Kulgam encounter: Two militants, civilian killed

Srinagar: Two militants and a civilian were killed while two Army jawans were injured in an overnight encounter in Kulgam district of Kashmir, police said on Monday.

The death of the civilian triggered clashes between locals and security forces in the area.

A senior police officer said that both the militants have been killed in the encounter and their bodies recovered.

He said the identity and group affiliation of the slain militants was being ascertained.

However, sources identified the deceased as Javed Ahmad Kachroo and Idrees Nengroo, both affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen.

Earlier in the day, a civilian died after he was hit by a bullet. Police said Asif Ahmad Tantray was hit by a "stray bullet" near the scene of the encounter but locals alleged that the youth was shot dead by security forces in "cold blood".

The sources said protests broke out in Redwani Bala area while the security forces were engaged with the two holed up militants. The youth also resorted to stone-pelting during the protests, they added.

Although the encounter is over, clashes between protestors and security forces were going on till last reports came in.

Vaishnodevi pilgrim dies of heart attack in Katra

Jammu: A 58-year-old man on a pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Mata Vaishnodevi died of a heart attack in Katra belt of Reasi district here, police said today.

Surya Narayan Yadav of New Delhi was returning to Katra along with his family members after paying obeisance to the Goddess at the cave shrine when the incident took place yesterday, they said.

The body was handed over to the family members after legal formalities, police added.

Five of family killed in Maharashtra wall collapse

Raigad: Five members of a family were crushed to death in their sleep when the wall of their home crashed on them in Maharashtra's Neral town early Monday, police said.

The incident occurred around 5.30 a.m. in Mohachiwadi village near Neral, which is the gateway to the hill station of Matheran.

The dead were identified as Kisan Dighe, his wife Sunanda, their children Swapnesh and Archana and aged mother Jaibai, said an official from Neral police station.

Torrential rains have lashed the coastal districts of Raigad and Ratnagiri in the past five days as well as Sindhudurg, Thane and Palghar and state capital Mumbai.

So far, there are an estimated 20 rain-related casualties across the state and the weather bureau has forecast more heavy rains in the state over the next two days.

Black money: India slips to 61st place on Swiss money list

: India has moved down to 61st place in terms of foreigners' money in Swiss banks and it now accounts for a meagre 0.123 percent of the total global wealth worth USD 1.6 trillion in Switzerland's banking system.

While the UK and the US have retained their top two positions with the largest shares of the foreign clients' money with Swiss banks, Pakistan has inched up to 73rd place.

Interestingly, just two big banks -- UBS and Credit Suisse -- account for nearly two-third of the total money kept by foreigners in Swiss banks, while their share in case of Indians is even higher at about 82 per cent.

As per the latest data released by Switzerland's central banking authority SNB (Swiss National Bank),
Indians' money in Swiss banks declined by over 10 per cent to about 1.8 billion Swiss francs (USD 1.98 billion or Rs 12,615 crore) in 2014.

This accounts for just 0.123 per cent of the total funds kept in the Swiss banks by people from across the world.

This is the second lowest level of Indian money in Swiss banks -- after an increase of over 40 per cent in 2013 -- and the latest data comes amid an enhanced clampdown against the famed secrecy wall of Switzerland's banking system.

The funds, described by SNB as 'liabilities' of Swiss banks or "amounts due to the customers of banks in Switzerland" are official Swiss figures and do not indicate to the quantum of the much-debated alleged black money held by Indians in the safe havens of Switzerland.

Besides, SNB's official figures do not include the money that Indians or others might have in Swiss banks in the names of entities from different countries.

An analysis of the latest SNB data also showed that the big banks accounted for 1.48 billion Swiss francs of Indians' money, up from 1.36 billion Swiss francs a year ago.

At the end of 2014, there were 275 banks in Switzerland, but only two -- UBS and Credit Suisse -- were classified as 'big banks' by Zurich-based SNB at that time. There are also many foreign-controlled banks operating in the country.

The two big banks' share also rose in the case of the UK, the US and a number of other countries.
Their share almost doubled in case of Pakistan to 472 million Swiss francs, but still accounted for just 36 per cent of the total amount of 1.3 billion Swiss franc held in all Swiss banks by their clients from that country (up from just about one billion Swiss franc a year ago).

This pushed Pakistan one place higher to 73rd place on the overall list of the countries in terms of foreigners' money in Swiss banks. India has come down three places.

In the top-ten, the UK and the US are followed by West Indies, Guernsey, Germany, Bahamas, Luxembourg, France, Jersey and Hong Kong.

The UK alone accounts for 22 per cent of total global funds in Swiss banks. Just four top nations together account for over half of all foreigners' wealth in Swiss banks, which rose to 1.47 trillion Swiss franc (about Rs 102 lakh crore or USD 1.6 trillion) in 2014.

Chinese woman pays to rescue 100 dogs from Yulin meat festival

A Chinese woman has paid over $1,000 to save 100 canines from being eaten during a dog meat festival, media said today, as activists have lashed out at the event labelling it cruel.

Animal-loving Yang Xiaoyun paid about 7,000 yuan ($1,100) to save around 100 dogs in the southern city of Yulin on Saturday, web portal Netease reported.

The city holds an annual festival devoted to the animal's meat on the summer solstice, which has provoked an increasing backlash from animal protection activists.
Reports said that Yang, 65, plans to rehouse the dogs at her home nearly 2,000 kilometres away in Tianjin.


Activists, who say the festival is cruel, have in the past travelled to the city to hold demonstrations, sometimes buying dogs to save them from the cooking pots.

Locals have been quoted as saying that animals are killed in a humane way for the festival, where their meat is then served with lychees.

The majority of "meat dogs" in the country are stolen pets and strays, according to an investigation published this month by Hong Kong-based charity Animals Asia, though eating dog is unusual in most parts of China.

10 things we didn't know last week

1. Bees contribute more to the British economy than the monarchy.

2. Oliver Cromwell supposedly called the Magna Carta the "Magna Farta" - he didn't like it.

3. Most kangaroos are left-handed.

4. The plot of Die Hard was hidden in the source code of Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush's website.

5. Sunshine can boost the chances of pregnancy by up to a third.

6. Baboon troops democratically decide which direction to go in.

7. Rich people used the teeth of dead soldiers from the Battle of Waterloo as dentures in the 19th Century.

8. TV channels can be changed by mind-control when using a new remote headset.

9. Andy Murray loves Mock the Week but not Game of Thrones.

10. Moon jellyfish that lose their arms will rearrange the remaining ones to make them symmetrical again.

SECOND BIGGEST HUMAN-MADE HOLE IN THE WORLD

Mirny Diamond Mine, Eastern Siberia, Russia is the second biggest human-made hole in the world (525 metre deep and 1200 metres in diameter) , made for diamond extraction. This mine was permanently closed in 2011 when it became too difficult to continue digging this massive hole. As a result, this area became totally abandoned.