Maribor, Slovenia  - The father

Val di Fiemme, Italy  - Bjoern Kircheisen of Germany won the last World Cup mass start event to be held in Nordic combined skiing on Saturday.

Kircheisen had 258.5 points from a 10-kilometres cross country mass start portion and two ensuing rounds of ski-jumping for his second season win and 13th in his career.

Austrian Bernhard Gruber trailed by just half a point in second place with 285.0 points. Jan Schmid of Norway was third with 254.7 points.

Bad Mitterndorf, Austria  - Gregor Schlierenzauer soared a hill record on Saturday to win the first ski-flying event of the World Cup season in front of a delighted Austrian home crowd.

Schlierenzauer, who turned 19 on Wednesday, added the record 215.5 metres to a first jump of 199.5m for a winning total of 398.0 points. He could barely stand after the massive leap which gave him a third season win and 13th overall.

Karachi, Jan. 10 : Already suffering from severe a financial crunch, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has now accused its former Chief Operating Officer (COO) Shafqat Naghmi, of causing hefty financial losses to the board.

The PCB said that the project initially supposed to cost Rs. 142 million, was now expected to cross Rs. 471 million.

"Massive irregularities have been discovered in the construction of the far end pavilion at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore," a press release by the PCB stated.

Melbourne, Jan 10 : After a summer of disappointing results and growing discontent among cricketers, the Australian selectors have taken the extraordinary step of scheduling a meeting with every national team player to improve communication with them.

All contracted and prospective players were notified of the offer by chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch to update them on the selectors' views on their standings.

The move comes after criticism of selection and uncertainty surrounding omissions. The players were notified of the offer by email yesterday, with the meetings to be held as soon as possible.

Sydney, Jan. 10 : Yugoslavian tennis star Ana Ivanovic has said that when she comes on court, her Scorpio instincts take over, and she becomes extremely competitive.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, 21-year-old Ivanovic, who is otherwise beautiful and good natured, besides being UNICEF''S national ambassador to Serbia, is extremely intense when on a tennis court.

"I think when I''m on the court I become with a killer instinct, a real Scorpio . When I''m very motivated and when I have to compete I change a little bit, I become very competitive," the paper quoted her, as saying.

Is the intense focus puzzling for her?

According to Ivanovic: "It''s very different."