An Australian banknote firm part-owned by the country’s central bank used agents who were willing to pay bribes and supply prostitutes to foreign officials to win supply contracts, reports said on Mon

A bomb ripped through a minibus in western Afghanistan on Monday, killing five civilians and wounding another eight, some critically, the interior ministry said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief assured MPs on Monday that the body would review fines and bans
imposed on seven top players after receiving a report from a one-man arbitration panel.

Aussie Michael Rogers won the Tour of California on Sunday, edging runner-up David Zabriskie and upstaging three-time defending champ Levi Leipheimer, who finished third.

Amare Stoudemire matched his career playoff high with 42 points and Steve Nash had 15 assists as Phoenix clawed their way back into the semi-finals series with a 118-109 win over Los Angeles.

Asian teams go into the World Cup in South Africa looking to reaffirm the region’s growing stature, but they have their work cut out with none handed an easy draw.
Australia, Japan, South Korea and North Korea are the Asian Football Confederation teams flying the flag, with New Zealand enjoying their first outing at the World Cup since 1982 after qualifying via a play-off.

A surreal movie from Thailand about the reveries of a dying man was the surprise victor of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, delivering a welcome boost to the troubled nation.

Michael Clarke was on Monday retained as skipper of Australia’s Twenty20 squad for July’s series with Pakistan in England despite his below-par batting performances in T20 cricket.

England middle-order batsman Eoin Morgan, who was a key member of the side that won the the World Twenty20 final against Australia in Barbados last Sunday, has been called up into a Test squad for the Bangladesh series opener, which starts at Lord’s on Thursday.

New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 28 runs in the first of two Twenty20 matches on Saturday as international cricket made an historic attempt to break into the American market.