Hamilton, Mar 11 : Virender Sehwag on Wednesday blasted the fastest century by any Indian to help India clinch their first ever series win in New Zealand.

The flamboyant opener scored his century of just 60 deliveries and India won the match by 84 runs (Duckworth Lewis method).

Indian has now taken a three nil lead in the five-matches ODI series, with one more match to go.

Winning the toss and electing to bat first, New Zealand put up a respectable total of 270 in 47 overs for the loss of five wickets.

Hamilton (New Zealand), Mar. 11 : Calls for New Zealand sports people to continue touring countries at risk of terrorist attack have horrified former Hamilton and Black Cap cricketer Rob Hart.

In 2002, Hart was touring Pakistan with the Black Caps.

In an article for the Waikato Times, Hart said that he was seconds away from losing his life in 2002.

Wellington  - The New Zealand government is breaking with normal diplomatic practice and sending a former politician, Jim McLay, to New York as its representative to the United Nations, it was announced on Wednesday.

The post has traditionally been held by a senior career diplomat, but the conservative National Party government elected in November has chosen one of its veteran advisers who served as a cabinet minister and deputy prime minister between 1978 and 1984.

Wellington  - The population of New Zealand's kakapo - the world's rarest parrot - has topped 100 for the first time since the birds were rediscovered 33 years ago, it was announced on Wednesday.

Kakapos were thought to be extinct until 1976 when a small population was discovered on Stewart Island and a breeding programme started to save the species at a sanctuary on nearby Codfish Island.

Wellington  - Michael Swann, 47, was sentenced Wednesday to nine years and six months in prison for New Zealand's biggest-ever fraud by a worker on his employer, news reports said.

Swann was found guilty in December in the Dunedin High Court of embezzling 17 million New Zealand dollars (8.5 million US dollars) over six years while working as chief information officer of the Otago District Health Board.

Wellington  - The New Zealand government on Wednesday announced a scheme to pay workers to take one day off every two weeks to save them from the threat of losing their jobs in the current recession.

Under the scheme, workers and their bosses in New Zealand's largest companies that are suffering in the economic downturn will negotiate voluntary agreements to cut their hours, Prime Minister John Key told a news conference.