointing World Cup, has only one year remaining on his contract with The FA and has found shaking off the stigma of such a poor campaign in South Africa increasingly difficult.

The latest self-inflicted wound came when he opted to re-instate John Terry as permanent captain but leaked his decision to the media before telling Rio Ferdinand, who had been handed the armband after Terry was punished for an off-field scandal.

The fact that Terry, always Capello?s first choice, has been forgiven despite stories that he slept with the ex-fiancee of former teammate Wayne Bridge is not a major surprise; but the Italian?s handling of the situation has added fuel to the fire of his critics and made Saturday?s match in Cardiff even more of a must-win affair.

Capello looked frustrated and irritated as he answered questions in a pre-match press conference in the Welsh capital but remained stoic when asked if he was still the right man to take England forward.

'Yes, I think so,' he said. 'Because if my mind?s not okay to drive this team, I go home. We played three games, we have seven points and we played some games very well. We drew with Montenegro, only this.

'I still enjoy this job, absolutely. About the captaincy, for me, the most important thing is to be focused on the games. That?s my job.

'The most important thing is not to speak about the captain. The most important thing is the result tomorrow. I decided about this. I?m here to make decisions, to take decisions. Ok?'

The only problem for Capello is he managed to make the decision in public—and his subsequent failure even to contact Ferdinand has drawn huge criticism over his lack of communication skills.

'I tried to meet him and it didn?t happen. I waited for him in the directors? box just before the Manchester United v Marseille game started, but it didn?t happen,' he said.

'I don?t like to speak about the captaincy on the phone. I prefer to speak personally.

'Yes, it?s possible to do sometimes everything better. Maybe I made a mistake. But I told you, I prefer to speak personally. Sorry, for me, the most important thing is the game tomorrow.'

Capello has a point because although some of England?s performances have been encouraging this season they current sit only second in Group G, behind Montenegro who held his side to a goalless draw at Wembley to go three points ahead with a game more played.

And that makes beating Wales hugely important if the current fiasco is not to turn into something far more serious.

'I hope, absolutely, no. We are not here to lose,' said Capello, clearly aghast at the prospect of a defeat. 'It would not be a good position in the table if we do this.'

On the field, England appear to be in a stronger position following news that Wales? star player Gareth Bale is injured and unable to play at the Millennium Stadium.

They also have Wayne Rooney back to some kind of form and Arsenal?s Jack Wilshere, a certainty to start the match, emerging as a genuine talent in midfield.

Capello has yet to decide whether to partner Wilshere with Scott Parker, Frank Lampard or Gareth Barry and also has a decision up front where Liverpool?s Andy Carroll is not yet fit enough to play 90 minutes.

Whatever happens, England know victory is crucial in their bid to reach next year's finals in Poland and Ukraine and to save their manager and their captain from any further controversy.

'I'll be very proud leading the team out,' insisted new skipper Terry. 'These are the things I dreamed about as a kid. To be in that position for the third time is fantastic for me. It?ll be very special for me. But let?s not get carried away - the main thing is to get the three points.'

Sri Lanka rise to England challenge in W.Cup quarters

AFP, Colombo, March 26: Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara hopes fit-again spinner Muttiah Muralitharan rises to the challenge of a World Cup quarter-final against England on Saturday.

Sangakkara said the 38-year-old off-spinner, who will retire from international cricket after the tournament, was fully fit for the R. Premadasa stadium clash.

Muralitharan, who has a world record of 530 one-day wickets, injured his hamstring during Sri Lanka's impressive 112-run win over New Zealand last week, but has since recovered.

The wily off-spinner is the only survivor of Sri Lanka's historic five-wicket win over England in the 1996 quarter-final—one of Sri Lanka's two wins over their opponents in eight World Cup matches.

Muralitharan took two wickets in that match in Faisalabad before Sri Lanka went on to capture their only World Cup title.

'Muralitharan is a hundred percent fit. He is a guy who rises to the occasion and we are confident about what he can do for us in this crucial match,' said Sangakkara on Friday.

Sangakkara refused to believe that the pressure will only be on Sri Lanka, playing before a packed 35,000 crowd.

'I don't think the pressure will only be on us. All sides feel the intensity and pressure of a big match with the incentive of a semi-final place involved,' said Sangakkara, whose team finished runners-up to Australia in 2007 World Cup held in the Caribbean.

Sangakkara said England have proven their worth in the group stages.

'England are one of the best sides and they have proven it in the tournament so expect nothing less than their best,' said Sangakkara, praising England's batting and bowling.

In Jonathan Trott (336 runs) and captain Andrew Strauss (329), England have two quality batsmen but their bowling has been a weak link.

The Ashes winners, who have yet to win the World Cup, opened the tournament with a tied match against India, lost to both Ireland and Bangladesh but still beat South Africa to qualify for the last eight.

With Graeme Swann (12 wickets) and James Tredwell, who took a match-winning four wickets in the decisive Group B win over the West Indies, England have two quality spinners.

'If we do progress in this tournament, we've got to be a lot better than we have been. We're not going to hide from that,' said Strauss.

England have suffered a stream of injuries in the tournament having seen ace batsman Kevin Pietersen (hernia), pacemen Stuart Broad (side strain) and Ajmal Shahzad (hamstring) forced out.

All-rounder Michael Yardy then pulled out due to depression, forcing England to bring in leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who won't make it from the Caribbean, where he has been touring with the England second-string, in time for the match.

England will also hope Tim Bresnen recovers fully from a calf niggle.

If not, medium pacer Jade Dernbach, flown in as replacement earlier this week, could get a chance.

The winner of Sri Lanka-England quarter-final will meet the winner of the South Africa-New Zealand clash in the first semi-final in Colombo on March 29.

India and Pakistan meet in the second semi-final in Mohali on March 30.

England travel to Wales for Euro 2012 qualifier

AFP, London, March 26: England travel to Wales for a vital Euro 2012 qualifier on Saturday with Fabio Capello knowing only a win will do after a public relations blunder that has hurt the Italian manager's credibility.

Capello's decision to reinstate John Terry as captain would have been controversial at the best of times—but the clumsy way in which it was announced has substantially raised the stakes as England head to Cardiff.

Trailing Montenegro by three points, England have little margin for error following last October's dismal 0-0 draw at Wembley with the Group G leaders.

A defeat against Wales, who are bottom of the group after losing all three of their matches, and the calls for Capello's dismissal may become deafening.

Publicly, England's players have all voiced support for the move to restore the armband to Terry, who was sacked last year after lurid allegations about his relationship with the ex-girlfriend of team-mate Wayne Bridge.

Privately, however, there is reported to be unhappiness at the treatment of Rio Ferdinand, a popular figure in the England dressing room who learnt of Terry's return as captain via a newspaper report.

Capello, who only last year said Terry would never captain England again while he remained in charge, said he changed his mind after seeing the armband moved between several players in last month's friendly against Denmark.

The Italian also believes the expected intimidating atmoshphere at the Millennium Stadium will require an experienced captain.

'Wales will be a tough game. The atmosphere, everything is incredible, and we need a captain with a big personality, a leader,' Capello said.

'When John played without the armband, he was every time a leader. He is the biggest personality in the dressing room.

'He made mistakes but is normal. The players respect Terry as a leader, absolutely. One year's punishment is enough.'

Terry, meanwhile, has responded to the furore over his return with typical defiance, stating without the merest hint of contrition that he still firmly believed he should never have lost the job in the first place.

'As I said to the manager at the time, I accepted their decision. It doesn't mean to say I agreed with it, and I never will. That's me being very proud and having been honest with them,' Terry said.

'Over the last year I'd like to think I've personally kept my head down and done the right thing.'

Terry also responded to suggestions that his reinstatement had split the England dressing room by stating that the squad was behind him whilst acknowledging he was 'not everyone's cup of tea.'

'When the manager confronted the team on the training pitch, he asked the players if they had any questions and nobody spoke. Nobody said a word to the manager, nobody said a word to me,' Terry told reporters on Tuesday.

'I'm not going to be everybody's cup of tea, but it is the decision the manager has taken.

The captaincy saga has deflected attention away from Capello's plans for Wales, which could see veteran midfielder Frank Lampard dropped.

Capello is expected to partner Jack Wilshere in midfield alongside either Gareth Barry or Scott Parker, while James Milner and Aaron Lennon occupy the flanks behind a strike partnership of Wayne Rooney and Andy Carroll.

England's task has been made substantially easier with news that Wales winger Gareth Bale is unavailable after suffering a hamstring injury.

Wales manager Gary Speed meanwhile admits that his team's chances of qualification for next year's finals in Poland and Ukraine were remote.

'In terms of qualification from this group it's going to be very difficult because we've already lost the first three games and if we win the next five we might still not have enough points to qualify,' he said.

'I think the important thing is to make sure when the 2014 qualifiers start in 18 months' time we're in a place to compete.'

Germany to entertain Kazakhstan in Euro qualifier

AFP, Berlin, March 26: Germany coach Joachim Loew can draw on a fully-fit squad on Saturday as the World Cup semi-finalists seek to maintain an unbeaten record against minnows Kazakhstan in a Euro 2012 home qualifier.

With Bayern Munich stars Mario Gomez, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose as well as Real Madrid playmaker Mesut Ozil at Germany's disposal, the aim is not only to win, but to please the fans, said Loew sidekick Oliver Bierhoff.

'We are the clear favourites and we want all three points. But we also want the fans in the stadium to get their money's worth. We've got a strong side here and want to impress the crowd with a good performance,' he said.

'Of course the opposition are not exactly household names, so we've been concentrating on our own game in training and not on Kazakhstan,' he added.

Germany are overwhelming favourites to beat lowly Kazakhstan, ranked 132 in the world. They have carried all before them so far in Group A, winning four out of four, scoring 13 goals and conceding only one.

They head into the game at the Fritz-Walter Stadium, home to Bundesliga club Kaiserslautern, in tremendous form, not having lost since the World Cup semi-final to Spain in July.

In contrast, Kazakhstan have lost all four of their qualifying games for Euro 2012, scoring none and letting in 10.

In the match in Astana in October, Germany won 3-0 courtesy of second-half goals from Klose, Gomez and Lukas Podolski.

'Of course, I only know a few players from Kazakhstan,' admitted 26-year-old Schweinsteiger ahead of the match.

'But the next three qualifying matches are very important for us. We can really get ahead of Austria, Turkey and Belgium,' he added, referring to Germany's main rivals in Group A.

Austria are five points behind Loew's side but with a game in hand. They play away against Turkey, who are currently third in the group.

Klose added: 'We've got a lot of quality. If we play the football we are capable of, we'll win. If we get an early goal, then we can look at a big win.'

The striker looks set to get the nod over club rival Mario Gomez, who has edged him out at club level.

'It's a completely normal competitive situation. Mario is a world-class player. He fits well into our club team at the moment and me in the national team.'

Klose said he was hoping to add to his tally of 59 goals for his country as he chases Gerd Mueller's all-time German goal-scoring record of 68.

'It is my goal to break this record, but I would never compare myself to Gerd Mueller,' said Klose.

'He was a one-off.'

Bangladesh finance minister Muhith talks connectivity with Bhutanese king

The finance minister says he has discussed the connectivity issue with Bhutanese king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

'The geographical identity of four countries will face difficulties if they don't work together,' Abul Maal Abdul Muhith said after a meeting with the visiting king at a city hotel on Thursday.

Read the original story on the daily New Age

Workers Party of Bangladesh condemns US-led invasion of Libya

Workers Party of Bangladesh, an ally of the ruling Awami League, on Thursday demanded an immediate halt to the US-led western military campaign against Libya.

Leaders of the party at a protest rally at Muktangan said that the US-led 'imperialist' forces had invaded Libya in a bid to capture the country's oil resources. The US-led missile and air strikes have killed many civilians in Libya, they said.

The party general secretary Anisur Rahman Mallick said that the 'imperialist America' had become desperate to remove Muammar Gaddafi from power and to establish influence in the country.

'They had also invaded Iraq in a similar way to remove Saddam Hossain and killed thousands of people there in last five years,' Anis said.

Party politburo member Bimal Biswas called on the people to build up resistance against the 'US imperialism'.

He called on the Awami League-led alliance

government to speak out against the invasion of Libya and express solidarity with the people of that country.

Party leaders Nurul Hasan, Mahmudur Rahman Manik and Nur Ahmed Bakul also spoke at the rally.

The rally was followed by a protest procession.

Read the original story on the daily New Age

BRAC Bank provides Taraman Bibi with monthly support

The BRAC Bank Limited has decided to provide a monthly support of Tk 10,000 to Taraman Bibi, awarded the honour of Bir Pratik for great bravery in the liberation war during 1972, for the rest of her life, according to a release on Wednesday.

The bank officials in presence of local administration and freedom fighters recently handed over the first month's cheque to her.

Taraman Bibi is now fighting against poverty and diseases and leading a helpless life in remote village of Kacharipara in Kurigram.

Read the original story on the daily New Age

Man jailed over stalking in Faridpur

A mobile court has sentenced an official of Faridpur Sugar Mill for committing sexual harassment on a college girl.

Gautam Kumar Mondol, 32, assistant manager of agriculture department (seed) of the sugar mill at Madhukhali in the district, was sentenced to one year's imprisonment.

Madhukhali upazila nirbahi officer Mohammad Mostafa Kamal gave the order on Thursday upon complaints by the victim.

Read the original story on the daily New Age

Forty gain Fantasy Kingdom Scholarship 2010

The concord group awarded scholarships to 40 meritorious students from 10 city schools for their outstanding academic performance in a programme held at Fantasy Kingdom at Ashulia in Dhaka on Friday.

The Scholarship was given in two categories for brilliant result in the primary terminal and JSC examinations and to meritorious students of the schools while in the first category, each received a cheque for Tk 25,000 and those in second category got Tk 20,000 along with a crest and a certificate, said a release.

The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam, Dhaka University teacher Shoumitra Shekhar, Radio Today managing director Rafiqul Haque, Concord Group chairman SM Kamal Uddin spoke, among others, at the programme.

Read the original story on the daily New Age