Former skipper Hashim Amla's 32nd half century helped South Africa reach 123/4 against New Zealand on an intriguing opening day of the third and final Test, cut short because of rain at the Seddon Park here on Saturday.

Skipper Faf du Plessis was batting on 33 with Temba Bavuma on 13 for company when the umpires removed the bails for the day. Only 41 overs were possible with nearly three hours of play lost on the first day of the deciding Test because of the weather.

The duo's unbroken 26-run stand came after Amla's valuable half-century. His 50 off 93 balls included nine boundaries and helped the visiting side recover from 5/2, according to an International Cricket Council (ICC) report.

Du Plessis won the toss for the eighth consecutive time in New Zealand, but the home side had the early success as both openers fell in the first four overs.

Theunis de Bruyn had a debut to forget, falling for a duck when he edged his third ball, from Matt Henry, to Tom Latham at second slip.

Dean Elgar was bowled when he shouldered arms to a Colin de Grandhomme delivery that came back from outside the off stump.

Jean Paul Duminy and Amla offered a period of stability before Henry had Duminy caught on the boundary for 20 just before lunch. De Grandhomme bowled Amla seven overs after the resumption.

Rain brought an early end to the middle session 14.2 overs after lunch, and no further play was possible despite the efforts of the ground staff.

Henry finished the day with 2/25 and de Grandhomme 2/43.

South Africa leads the series 1-0 and wants a win in Hamilton to move up to second on the ICC Test team rankings. However, the weather could have the final say on the outcome.

Former skipper Hashim Amla's 32nd half century helped South Africa reach 123/4 against New Zealand on an intriguing opening day of the third and final Test, cut short because of rain at the Seddon Park here on Saturday.

Skipper Faf du Plessis was batting on 33 with Temba Bavuma on 13 for company when the umpires removed the bails for the day. Only 41 overs were possible with nearly three hours of play lost on the first day of the deciding Test because of the weather.

The duo's unbroken 26-run stand came after Amla's valuable half-century. His 50 off 93 balls included nine boundaries and helped the visiting side recover from 5/2, according to an International Cricket Council (ICC) report.

Du Plessis won the toss for the eighth consecutive time in New Zealand, but the home side had the early success as both openers fell in the first four overs.

Theunis de Bruyn had a debut to forget, falling for a duck when he edged his third ball, from Matt Henry, to Tom Latham at second slip.

Dean Elgar was bowled when he shouldered arms to a Colin de Grandhomme delivery that came back from outside the off stump.

Jean Paul Duminy and Amla offered a period of stability before Henry had Duminy caught on the boundary for 20 just before lunch. De Grandhomme bowled Amla seven overs after the resumption.

Rain brought an early end to the middle session 14.2 overs after lunch, and no further play was possible despite the efforts of the ground staff.

Henry finished the day with 2/25 and de Grandhomme 2/43.

South Africa leads the series 1-0 and wants a win in Hamilton to move up to second on the ICC Test team rankings. However, the weather could have the final say on the outcome.

The Patiala House Court on Saturday put Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on trial in a criminal defamation case filed against him by Union Minister Arun Jaitley in Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) matter.

The court also framed charges against Kejriwal and 5 other AAP leaders in the case after they were pleaded not guilty.

The next hearing in this matter will be held on May 20.

Finance Minister Jaitley had filed a defamation case against Kejriwal and other AAP leaders in 2015 and had sought Rs.10 crore damage from them for making false and defamatory statements in the DDCA case, defaming his name.

The AAP leaders had attacked Jaitley and his family members in various social platforms over alleged irregularities in the DDCA case of which he was the president for about 13 years.

The Patiala House Court on Saturday put Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on trial in a criminal defamation case filed against him by Union Minister Arun Jaitley in Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) matter.

The court also framed charges against Kejriwal and 5 other AAP leaders in the case after they were pleaded not guilty.

The next hearing in this matter will be held on May 20.

Finance Minister Jaitley had filed a defamation case against Kejriwal and other AAP leaders in 2015 and had sought Rs.10 crore damage from them for making false and defamatory statements in the DDCA case, defaming his name.

The AAP leaders had attacked Jaitley and his family members in various social platforms over alleged irregularities in the DDCA case of which he was the president for about 13 years.

Delhi-based Farhan Sabir, who won the singing reality show "The Voice India Season 2", says he is a big fan of superstar Salman Khan, and wants to do playback singing for the "Dabangg" star.

"I plan on completing my studies and I look forward to come back to Mumbai and make my career in the Bollywood industry. I dream of doing playback singing for Salman Khan. I'm a huge fan of his," Sabir, who left studies at the age of 19 to fend for his family and started singing at a local cafe here

Sabir was announced the winner of the second edition of the &TV show earlier this month. Along with the title, the 19-year-old took home a cheque of Rs 25 lakh and a Maruti Suzuki Alto K10.

He says he intends to save the prize money "for my sisters' education and my family's well-being". 

Looking back at his journey, Sabir said: "My journey has been quite memorable and I have cherished each and every moment. I have struggled a lot for my family as my father was unwell and we had financial troubles. But now that I have won the title, I can see life being good and I can see my family happy." 

Delhi-based Farhan Sabir, who won the singing reality show "The Voice India Season 2", says he is a big fan of superstar Salman Khan, and wants to do playback singing for the "Dabangg" star.

"I plan on completing my studies and I look forward to come back to Mumbai and make my career in the Bollywood industry. I dream of doing playback singing for Salman Khan. I'm a huge fan of his," Sabir, who left studies at the age of 19 to fend for his family and started singing at a local cafe here

Sabir was announced the winner of the second edition of the &TV show earlier this month. Along with the title, the 19-year-old took home a cheque of Rs 25 lakh and a Maruti Suzuki Alto K10.

He says he intends to save the prize money "for my sisters' education and my family's well-being". 

Looking back at his journey, Sabir said: "My journey has been quite memorable and I have cherished each and every moment. I have struggled a lot for my family as my father was unwell and we had financial troubles. But now that I have won the title, I can see life being good and I can see my family happy." 

The world will celebrate Earth Hour on Saturday night by switching off lights and going "dark" for one hour to encourage participation in fighting climate change.

This year the event is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The initiative is supported by 7,000 cities around the world. Landmarks will go dark, and millions of people are expected to turn off their lights as a political statement against climate change and fossil fuels, and in support of carbon cuts and renewable energy, USA Today reported.

The global event will start at 8.30 p.m.

Started by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Australia in 2007, Earth Hour has expanded to a global event, with public spaces going dark, and in some places, people gathering with lit candles instead.

According to the organisers, "Earth Hour shows how each of us can be heroes for our planet".

The WWF said Earth Hour is not a one-hour commitment to conservation but rather a symbol of something bigger.

"Participation in Earth Hour symbolises a commitment to change beyond the hour," the website reads.

Despite the terror attack in Westminster on Wednesday, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben are joining more than 270 landmarks across Britain in switching off the lights for Earth Hour.

Buckingham Palace, Blackpool Tower, Brighton Pier, the Senedd Building in Cardiff, the Kelpies sculpture in Falkirk and Edinburgh Castle are among those taking part.

Starting in Samoa and ending 24 hours later in The Cook Islands, people in 184 countries will send the message calling for action to protect the planet.

Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, New York's Empire State Building, the Kremlin and Red Square in Moscow, the Egyptian Pyramids and Tokyo Tower will be switching off the lights during their Earth Hour between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m.

Members of the public are also being encouraged to take part by switching off their lights for the hour.

The world will celebrate Earth Hour on Saturday night by switching off lights and going "dark" for one hour to encourage participation in fighting climate change.

This year the event is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The initiative is supported by 7,000 cities around the world. Landmarks will go dark, and millions of people are expected to turn off their lights as a political statement against climate change and fossil fuels, and in support of carbon cuts and renewable energy, USA Today reported.

The global event will start at 8.30 p.m.

Started by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Australia in 2007, Earth Hour has expanded to a global event, with public spaces going dark, and in some places, people gathering with lit candles instead.

According to the organisers, "Earth Hour shows how each of us can be heroes for our planet".

The WWF said Earth Hour is not a one-hour commitment to conservation but rather a symbol of something bigger.

"Participation in Earth Hour symbolises a commitment to change beyond the hour," the website reads.

Despite the terror attack in Westminster on Wednesday, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben are joining more than 270 landmarks across Britain in switching off the lights for Earth Hour.

Buckingham Palace, Blackpool Tower, Brighton Pier, the Senedd Building in Cardiff, the Kelpies sculpture in Falkirk and Edinburgh Castle are among those taking part.

Starting in Samoa and ending 24 hours later in The Cook Islands, people in 184 countries will send the message calling for action to protect the planet.

Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, New York's Empire State Building, the Kremlin and Red Square in Moscow, the Egyptian Pyramids and Tokyo Tower will be switching off the lights during their Earth Hour between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m.

Members of the public are also being encouraged to take part by switching off their lights for the hour.

The Islamic State has taken responsibility for a blast in front of a police box at the entrance to Dhaka's Shahjalal International Airport, describing it as a "suicide attack".

Terrorism monitoring group SITE Intelligence tweeted that the militant group's mouthpiece Amaq news agency reported the "suicide bombing" in the Bangladesh capital near the airport on Friday night, in which the bomber was killed. 

"For the 2nd time in one week, #ISIS claimed a suicide bombing in the #Bangladesh capital #Dhaka, the latest targeting a police checkpoint," SITE said in another Twitter message.

An airport police officer had initially said it was a "suicide attack", but Dhaka Metropolitan Police later ruled it out as an attack of that nature, Bdnews24 reported.

DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia said that it is suspected that the man was carrying a bomb in the bag.

He declined to comment on whether militants were involved in the blast, which occurred a week after what the law-enforcing agencies said was a suicide attack on a RAB camp in nearby Ashkona.

Meanwhile, the security forces on Saturday launched a final assault on a suspected militant hideout in Sylhet city, after a 30-hour siege, that began in the early hours of Friday. Over 50 persons were evacuated from a building on the outskirts of the city.

Commandos launched the assault "Operation Twilight" at a complex housing two buildings in Shibbarhi area. The area was cordoned off by the security forces.

Police said the militants were holed up in a flat on the ground floor of one of the buildings. They said that at least two militants — a male and a female — were believed to be in the flat.

According to the report, gunfire was heard twice in the area. No other details were available.

Heavily armed members of the law-enforcing agencies surrounded the complex.

An Army officer said that the soldiers were leading the assault and "the SWAT was only helping them".

A police official said a search operation in Sylhet was carried out after getting information that militants have taken shelter in the district.

After finding the hideout at Shibbarhi on Thursday, police locked the flat from outside and cordoned off the complex early on Friday.

Police came under attack later in the morning. The suspects shouted "Allahu Akbar" while hurling grenades at the law enforcers. Police officials retaliated by opening fire, and the cordon was extended to the entire area, Sylhet Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner Rokan Uddin said.

Reports said 17 families from one of the buildings at the complex were evacuated on Friday. They were kept in a school in the area throughout the day. The families stranded in the flats of another building were told to keep their doors and windows shut.

Protesting against the crackdown on illegal and mechanised slaughter houses in Uttar Pradesh, meat sellers here have gone on an indefinite strike.

The mutton and chicken sellers who have pulled down their shutters have threatened to intensify their stir from Monday, said Mubeen Qureshi of the Lucknow Bakra Gosht Vypar Mandal.

As a result, non veg food outlet, including the famous Tunday and Rahim's, who had shifted to mutton and chicken dishes after buffalo meat became scarce, too kept their shops shut.

The meat sellers are piqued over the crackdown on slaughter houses which has adversely hit the livelihood of lakhs of people, Qureshi said.

He added that fish sellers too may join the protest.

After coming to power, the Aditya Nath Yogi government has ordered closure of illegal slaughterhouses and ban on cow smuggling aiming to fulfill a key electoral promise.

State BJP leader Mazhar Abbas appealed to meat sellers saying that only the illegal shops and slaughter houses would face government action and the geneuine ones don't need to worry.

With an eye to grab Odisha in the 2019 assembly polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to hold its national executive meeting here on April 15 and 16.

Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said senior leaders of the party would attend the two-day executive meeting in Bhubaneswar.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP National President Amit Shah, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states will attend the executive meeting, Pradhan said.

Besides them, senior BJP leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi and several other national leaders of the party will attend the two-day meet in Bhubaneswar, he added.

The meeting is expected to give fresh momentum to party activities in the state as the BJP, which has performed exceptionally in the panchayat polls, is targeting to dethrone the incumbent Naveen Patnaik government in the assembly elections scheduled to be held in 2019.

"The Prime Minister will arrive in Odisha to thank the people of the state for their unprecedented support to the BJP in the recently concluded panchayat polls," Pradhan said.

BJP's Odisha in-charge Arun Singh and National Joint Secretary (Organisation) Soudan Singh will visit Odisha on Sunday to review preparations for the meeting.

Nepal has requested India to provide additional power through two newly-built transmission lines.

The construction of the 132KV Kushaha-Kataiya and 132KV Raxual-Parwanipur cross-border transmission lines was completed recently, Kathmandu Post reported.

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the state-owned power utility, has requested India to provide 50 MW of electricity through each of these transmission lines.

The NEA is planning to supply electricity bought from India through industrial corridors in Nepal, such as the one located on the Bara-Parsa stretch.

Nepalese ambassador to India Deep Kumar Upadhaya in a meeting with Indian Minister of State for Power, Piyush Goyal, requested New Delhi to expedite the supply of electricity through the new transmission lines.

"During the meeting, issues related to supply of additional power through newly built transmission lines, review of tariff at which India is selling power to Nepal, and cooperation in the power sector were discussed," said Hari Odari, spokesman of the Nepali embassy here.

Nepal and India have reached an understanding to arrange a meeting between NEA and the Power Trade Corporation of India to settle all technical issues related to the supply of power.

"Goyal has assured that he will instruct concerned agencies in India to expedite the process," Odari said.

Hydropower generation in Nepal has plunged by almost 60 per cent as the water level in most of the river basins has fallen due to onset of the dry season.

The NEA is relying heavily on the electricity bought from India to keep the country free from power cuts.

To bridge the gap, the Himalayan nation is currently importing around 380MW of electricity from India through various cross-border transmission lines.

The country's peak electricity demand hovers at 1,240MW.

Nepal, home to around 6,000 rivers, rivulets and tributaries, has the potential to generate over 40 GW of electricity through hydropower. But as of now, the country's installed capacity stands at less than 1,000 MW.

There is a big gap in the demand and supply of electricity because Nepal has not been able to build bigger hydropower plants since the 70MW Middle Marsyangdi Hydroelectric Project in Lamjung came into operation in 2008.

Former Telangana MP and senior Congress leader V. Hanumantha Rao was arrested on Saturday after he staged a sit-in protesting against a "false case" against him for allegedly abusing a police officer.

A day after police booked the case against him for abusing a police inspector and deterring him from discharging his official duty, Rao launched a sit-in at the statue of Rajiv Gandhi at Somajiguda area.

Several leaders of the Congress party including leader of opposition in Telangana assembly, K. Jana Reddy joined him in the protest to show their solidarity.

As the protest was leading to a traffic jam, police arrested Rao. 

He was physically lifted into a waiting police vehicle and taken to a police station.

Rao, who is a secretary of the All India Congress Committee, alleged that a false case was lodged against him. He said the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government was imposing restrictions on the movement of opposition leaders.

The senior leader landed himself in a controversy after he allegedly abused a police inspector when the latter tried to prevent him from using the media point in the state assembly premises on Thursday.

Rao got angry when Palaparthy Sudhakar told him that the media point is only for members of the assembly and the council.

"Nee amma (your mother). Who the hell are you to stop me? You are acting like a ruling party agent", the former MP was heard saying to the inspector.

As the video went viral online, the police officer felt insulted and took to Facebook on Friday to express his feelings. He posted that he wants to resign from his job.

Sudhakar said that Rao may have abused him because he belongs to the scheduled caste. He was also unhappy over his senior officers not taking the incident seriously.

Following the inspector's Facebook post, senior officers persuaded him not to resign.

Gold prices softened by Rs.20 to Rs.29,330 per ten grams at the bullion market on Saturday, tracking a weak trend overseas amid easing demand from local jewellers.

Silver, however, advanced by Rs.425 to Rs.41,800 per kg on increased offtake by industrial units and coin makers.

Bullion traders said besides a weak trend overseas, easing demand from local jewellers at domestic spot market at prevailing levels mainly led to the decline in gold prices.

Globally, gold fell 0.14 per cent to $1,242.90 an ounce on Friday in New York.

In the national capital, gold of 99.9 and 99.5 per cent purity traded lower by Rs.20 each to Rs.29,330 and Rs.29,180 per ten grams, respectively. The precious metal had gained Rs.350 on Friday.

Sovereign, however, remained flat at Rs.24,400 per piece of eight grams in scattered deals.

On the other hand, silver ready rose further by Rs.425 to Rs.41,800 per kg and weekly-based delivery by Rs.270 to Rs.41,530 per kg.

Silver coins, however, continued to be traded at previous level of Rs.71,000 for buying and Rs.72,000 for selling of 100 pieces.

Nepal and China have pledged to further develop their ties as Kathmandu expressed its willingness to join China's Belt and Road initiative.

In a meeting with visiting Chinese Defence Minister and State Councillor Chang Wanquan on Thursday, Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" appreciated China's neighbourhood diplomacy featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness.

Prachanda also thanked China for its assistance to Nepal's socio-economic development and defence, especially the Chinese aid for post-quake reconstruction. 

"Nepal is committed to the one-China policy and it will always stand against anti-Chinese activities. Nepal is keen to be a partner of the Belt and Road initiative," the Prime Minister said.

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative, known as the Belt and Road initiative, was proposed by China in 2013 with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes.

For his part, Chang appreciated Nepal's strong support to China in regard to its "core interest" issues of Taiwan and Tibet.

Chang said leaders from both sides have reached consensus on deepening bilateral ties.

China is ready to join hands with Nepal to further promote their comprehensive partnership of cooperation to benefit the two peoples, he added.

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in talks to direct and star alongside actor Channing Tatum in an upcoming R-rated musical comedy film, with a working title Wingmen.

An R-rated film requires people under-17 to be accompanied by their parent or an adult guardian.

Gordon-Levitt and Tatum will also produce the film along with Marc Platt, Adam Siegel and Peter Kiernan. It will focus on the story of two pilots (Gordon-Levitt and Tatum) who crash-land in Las Vegas, reports aceshowbiz.com.

The movie is said to be a combination of Pitch Perfect and Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, with a touch of adult humour. 

Wingmen will not go on the floors anytime soon as Tatum is about to begin filming action-thriller Triple Frontier alongside Tom Hardy. 

If a deal is struck, the movie will mark Gordon-Levitt's return as director after 2013 romantic comedy drama Don Jon. 

European Union leaders will renew their vows on the 60th anniversary of the troubled bloc's founding treaties at a special summit in Rome designed to show unity despite Britain's looming divorce.

Meeting in the same Renaissance-era palace where six founding countries signed the Treaty of Rome on March 25, 1957, the 27 leaders minus Britain will endorse a declaration of intent for the next decade.

They will have the words of Pope Francis ringing in their ears, after he warned on the eve of the summit that the crisis-ridden bloc "risks dying" without a new vision.

The White House congratulated the EU overnight on its 60th birthday, in a notable shift in tone for President Donald Trump's administration, whose deep scepticism about the bloc has alarmed Brussels.

But British Prime Minister Theresa May's absence from the summit, four days before she launches the two-year Brexit process, and a row over the wording of the Rome declaration underscore the challenges the EU faces.

Security is tight with snipers on rooftops, drones in the skies and 3,000 police officers on the streets as Italy takes no risks following an attack this week in London claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

The Rome Declaration that the leaders will sign proclaims that "Europe is our common future", according to a copy obtained by AFP, after a series of crises that have shaken its foundations.

Mass migration, the eurozone debt crisis, terrorism and the rise of populist parties have left a bloc formed from the ashes of World War II searching for new answers.

Yet the leaders are deeply divided over the way forward almost before they have started.

Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo only agreed to sign the declaration at the last minute, after bitterly opposing a reference to a "multi-speed" Europe favoured by powerhouse states France and Germany.

Poland, central Europe's largest economy, is concerned that as one of nine of the EU's current 28 members outside the eurozone, it could be left behind should countries sharing the single currency push ahead with integration.

Greece, the loudest voice against the austerity policies wrought by its three eurozone bailouts, meanwhile insisted that the document should mention social policies.

In his hard-hitting message on the eve of the summit as he met the EU 27, the pope echoed this theme and urged the bloc to focus on the principles of solidarity and social justice on which it was founded.

"When a body loses its sense of direction and is no longer able to look ahead, it experiences a regression and, in the long run, risks dying," Francis said in a speech at the Vatican City.