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A Newtown police officer stands behind a tree with his gun drawn as a Connecticut State Police SWAT team inspects the St. Rose of Lima Catholic church in Newtown, Connecticut December 16, 2012.LUCAS JACKSON/Reuters

A summary of what you need to know today, compiled by The Globe's news desk on Dec. 18, 2012

Ontario teachers' unions promise more disruptions

Hundreds of thousands of Ontario elementary school students are out of classes Tuesday as the biggest one-day strike so far in the province leaves parents scrambling. Job action by teachers withdrawing services is also straining the system and unions have approved brief wildcat strikes if the Education Minister uses her legislative power to force a resolution. Parents looking forward to a holiday season without school-related stress are being warned that job action may continue in January, after the break. And high-school teachers are expected to decide within days whether to join their counterparts in elementary schools in event of wildcat strikes.

Most Newtown, Conn. students back in class

With shocked citizens across the United States showing their support for the grieving community of Newton, Conn, in myriad small ways, schools there re-opened Tuesday for the first time since last week's massacre. The school targeted in the shooting rampage – which left 26 dead, including 20 children – will remain closed for now but other students will be able to seek a semblance of normal life, albeit under stricter security. Funerals and commemorations will continue Tuesday, with six-year-old Jessica Rekos expected to be laid to rest.

Toronto police to ID mystery woman

Police in Toronto believe they will be able to reveal Tuesday the identity of a mystery woman who turned up with no identification or apparent idea who she is. Known as Linda – the only name she offered – the woman has been a perplexing puzzle for months. She appeared in a Toronto homeless shelter in September, well-dressed but having no clue to her identity. Speculation mounted that she is Linda Hegg, a Delaware woman who went missing that same month, but her family said she does not drive and it remained unclear how she could have made her way across the border. Toronto police eventually resorted to DNA testing, using the Hegg family for comparison, and the results are expected Tuesday morning.

Horrible rape prompts uproar in Inda

The fallout from a ghastly rape case in India continues to reverberate, with soul-searching over Delhi's sexual violence crisis and some politicians urging the death penalty for rapists. The uproar comes after a couple was attacked on a bus. Both were beaten and she was gang-raped for nearly an hour before being thrown off the moving vehicle. A number of people, including bus staff, have been arrested and more are sought. But many voices are demanding action to address a broader problem, noting that the capital has many more rapes per capita than other large Indian cities. The Times of India cited a politician questioning whether it was "the rule of the law or rule of goondas in Delhi," using a term for hired thug.

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