Moscow - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who has not ruled out another run in the Kremlin, backed a proposal on Wednesday to extend by two years the presidential term.

Putin, however, added it was too soon to say who would be the next candidate for the constitutionally-stretched office.

Legal experts say the changes would not benefit Putin's successor Dmitry Medvedev, though Russian lawmakers moved Wednesday to fast-track approval of his bill.

Cologne, Germany - Robert Mueller was on Wednesday picked as reserve goalkeeper for German first division ice hockey team Koelner Haie, after revealing earlier in the week that he is terminally ill.

Mueller is suffering from a fast-growing brain tumor which doctors failed twice, in November 2006 and August 2008, to fully remove.

He went public via his doctor this week with the announcement, with the doctor saying that 70 per cent of the patients die within one year after the diagnosis and only three per cent live another five years.

Rome/Brussels - A European Commission decision that an Italian state loan to Alitalia was "illegal," on Wednesday hit the ailing carrier as it was also attempting to deal with disruption caused by an ongoing wildcat strike.

Alitalia's bankruptcy commissioner, Augusto Fantozzi, said in an afternoon statement that the airline has mandated its lawyers to pursue legal action against striking employees.

These had caused "damages" to Alitalia's schedule and to that of its clients at airports Fiumicino in Rome and Linate in Milan, Fantozzi said.

Hamburg - Germany coach Jochim Loew has criticised the attitude of some players and said the recent disputes with captain Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings were harmful for the team's image.

Loew told Wednesday's edition of the Sport-Bild weekly that professional players should accept being benched and not express their dissatisfaction in public.

"There is a growing tendency that players express their dissatisfaction as soon as they are benched. We would do good to talk about the quality of football instead of players' sensitivities," Loew said.

Frankfurt - Austria forward Umit Kormaz fractured his right foot for the second time in five months on Wednesday and is sidelined for several months in the latest injury shock at German Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt.

Korkmaz picked up the injury during training. He suffered the same fate in his first training at the club in July after a move from Rapid Vienna and was out for three months.

"I have never seen such bad injury luck in my many years in football," said Frankfurt board chairman Heribert Bruchhagen.

New Delhi, Nov 12 : The All India Minorities Front on Wednesday announced the name of six candidates for the upcoming Assembly polls in Delhi.