Afghan officials sought Saturday to head off a run on the country's biggest bank, reassuring customers of Kabul Bank that their money was safe following corruption allegations in US newspapers.

The British newspaper whose allegations of a betting scam have rocked the world of cricket said Saturday that a fourth Pakistan player was being probed over the claims, but declined to name him.

Human rights group Amnesty International called on Saturday for Maoist rebels to free three abducted policemen held hostage in eastern India after the guerrillas killed one of the captives.

Spain's Dani Pedrosa, the winner at Indianapolis last weekend, took pole position for the San Marino Grand Prix on Saturday for the 35th pole of his career and 17th in MotoGP.

Ruling party kingpin Ichiro Ozawa, vying for Japan's political leadership with Prime Minister Naoto Kan, criticised him Saturday for ceding control of decision-making to bureaucrats.