Munich - Bayern Munich have already made contact with Louis van Gaal about succeeding Juergen Klinsmann as coach of Bayern Munich coach, the club's general manager Uli Hoeness has revealed.

"Van Gaal is one of the candidates we have in mind," Hoeness confirmed in Saturday's edition of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Van Gaal, 57, led AZ Alkmaar to the Dutch title this season and has already been given the stamp of approval by Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer.

Helmand province, Afghanistan  ­ The desert landscape shudders to explosions of mortar and rocket shells, small arms fire and grenade blasts as the Estonian troops stage final battle rehearsals before the real thing.

By mid-morning the mercury rises to 40 degrees Celsius and the men are caked with dust and sweat as they manoeuvre and shoot, again and again.

Event:   "Donny & Marie" Album Release Party at the Flamingo Las Vegas
Venue & Location:   Flamingo Las Vegas / Las Vegas, NV, USA
Event Date:   06/21/2011
Photographer:   PRN / PR Photos

Event:"Bruno" Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals
Venue & Location:Grauman's Chinese Theater / Hollywood, CA. USA
Event Date:6/25/2009
Photographer:Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

Event:   "The Green Hornet" Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals
Venue & Location:   Grauman's Chinese Theatre / Hollywood, CA, USA
Event Date:   01/10/2011
Photographer:   Glenn Harris / PR Photos

Washington, Aug 28 : Johnny Depp is all set to join the cast of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson''s upcoming movie ‘The Rum Diary’.

The movie tells of the exploits that journalist Paul Kemp (Depp) had to face after moving to Puerto Rico in the 1950s to work for a San Juan newspaper, Contactmusic reported.

His editor immediately informs him that he regrets hiring him, but he finds himself on an island full of sun, sea and unusually high proof rum.

Washington, Apr 14 : Actor Leonardo DiCaprio has warned Zac Efron against the use of drugs if he wants a long lasting career in Hollywood.

The `Titanic' star met Efron at a Lakers game and advised him to avoid heroine.

In an interview to GQ magazine, the `High School Musical' star revealed the advice.

"He said, ''There''s one way that you can really f--- this all up. Just do heroin.' If you steer clear of that - the other obstacles you''ll be able to navigate.'' And that makes sense, dude,'" People magazine quoted Efron as saying.

Singapore, Sept. 14 : Singapore Airlines (SIA) said on Monday that it has expanded its partnership with Air India with a new bilateral frequent flyer program.

Under the agreement, frequent flyer program members of both airlines are able to earn and redeem miles on flights operated by either carrier. The agreement will take effect from Tuesday, Xinhua reported.

The SIA already has similar agreements with 27 other carriers. The SIA operates 42 times a week to six destinations in India. (ANI)

Jinchuan Group Co. has raised its refined nickel price by CNY3,000 ($450) to CNY183,000 a metric ton. Nickel yesterday traded with the positive node and settled 0.39% up at 1086.4. Some pressure had been seen from the LME stock also which came up by 396mt, the total stock at LME is now at 129126mt. In yesterday's trading session nickel has touched the low of 1082.1 after opening at 1083.4, and finally settled at 1086.4. For today's session market is looking to take support at 1083.2, a break below could see a test of 1080 and where as resistance is now likely to be seen at 1088.5, a move above could see prices testing 1090.6.

Event:   Judah Friedlander Signing His New Book 'How To Beat Up Anybody' in Toronto on November 22, 2010
Venue & Location:   Chapters Festival Hall John Street / Toronto, Canada
Event Date:   11/22/2010
Photographer:   Robin Wong  / PR Photos

Bangalore, Dec 23 : A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator facing criminal charges of extortion and insulting the modesty of a woman is set to be become a minister in Karnataka Thursday.

M. P. Renukacharya, a first-time legislator from Honnali in central Davangere district, about 270 km from here, will be sworn in Thursday at the Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the state governor.

India has commenced providing exclusive individuality number to each one of its one billion-plus populace on Wednesday when beneath the determined mission the initial series of numbers are dispersed to few villagers of Nandurbar region in Maharashtra.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh shall officially rollout the Unique Identification Numbers, officially known as Aadhaar all over the country by doling out the initial numbers amongst the villagers, as per the Planning Commission on Monday.

Sydney, August 4 : Tourists visiting New Zealand will soon be able to whiz around in a strap-on mini helicopter to get their thrills.

According to a report in www. news. com. au, Glenn Martin, a Kiwi inventor will launch public flights in the latest jetpack flying technology early next year, with plans to expand to Australia soon after.

Called `The Martin Jetpack', the personal strap-on aircraft is a two-litre jet-powered engine designed to soar across the skies at 100km/h at heights of up to 50 metres.

For now, the first public flight program will be limited to low and slow flying in a controlled area while the Christchurch-based company road tests the safety and limits of the engine.

Halloween holiday is meant for trick-or-treating, wearing some weird costumes, having some ghost tours, telling ghost stories and watching the utmost horror films. Twilight star Robert Pattinson also had a big horror plan for his co-stars of 'Breaking Dawn'.

Along with girlfriend Kristen Stewart, Pattinson planned to invite the entire cast of the film to one of the most haunted places in the world. However, it is a different thing that he could not manage even a haunted house to fulfill their plans.

Morigaon (Assam), Sept. 14: At least 430,000 Assamese in over 4000 villages have been affected by the latest bout of monsoon-related floods.

The hardest hit of the 21 districts in the state includes Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Cahchar and Morigaon.

Several rivers, including the main Brahmaputra, are in spate. The State Government has banned the movement of ferries and boats. Makeshift boats and rafts, however, are being allowed to move through the floodwaters.

Kolkata/ Siliguri, Feb 6: The 24-hour state-wide shutdown called by the Forward Bloc has affected normal life in West Bengal.

Businesses remained closed and roads were deserted in Kolkata where the Forward Bloc took to the streets waving party flags and shouting slogans.

Commuters and office goers had to face problems because of the shortage of the public transport.

"We have to reach office in time, the company doesn't listen to all this. We face lots of problems," said Kishore Chowdhury, a commuter.

Many passengers were stranded at both Howrah and Sealdah stations because of disruption in railway services.

Event : London Lifestyle Awards 2010 - Arrivals
Venue & Location : Park Plaza Riverbank / London, UK
Event Date : 10/07/2010
Photographer : Landmark / PR Photos

Washington, Mar 11 : Changing name can help you earn more money, at least that’s what Stockholm University researchers believe.

Study authors Mahmood Arai and Peter Skogman Thoursie have found that immigrants to Sweden earned more money after they change their foreign-sounding names.

They found that earnings increased by 141 percent for a sample of African, Asian and Slavic immigrants who changed their names to be ethnically neutral or a bit more Swedish-sounding.

Imphal, July 5: Even as the ULFA indulges in violence in Assam in desperation, militants in Manipur too are using terror to subdue the general public in state.

The quiet and determined protest by the people against militancy in the state has spread panic among underground groups. Most feel that terror tactics are not working, as the people are coming out openly against the militants.

Last week, some militant groups threw bombs at peaceful protestors in the Ningthoukhong Bazaar in Bishenpur District near Imphal. The injured people were protesting against the extortion demands made on shopkeepers.