London, Apr. 16 : New England cricket team coach Andy Flower believes batsman Kevin Pietersen can help England regain The Ashes this year.

The ex-Zimbabwe skipper, 40, insists that the talented but sometimes self-obsessed Pietersen is fundamental to the side’s chances in the busiest summer in their history.

Helsinki - A kiss-and-tell book about Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen and the related issue of how much privacy leading politicians can claim may feature in a new trial, reports said Wednesday.

The prosecutor as well as the author and publisher of the book have filed appeals to the Supreme Court. A decision on a possible hearing is expected in four months, Finnish news agency STT reported.

Madrid - The presidential election at Real Madrid has been set for June 14, the Spanish football giants announced on Wednesday.

The decision was reached during a board meeting on the day by interim president Vicente Boluda.

Boluda took over the presidency on a temporary basis in January from Ramon Calderon, who resigned in disgrace after media revelations that he had sneaked false delegates into the club's annual general assembly in January.

Randeep Hooda has taken a sabbatical from acting to focus on his other passion, horses.

And the passion has paid off.

Last week at the prestigious Delhi Horse Show Randeep and his two horses Ranji and Johnny Walker won a silver medal in the national dressage category which is considered by equestrians to be the toughest category in the competition.

No individual from any section of the Indian film industry has won a medal at the Delhi Horse Show.

London - West Ham United confirmed on Wednesday that they have signed defender Herita Ilunga on a four-year deal from Toulouse.

The DR Congo international has been on loan at the English Premier League side since the beginning of the season, and has made himself a fixture at left-back.

"It is a great joy for me to have signed permanently for a club that believed in me and gave me the opportunity to play in the Premier League," he told the club website.

Monte Carlo - Roger Federer and Davis Cup teammate Stanislas Wawrinka advanced into a Swiss showdown in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday as Federer kick-started his spring clay season.

The newly-married second seed had to fight through as Italian Andreas Seppi saved three match points before exiting 6-4, 6-4 to the 13-time Grand Slam champion.

Number 13 Wawrinka spent more than two and a half hours in his struggle with Argentine Marcello Vassallo Arguello to seize a 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory.