11 Dec 2018; AFP: Two Catholic school nuns in California have admitted to embezzling about $500,000, and using the funds over the years for travel and gambling in Las Vegas, their order said on Monday.

Sisters Mary Margaret Kreuper and Lana Chang, who are said to be best friends, took the money from tuition, fees and donations at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, south of Los Angeles.

Raipur, Dec 12 (PTI) ANaxalitewas killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Wednesday, a senior police official said.

A cache of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), frequently used by Naxals to target security personnel, was also recovered from the encounter spot, he said.

The skirmish took place around 9 am near Tarrem village, located nearly 450 km from the state capital Raipur, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Mohit Garg told PTI.

12 Dec 2018; AFP: India's rupee plunged on Tuesday after the country's central bank chief quit following a dispute with the government that analysts say raises fears about its independence.

Urjit Patel stood down as governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday evening following months of tensions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government over interference in policy.

New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) A Delhi court Wednesday acquitted AAP leader Sanjay Singh in a defamation case filed by a BJP youth-wing leader for allegedly projecting him as the person who assaulted former minister Kapil Mishra last year, after Singh tendered an apology.

The court passed the order after Singh and the complainant, Ankit Bhardwaj, a state executive member of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), moved an application jointly, stating that they have settled the matter after the AAP politician offered an "unconditional apology" to the complainant.

New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) The number of tuberculosis patients in the country has risen to 18.62 lakh in 2018 till November from 18.27 lakh a year ago, the Rajya Sabha was told.

The increase of 15,000 patients is due to initiatives like expansion of repaid diagnostics and engaging with the patients seeking care in the private sector and community engagement, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey said in a written reply in the House Tuesday.

Mumbai, Dec 12 (PTI) A day after the BJP's poll debacle in three Hindi heartland states, NCP chief Sharad Pawar Wednesday said the Ram temple issue might not work in favour of the saffron party again, unlike in the past, if it is raised ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

He alleged that the BJP may try to create a communal divide on the temple issue which is a "matter of concern".

Ghaziabad, Dec 12 (PTI) A man was arrested here for allegedly killing a 26-year-old woman after being hired by her husband, police said Wednesday.

The accused, Deepak Panchal, was arrested near a soap factory in Loni. He was allegedly hired by Rinkoo alias Gyanesh to kill his wife, Kavita, as he had suspected him of infidelity, the police said.

He was on the run while her husband Rinkoo and his one of his accomplice were arrested earlier, the police said.

Hyderabad, Dec 12 (PTI) TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, who led his party to a resounding victory in the assembly elections, would be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Telangana for a second straight term Thursday.

The swearing-in ceremony would be held at the Raj Bhavan at around 1.30 pm, official sources said Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Rao was unanimously elected leader of the TRS Legislature Party by the newly-elected MLAs.

Hyderabad, Dec 12 (PTI) One of the key takeaways of the Telangana Assembly elections is the remarkable transformation of the "friendship" between the TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao and AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi into a "full-fledged partnership."

AIMIM fielded eight candidates in the December 7 polls to the 119-member House and supported the TRS -- the two describe themselves as friendly parties, in the remaining segments.

STRASBOURG, France (AP) — French authorities have issued a wanted poster and are calling for witnesses amid a massive manhunt for the suspected shooter nearly 24 hours after a deadly attack at the Strasbourg Christmas market.

A photo of Cherif Chekatt, 29, who was born in Strasbourg, was distributed publicly Wednesday evening.

The poster warns: “Dangerous individual, above all do not intervene.” It asks anyone with information that could help locate him to contact authorities.

KANPUR:  Acting upon the complaints received from different college managements in the city, the district examination committee has cancelled as many as 18 UP Board examination centres. A total of 64 Higher Secondary & Inter Colleges have approached with objections on the centres fixed at a little long distance from the examinees’ place.

Kota (R'than), Dec 12 (PTI) An eight-year-old Dalit girl, who had gone missing after she went to graze cattle, is suspected to have been strangled to death after being raped in a village in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district, police said Wednesday.

The deceased, a Class III student, was missing since Tuesday night and her body was found in a mustard field in her village on Wednesday. Prima facie, the girl was strangulated and she was also raped, a police officer said.