Mumbai, Jan 24 (PTI) A POCSO court sentenced a 25-year-old man to seven years of imprisonment on Thursday for raping a minor girl here in 2016.

The convict, Amit Kamble, was found guilty of offences under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act as well as sections 376(2)(I) (rape), 363 (kidnapping) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code by special judge S P Kale.

The judge sentenced Kamble to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and also slapped a fine of Rs 60,000 on him.

SEBRING, Fla. (AP) — A former prison guard trainee who recently moved to Florida from Indiana killed five people during a standoff at a small town bank before surrendering to a SWAT team that stormed the building, police said.

Investigators said Zephen Xaver, 21, called police from inside the SunTrust Bank branch Wednesday to report that he had opened fire. He barricaded himself inside and when negotiations failed, the SWAT team burst in, capturing Xaver and discovering the bodies, police said.

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nervous neighbors were burning lights at night in a northern Nevada community where Connie Koontz and Sophia Renken were killed this month in slayings that authorities blame on a 19-year-old from El Salvador said to be in the U.S. illegally.

Residents also were on edge about an hour’s drive north, where Gerald David, 81, and his 80-year-old wife, Sharon, were found shot dead Jan. 16 in their south Reno home. The Davids were prominent members and officers of the Reno Rodeo Association.

CARACAS, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday announced he was severing "diplomatic and political" ties with the United States after the U.S. authorities recognized the opposition leader Juan Guaido as the nation's interim president.

"I have decided to break diplomatic and political relations with the imperialist U.S. government," Maduro said in a speech to supporters gathered outside the presidential headquarters in Caracas.

"Out they go from Venezuela, enough of interventionism," said Maduro, who was accompanied by his cabinet.

BEIJING, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday said the U.S. plan to extradite Meng Wanzhou, Huawei chief financial officer, from Canada did not comply with international law or have legitimacy.

The remarks came as Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying reiterated China's position on the Meng Wanzhou case at a press briefing.

Hua said the U.S. request for Meng's extradition was essentially related to U.S. sanctions against Iran.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that she would not host U.S. President Donald Trump to deliver a state of union speech before government reopens, all but rejecting Trump's intent to deliver the speech on Jan. 29.

"I am writing to inform you that the House of Representatives will not consider a concurrent resolution authorizing the president's state of the union address in the House chamber until the government has opened," Pelosi said.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The White House is seeking to evaluate what programs would be highly impacted if the already month-long partial government shutdown continues for weeks longer, U.S. media reported Wednesday.

White House Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney has asked agency leaders to provide him with a list of the programs that will be severely undermined if the shutdown extends into March and April, The Washington Post first reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

24 Jan 2019; AFP: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a meeting in Moscow on Wednesday vowed to coordinate their actions more closely in Syria.

"Cooperation between Russia and Turkey is a touchstone for Syrian peace and stability," Erdogan said in translated comments at a joint press conference after their talks, which lasted around three hours.

"With our Russian friends we intend to strengthen our coordination even more."

Caracas, January 22 : Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez Tuesday said U.S. Vice President Mike Pence was "openly calling for a coup d'état in Venezuela " after Pence issued a video message of support to the Venezuelan opposition to encourage those who are protesting against President Nicolas Maduro and underline U.S. backing for opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido, the self-appointed head of the suspended National Assembly.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP): China is calling on the United States to stay out of Venezuela’s current political crisis and says it opposes all outside intervention in the South American country.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Thursday that all parties to the conflict should “remain rational and level-headed and seek a political resolution on the Venezuelan issue through peaceful dialogue within the framework of the Venezuelan Constitution.”

MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/. Israel’s practice of spontaneous strikes on Syria must be brought to an end, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters on Wednesday.

"The practice of spontaneous strikes on the territory of a sovereign state, in this case Syria, must end," the diplomat said, commenting on Israel’s recent strikes on the Arab Republic.

Beijing, Jan 23; PTI: China's Rocket Force, the strategic and tactical missile operator of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), has conducted a simulated intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) strike mission from an underground bunker against an imaginary enemy, official media here reported.

China Central Television (CCTV), which carried the news, however, did not disclose the details about the location and time of the exercise.