After years battling his own demons, All Black legend John Kirwan is attempting to help fellow Kiwis struggling through COVID-19 lockdown by releasing a mobile phone app he calls "a mental wellbeing coach in your pocket".
The World Cup winning winger broke one of sport's great taboos after a stellar international career when he revealed his struggles with depression, helping explode the myth that on-field glory equates to happiness off the pitch.
"I had medical depression, I was on anti-depressants -- I wanted to jump out of a window one night," Kirwan told AFP in a telephone interview.
"I've got learned experience in this space." Such is Kirwan's passion for speaking out about mental health that when he was knighted in 2012 it was his pioneering advocacy, not his exploits in a black jersey, that earned him the award.
After writing two memoirs on the topic, Kirwan has in recent years devoted himself to a more hi-tech means of communication, a mobile phone app called Mentemia.
The app .

Rugby legend Kirwan tackles COVID-19 mental health

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The Chinese Football Association has proposed clubs slash wages of players and coaches by at least 30 percent to cut costs because of the coronavirus, state media said Tuesday.
The People's Daily said that the CFA is now awaiting feedback from teams in the top-tier Chinese Super League (CSL) and the two divisions below.
The CSL season was supposed to begin on February 22 but was indefinitely postponed after coronavirus emerged in central China in December, before spreading worldwide.
"After the opinions are collected and revised, the Chinese Football Association will report to FIFA and other relevant departments," the state-run newspaper said.
"It is understood that the target of the Chinese Football Association (wages cuts)... does not include youth players and ordinary employees with relatively low salaries," People's Daily added.
The CSL has enticed foreign coaches and players in recent years with vast pay packets.
Shanghai SIPG's Brazilian attacking midfielder Oscar is one of the .

China FA proposes minimum 30 percent pay cut because of virus

Professional sport returned to South Korea on Tuesday as coronavirus restrictions ease, with the first pitch thrown in a baseball preseason derby in front of empty stands.
The Seoul-based Doosan Bears and LG Twins are Korea's biggest rivals in the country's most popular spectator sport and their shared stadium in the capital's Jamsil area would usually be packed.
But the stands were empty with fans barred as the Twins' Cha Woo-chan threw the first pitch.
Even the cheerleaders -- an essential element of firing up the atmosphere at what would normally be a fever-pitch encounter -- were also absent.
The stadium was silent except for the continuous clicking of camera shutters from around 50 members of the media and occasional shouts from the dug-outs.  Reporters were not allowed to approach the players.
South Korea endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the disease outside China, prompting professional sports including football and baseball to suspend or delay their seasons.
Sports ..

S. Korea baseball returns as virus curbs ease

Across Asia, home to about half of the world's Muslims, the coming Islamic holy month of Ramzan is on a collision course with the coronavirus pandemic as clerics call on the faithful to cram into mosques.
Authorities have tried to limit the fallout during the sacred period of fasting, which starts Thursday, but in many cases religious leaders have brushed aside concerns about activities that could spread COVID-19.
In Bangladesh, clerics lashed out at attempts to reduce the number of people going to mosques, and demanded the country's secular government allow millions of Muslims to join daily and weekly prayers.
"The quota on the number of worshippers imposed by the government is not acceptable to us. Islam does not support imposition of any quota on worshippers," said Mojibur Rahman Hamidi, a senior member of the hardline Hefazat-e-Islam group.
Islamic leaders in Bangladesh, where tens of thousands of people defied a nationwide lockdown Saturday to attend the funeral of a top ...

Ramzan on collision course with virus for Asia's Muslims

The coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating threats to press freedom around the world, with authoritarian states including China and Iran suppressing details of the outbreak, activists said on Tuesday.
Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in its annual press freedom rankings the pandemic was "highlighting and amplifying the many crises" already casting a shadow on press freedom.
The outbreak had encouraged some regimes to "take advantage of the fact people are stunned and mobilisation has weakened to impose measures that would be impossible to adopt in normal times", RSF secretary general Christophe Deloire told AFP.
The rankings saw few major changes from last year, with Nordic countries regarded as the most free and isolated states Turkmenistan and North Korea footing the list of 180 countries.
RSF accused China and Iran -- in 177th and 173rd place respectively -- of censoring major coronavirus outbreaks.
Alluding to accusations that Beijing concealed the initial extent of .

Coronavirus pandemic 'amplifies press freedom threats'

The UN Security Council on Monday imposed sanctions on Central African Republic rebel leader Abdoulaye Miskine, who last year signed a peace agreement between the government and armed groups.
Miskine, founder and head of the Democratic Front of the Central African People (FDPC), was offered a government position under the terms of the February 2019 accord.
However, in the last report by UN experts monitoring sanctions and an arms embargo imposed in 2013, the self-proclaimed general was mentioned as looking for fighters.
Despite the signing of the agreement, Miskine "remains a threat to the peace, stability and security of the CAR," a diplomat said.
Miskine had signed the peace agreement in Khartoum between CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera and the heads of 14 armed groups.
Under the deal, militia chiefs were given senior government positions in the purported aim of helping to cement peace.
Miskine was named as an adviser to the new government but never took up his post, ...

UN slaps sanctions on Central Africa rebel chief

Hundreds of Amazon employees are expected to strike from Tuesday to protest conditions they say are unsafe and demand better protection in the workplace against the coronavirus pandemic.
This is "the biggest mass action by workers yet, as frustrations mount around the company's failure to protect workers and public health in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic," said the Athena coalition, a group of workers' rights organizations, in a statement released Monday.
The protest by more than 300 warehouse workers comes three days before an online strike by Amazon coders and engineers.
The online retail giant has been accused since the start of the pandemic of failing to sufficiently protect its employees, as well as of firing employees in the US who led protest movements.
"For weeks, Amazon workers... have sounded the alarm over unsafe conditions at facilities," Athena's statement said, pointing to 130 warehouses where workers have contracted COVID-19, some "with more than 30 confirmed ...

Amazon workers to strike over 'unsafe' conditions amid virus

Rafael Nadal expressed his frustration that tennis players remain unable to practise due to the coronavirus pandemic, while Roger Federer revealed he was happy with his recovery from knee surgery.
The Spanish government has extended the country's state of alarm until May 9, with the entire population confined to their homes except a small number working in specific sectors, leaving Nadal perplexed as to why he can't train.
"It's true I don't understand very well because we cannot play tennis when many people are going to work and even more so in our sport, where we keep at a large and safe distance and we play on opposite sides of the court," world number two Nadal said during an Instagram Live.
"But I understand that we are in a very critical situation, that the government is dealing with something unprecedented and I also understand that the last thing they think of is who can train and who cannot train.
"I understand the situation and obviously there are many things that are not ...

Nadal frustrated by tennis lockdown, Federer happy with surgery recovery

La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) have agreed a return to training protocol for professional players in the country after the coronavirus outbreak, the Spanish National Sports Council (CSD) has announced.
Spain's top division has been suspended since March 12 due to the COVID-19 outbreak which has so far killed more than 20,800 people, the third-highest number of deaths in the world after the United States and Italy.
"This decision remains controlled by the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and by the decisions adopted by the Ministry of Health," the CSD said in a statement.
La Liga clubs will train again "when health conditions allow it, and by following strict health protocols," it added.
According to local media reports La Liga has already outlined a proposition which includes testing players as well as a progression from individual training to sessions with whole squads.
League chief Javier Tebas last week said play could restart as early as next month, although .

La Liga, Spanish FA agree training restart protocol

Valencia has confirmed its first team players will accept pay cuts to limit the economic damage felt by the club from the coronavirus pandemic.
After weeks of negotiations, Valencia announced the club will also apply for the Spanish government's furlough scheme (ERTE), which allows employers to reduce working hours and pay in exceptional circumstances.
"The club is particularly grateful for the solidarity of the first team who, by reducing their wages, will help the club protect all its workers and their families in such difficult circumstances," said the club in a statement.
Valencia have followed a number of La Liga's leading teams in applying cuts although they have not specified by how much the players will reduce their salaries.
Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla players have all accepted 70 per cent pay cuts per month while Real Madrid players will lose 10 per cent of their annual salary, as long as the season restarts, and 20 per cent if the season is cancelled.
La Liga ...

Valencia players agree to coronavirus pay cuts

Germany's Bundesliga could resume from May 9, regional leaders of the country's biggest states said, although games can only take place without spectators to prevent coronavirus contagion.
Markus Soeder, state premier of Bavaria which hosts champions Bayern Munich, said it remains "completely unimaginable to have spectators" in the stadiums given the need for social distancing to slow the virus spread.
But "we could perhaps from May 9 play such a round of 'ghost games'," Soeder told Bild, using the German term "Geisterspiele" for matches played in empty stadiums.
"A weekend with football is much more bearable than a weekend without football," he added.
Likewise, Armin Laschet, premier of North Rhine-Westphalia state which is home to Borussia Dortmund, said Germany's top flight could resume "on condition that there is a thoroughly thought-out concept".
- Decision imminent -
=====================
The German Football League (DFL) has presented "safeguards" in recent days, said Laschet, ..

Possible May 9 resumption of Bundesliga behind closed doors

As European countries take steps towards easing lockdown measures imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, UEFA will meet with the continent's football clubs and associations this week to try to mark out a pathway towards resuming the season.
European football's governing body is eager to steer all 55 member countries towards a consensus. They want to finish the season, with Germany hopeful of restarting Bundesliga matches behind closed doors next month.
Elsewhere, Belgium and Scotland appear to be awaiting a green light from UEFA to call an end to their seasons now.
The virus has claimed over 165,000 lives globally, nearly two thirds of them in Europe, according to an AFP tally. Given the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, UEFA are remaining prudent.
That means firm decisions are unlikely this week, as UEFA hold a meeting with the heads of all member associations on Tuesday, followed by another with the powerful European Club Association (ECA) and the European Leagues grouping on .

UEFA look for light at end of tunnel in bid to resume European football season

South Korean football clubs will be allowed to hold practice matches behind closed doors from Tuesday, the K-League said, with the season delayed by two months so far over the coronavirus epidemic.
South Korea endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the disease outside China, but appears to have brought it under control thanks to its extensive "trace, test and treat" programme.
The outbreak had prompted sports leagues to suspend or delay their seasons across the country.
Sports fans around the world have been starved of live action because of the virus, with broadcasters resorting to repeats of matches from past years, while leagues face the prospect of paying rights-holders multi-million-dollar refunds.
But at the weekend Seoul said it would permit outdoor sports matches behind closed doors as the country is seeing a steady decline in new virus cases.
The Korean Professional Football League responded late Monday, announcing that its clubs would be allowed to play practice matches 

South Korea's K-league allows practice matches as virus fears ease

Nicolas Jarry will be able to return to tennis in November after the Chilean world number 89's doping ban was backdated.
Jarry tested positive for anabolic agent ligandrol and anabolic steroid stanozolol at the Davis Cup in November.
The 24-year-old claimed his positive test was due to "cross-contamination" and the International Tennis Federation have accepted that explanation, allowing him to return to action this year if the sport resumes after the coronavirus pandemic.
"He must serve a period of ineligibility of 11 months and that period of ineligibility is back-dated to start on 16 December 2019, and so ending at midnight on 15 November 2020," an ITF statement said.
Jarry was originally charged in January and was provisionally suspended later that month.
He said he had taken "multi-vitamins made in Brazil" that his doctor recommended because they were "guaranteed to be free from banned substances".

Chile's Jarry can return in November after ban backdated

PGA chief executive Seth Waugh has said his organisation is studying the feasibility of staging this year's Ryder Cup without fans in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Waugh told New York's WFAN radio that while a Ryder Cup without spectators was "hard to imagine," PGA officials were looking to see if the event could be held with "virtual fans."
This year's Ryder Cup -- the hotly contested biennial team competition that pits the United States against Europe -- is due to be held at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin from September 25-27.
Raucous, partisan crowds are integral to the febrile spectacle of Ryder Cup competition, but COVID-19 could ensure that this year's competition takes place before empty galleries.
"It's hard to imagine one without fans," Waugh told WFAN.
"We have begun to talk about whether you could create some virtual fan experience, and we're going to try to be as creative as we can.
"It's (still) to be determined, frankly, whether you could hold it without fans or ...

PGA says Ryder Cup without fans under consideration

Lokomotiv Moscow defender Innokentiy Samokhvalov died during an individual training session forced by the coronavirus lockdown, the Russian club has announced.
"He felt bad during an individual training session, the circumstances (surrounding his death) are still being clarified," Lokomotiv said in a statement.
"He was a kind, nice man, a good friend. It's deeply sad for our family."
Samokhvalov, 22, arrived at Lokomotiv in 2015 but is yet to make an appearance in the Russian Premier League. He currently plays for Lokomotiv's reserve team Kazanka in Russia's third tier.
His coach at Kazanka, Alexander Grishin, said that Samokhvalov had suffered a "cardiac arrest".

Lokomotiv Moscow's Samokhvalov dies during lockdown training

Serie A insisted that they were committed to finishing the season despite reports seven clubs are against a return to action as the coronavirus pandemic continues to afflict Italy.
"The Lega Serie A Council that met today unanimously confirmed its intention to complete the 2019-2020 season, if the government allows it to take place," Italy's top flight said in a statement on Monday.
It added that any resumption will take place "in accordance with regulations laid out by FIFA and UEFA" and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), and "in compliance with medical protocols to protect the players".
Brescia, Torino, Sampdoria, Udinese, SPAL, Genoa and Sardinian outfit Cagliari do not want to play because of the "incalculable risk" of restarting, according to reports in Italy.
Six of those clubs are situated in the north of Italy which has been hardest hit by a virus which has killed over 24,000 people.
No football has been played in Italy since March 9 with the current lockdown measures in .

Serie A commits to finishing season after virus lockdown

Arsenal became the first Premier League club to agree a coronavirus pay cut with their players as manager Mikel Arteta and his stars slashed their wages by 12.5 percent on Monday.
After Southampton and West Ham announced wage deferral agreements with their players, Arsenal went one step further by securing the pay cut from Arteta and the first-team squad.
"We are pleased to announce that we have reached a voluntary agreement with our first-team players, head coach and core coaching staff to help support the club at this critical time," Arsenal said in a statement.
"The move follows positive and constructive discussions. In these conversations there has been a clear appreciation of the gravity of the current situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and a strong desire for players and staff to show their backing for the Arsenal family."
The pay deals come after a series of negotiations over the last two weeks amid a backdrop of criticism for Premier League players over their failure to 

Arsenal players and boss Arteta agree coronavirus pay cut

Riot police used tear gas to disperse PAOK Thessaloniki supporters who had gathered to celebrate the club's 94th birthday despite the coronavirus lockdown.
More than 200 PAOK fans broke a government ban on public gatherings outside the club's Toumba Stadium due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
Local media reported that at least one supporter was arrested and a number of others were fined following the clashes on Monday.
Government officials announced on Monday that 2,245 cases of the coronavirus have been detected so far in Greece with 116 deaths, and a ban on sporting activities is in force until at least April 27.
Earlier on Monday Greek deputy minister of sports Lefteris Avgenakis said that he believed the country's professional football clubs would begin training again next month.
"We will wait for the advice of the experts and based on their instructions we will start to gradually to open sports facilities," Avgenakis told Mega television.

Police clash with PAOK fans after anniversary celebrations

Professional women's golf will resume in South Korea next month after a coronavirus hiatus, with a report Tuesday saying two of the world's top 10 would seize the chance to return to competition.
South Korea dominates the women's game globally, with its best players gravitating towards the lucrative US-based LPGA tour, where they occupy three of the top six ranking spots and eight of the top 20.
But sport events around the world have been put on hold as the novel coronavirus has swept the globe with total cases nearing 2.5 million.
South Korea once had the largest confirmed cases outside China but appears to have brought the outbreak under control with a huge "trace, test and treat" strategy.
And government officials have said that outdoor sports events will now be allowed, with restrictions.
The Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Championship is scheduled to be played over four days from May 14 in Yangju, east of Seoul.
World number six Kim Sei-young and 10th-ranked ..

South Korea women's golf resumption draws world top-10 players: report

President Donald Trump said Monday the United States would take advantage of the historic drop in oil prices to replenish its national strategic stockpile, pending approval by Congress.
"We are filling up our national petroleum reserves... You know, the strategic reserves," Trump told reporters at his daily coronavirus press conference.
"And we are looking to put as much as 75 million barrels into the reserves themselves," he added.
Later in the briefing, he specified that he would only buy that amount if Congress authorized the funding -- or if the federal government could rent storage space to third parties for a fee.
When prices eventually rebound, these vendors could sell their excess oil.
US oil prices crashed to unprecedented lows Monday as futures in New York ended in negative territory for the first time amid a devastating supply glut that has forced traders to pay others to take the crude off their hands.
The president had announced his intention on March 13 to fill the ...

AFP

AFP

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