India

Srinagar, Dec 13 (PTI) Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Sopore area of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said Thursday.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Brath Kalan area of Sopore on Wednesday evening following information about presence of militants there, a police official said.

He said the operation turned into an encounter after militants opened fire on security forces.

13 Dec 2018; AFP: A Buddhist monk has been killed by a leopard while meditating in a protected forest for the big cats, the fifth such attack in the area this month, Indian police said Thursday.

Rahul Walke Bodhi was seated beneath a tree in Ramdegi forest in western India for morning prayers on Tuesday when the leopard pounced.

The 35-year-old monk was fatally injured, police in Maharashtra state said.

Two other devotees meditating with him at the time escaped unscathed to alert police, who started a search for his body.

KANPUR: The city roads’ beautification is certainly not confusing anyone. It is being planned at the administrative level. Various government departments are being engaged in smartening the dull roads. Smart roads are what considered being a necessity of the time. It can be nothing if the district officials are not wholly committed towards the goal.

KANPUR: In the past 24 hours as many as three people died and three injured in different road accidents in South city areas of Chakeri, Vidhnoo and Naubasta on Wednesday.

One Vishal s/o Ram Babu r/o district Unnao was attending a birthday party at Lal Bangla locality here. He attended the party with his mother Soni, father and brother Rajat. On his return, a truck hit the bike from the back side in Chakeri. He came under the moving truck’s wheels while Rambabu, Soni And Rajat were injured.

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.

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".

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.

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.

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.

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.