KANPUR: 126-year-old Sisamau Nullah has been tapped. A report to this effect has been submitted to the Union minister Nitin Gadkari by Jal Nigam. This will make available clear water to the bathers at ghats viz., Rani Ghat, Bhairon Ghat, Magzine Ghat and Hospital Ghat. Informing of this step, V.V. Pant, district magistrate, said that whatever problems prevailed so far was removed now. The tapping report has already been sent to the state government.

Banda (UP), Dec 22 (PTI) A 23-year-old youth was arrested on Saturday for allegedly raping an eight-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Chitrakoot, police said.

The accused was identified as Suraj, they said.

The minor had gone to pick fruits with her younger brother when the accused allegedly raped her in Akbarpur village under Karvi Kotwali police station area, Inspector In-charge Anil Kumar Singh said.

Suraj placed large stones on the girl, who was unconscious, before fleeing, he said.

KANPUR: Kalyanpur police caught vehicle lifters red-handed during a checking drive on Thursday late night near Panki road, and nabbed Krishna Srivastava alias Himanshu r/o Kannauj and another Abhishek Chaturvedi r/o Vinayakpur. On investigation, they revealed five bikes stolen by them.

In another checking in Sisamau, Pawan r/o Kabadi Market was caught with one Activa scooty and a bike. He told the police about several stolen vehicles.

20 Dec 2018; DW: Jim Mattis has announced his resignation citing policy differences with his president. He was seen as a stabilizing force for international order in the chaotic, go-it-alone administration.

US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis will step down at the end of February, he announced in a letter to US President Donald Trump. Trump tweeted the news on Thursday, saying Mattis was "retiring, with distinction, at the end of February."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is developing plans to withdraw up to half of the 14,000 American troops serving in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said Thursday, marking a sharp change in the Trump administration’s policy aimed at forcing the Taliban to the peace table after more than 17 years of war.

One official said the troops could be out by summer, but no final decision has been made.

BEIJING (AP) — China called the U.S. arrogant and selfish on Friday after two Chinese citizens were charged with stealing American trade secrets and other sensitive information on behalf of Beijing’s main intelligence agency.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said “the Chinese government has never participated in or supported anyone in stealing trade secrets in any way.”

She accused the U.S. of undermining the development of other countries in order to defend its own hegemony.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led House has approved funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall in legislation that pushes the government closer to a partial government shutdown.

The House voted 217-185, largely along party lines. The bill now goes to the Senate, where it has almost no chance of passing.

Senators already passed their bill to avert a shutdown by extending funds to Feb. 8. It did not include the wall funding.

Without resolution, government funding for various departments expires at midnight Friday.

DUBAI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will deposit 11 billion dirhams (3 billion U.S. dollars) in the State Bank of Pakistan to help with the country's cash and financial policies, state-run WAM news agency reported Friday.

The move aims "to enhance the liquidity and monetary reserve of the foreign currency in the State Bank," WAM cited the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development as saying in a statement.

All the remaining 22 accused in Sohrabuddin Shaikh Fake Encounter Case have been acquitted by a special CBI court on Friday, December 21, on the basis that the evidence that has been provided was not satisfactory.

Lucknow, Dec 21 (PTI) Citing the Agra case in which a girl was burnt alive, BSP leader Mayawati Friday lashed out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh for its failure to fight crime, particularly that against women.

"It is a matter of grave concern that one girl is set on fire in Agra while another is subjected to gang rape, she said referring to two recent cases in the same district.

These incidents prove that hardened criminals are moving about freely in Uttar Pradesh," the Bahujan Samaj Party leader said in a statement.

Mumbai, Dec 21 (PTI) Here is a list of the 22 persons acquitted by a special CBI court in the alleged fake encounter killings of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, his wife Kausar Bi and his aide Tulsi Prajapati.

Narainsinh Dabhi: Was then inspector with Gujarat ATS and was accused of being part of the team which allegedly killed Shaikh.

Mukeshkumar Parmar: Was then deputy SP in Gujarat ATS and was accused of being part of the team which allegedly killed Shaikh.

Bengaluru, Dec 21 (PTI) Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram Friday said the Rs 60,000 crore worth Rafale deal should not go "unchallenged" after the Supreme Court expressed its limitations to examine it because of its jurisdictional limits.

He alleged the Centre deliberately misled the court and later accused it of "misinterpreting" the note.

"The government is also giving lessons in English grammar to the court," he told reporters here.