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GENEVA (AFP) - The Swiss authorities said on Friday they have launched a criminal probe into alleged money laundering by ousted Ukrainian leader Viktor Yanukovych and his multi-millionaire son.
The government also announced it was freezing the assets of 20 Ukranian officials, including Yanukovych and his son Olexandr and a number of former ministers in his government.
Austria also said it had frozen the assets of 18 Ukrainians suspected of violating human rights and involvement in corruption, but did not give any names.
Mr Yanukovych, 63, is believed to have fled to Russia since being ousted by Parliament after the bloody culmination of three months of protests by anti-government demonstrators.
The Swiss government had announced on Thursday that it would freeze any funds Mr Yanukovych had in the country, whose banking secrecy laws are renowned for attracting illicit funds.
The attorney-general in Geneva also announced that a prosecutor and the judicial police's financial brigade, as part of a money laundering probe, had launched a raid on Thursday on the offices of a company run by Olexandr.
It is unclear whether Mr Yanukovych himself has funds in Switzerland, but Olexandr opened a branch of his Management Assets Company (Mako) in Geneva in late 2011.
The 40-year-old dentist and businessman has amassed a personal fortune of around half a billion US dollars in the past three years alone, according to a report in the Swiss weekly L'Hebdo.
His Ukrainian conglomerate reportedly controls nearly half of that country's coal production, and around a third of its electricity production and distribution.
The Geneva branch of the business is run by a businessman of Uzbek origin, who also runs a firm called Partefina, listed with the same address.
That company is listed as a so-called "family office" - a term used for firms specialising in the management of large family fortunes.
According to L'Hebdo, Partefina is owned by Ukrainian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, a supporter of Yanukovych who also has offices in Geneva.
Ukrainians had staged demonstrations in the Swiss capital Bern on Wednesday to demand that Switzerland freeze any Yanukovych assets.
Meanwhile, Austria, which has resisted European efforts to improve transparency in the banking sector, is considered in Kiev as a financial safe haven for Yanukovych-linked oligarchs.
The ministry said the move was taken as a preliminary security measure until targeted sanctions that the European Union agreed to slap on Ukrainians take effect.
The bloc on Feb 20 agreed to a travel ban and asset freeze on Ukrainians with "blood on their hands" amid worsening violence in Kiev, but did not name those affected and said the number would depend on developments.
Terim has also coached Italian teams AC Milan and Fiorentina as well as Turkey's Galatasaray.
Turkey coach Fatih Terim's contract has been extended by two years to 2012, the Turkish Football Federation chairman said on Tuesday.
After Turkey lost to Germany in their Euro 2008 semi-final, Terim said he would probably step down.
Media reports linked him with a return to Italy but the federation subsequently said he would remain in his post until the 2010 World Cup finals. Federation chairman Hasan Dogan said on Tuesday he had proposed the two-year contract extension in a meeting with Terim ahead of a federation board meeting.
"He accepted our proposal, thanking us for the trust in him and saying he was happy to be coach of the national team and that work with the management was harmonious," the federation Web site reported Dogan as saying (http://www.tff.org).
Unfancied Turkey reached their first European Championship semi-final with thrilling performances marked by late goals in the group and knockout stages.
In December, the Boise slow-pour coffee shop commissioned local cartographic company Mitchell Geography to help share their expertise.
$22, Slow by Slow Coffee, 405 S. Eighth St.
Meet the Boise coffee companies sending bags of beans to their customers' doorsteps.
A grand opening is set to follow on Saturday, Dec. 16, when the shop will offer half-priced coffee drinks all day.
The late Raiders owner was notorious for his hands-on, sometimes one-way approach to his players, and for his acumen for talent acquisition and allocation.
Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable was the Raiders’ line coach when Davis switched Reece to fullback on that summer day eight years ago in Napa, California.
Asked Wednesday whether he knew the owner was making Reece the Raiders’ new fullback, Cable smiled knowingly.
Davis never got to see Reece become a Pro Bowl fullback. Davis passed away in October 2011. Reece’s first Pro Bowl selection came a year later.
How much did Reece appreciate Davis? After the owner’s death, Reece wore a black T-shirt with “AL” printed inside a silver Raiders shield under his shoulder pads during games.
The day after his suspension ended, in September, the Raiders released him. He’d been working out in the Bay Area from then until last week when the Seahawks called him for a tryout.
Reece had the same mentality Wednesday when asked what role he expects with the Seahawks.
“I told them I’m here for whatever they want, whatever they need,” Reece said.
Starter Will Tukuafu is in the league’s concussion protocol. He missed practice Wednesday. The Seahawks must proceed on the assumption he won’t play Sunday at Green Bay.
Running backs coach Sherman Smith confirmed Reece, Seattle’s new No. 44, is ready for how the Seahawks uses their fullback. That’s usually a dozen or so snaps a game as a lead blocker.
With Reece’s skills, he could be a fill-in for injured C.J. Prosise as a pass-catching third-down back, too.
“He’s got great athleticism. I remember (coaching) against him when he was at Oakland, and I was amazed at his ability to run routes and running the football,” Smith said. “For us to be able to get him, boy, we are excited to have him.
Defensive end Cliff Avril is the Seahawks’ 2016 nominee for the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
Each team nominates a player each season who has contributed off the field as much or more than on.
Avril has 10 sacks through 12 games, tied for third-most in the league. That means he is building at least 10 new houses in Haiti, where he visited his grandmother as a child. Avril has pledged to build a new home on the impoverished island recently battered by a hurricane and an earthquake for each sack he gets this s...
Starting strongside LB Mike Morgan missed practice because of a hip injury. He had the first interception of his career last weekend in the win over Carolina. … TE Jimmy Graham and DT Ahtyba Rubin got routine veteran rest. … WR Paul Richardson (hamstring), LB Brock Coyle (foot) and TE Brandon Williams (knee) were limit...
UPDATED: Thu., June 14, 2018, 12:58 p.m.
Since the Spokane Indians franchise returned to Class A short-season status in 1983, there have been 155 former Indians to play in the Major Leagues as of June 1. Of those, 30 have been on an active MLB roster this season.
Some of these players have gone on to make a big impact in the big leagues, others barely had a cup of coffee. The complete list is attached, but we’ll hand out superlatives to some of the notable or memorable – or completely anonymous, if the case may be.
Now that Carlos Beltran has ridden off into the sunset, the longest-tenured former Indian still in the big leagues also has one of the shortest stints of any MLBer to come through Spokane: Zack Greinke.
Greinke appeared in two games for the Indians in 2002, the last year the team was affiliated with the Royals. He gave up four runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings with Spokane.
The mercurial starting pitcher won the Cy Young in 2009 and is a three-time all-star. The 34-year old, 15-year MLB veteran is enjoying another good season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, his fifth big league team. Greinke is currently 4-4 with a 3.44 ERA for the Snakes with 78 strikeout sin 73 1/3 innings this season.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa made his MLB with the Texas Rangers debut earlier this season. In 47 games, the utility infielder has hit .243/.321/.343 with two homers and 17 RBIS in 195 plate appearances.
He spent most of 2014 with the Indians, hitting .260/.329/.314 with eight doubles, and 16 RBIs in 58 games.
Kiner-Falefa was part of MLB history earlier this season when he started at third base with Austin Bibens-Dirkx on the mound. It was the first time two players with hyphenated last names were in the starting lineup in big league history.
Later that week, when the Rangers played the Mariners, M’s broadcaster Ryan Rowland-Smith joined the two for a photo as the three players with hyphenated last names to play in the major leagues.
Kiner-Falefa’s teammate in Spokane, Nick Gardewine, also made his big league debut this season for the Rangers. He’s appeared in three games with Texas, striking out four in five innings. For Spokane in ’14 he went 6-3 with a 4.54 ERA in 15 games, all starts.
No MLB player appeared for the Indians in 2017. The last big leaguer to play in Spokane was veteran Colby Lewis, who made a rehab appearance for the squad in 2016. He pitched five innings and allowed four runs on eight hits, striking out three without a walk. Lewis made it back to the bigs that year, making 19 starts f...
The 2011 Indians matched the 2007 team with 10 future major league players on the roster. The Indians in ’11 that went on to the show are: Rougned Odor, Nick Martinez, Phil Klein, Kyle Hendricks, Alex Claudio, Hanser Alberto, Jerad Eickhoff, Ryan Rua, Jorge Alfaro and Drew Robinson.
Jesse Chavez played for the Indians in 2003, the first season they were affiliated with the Texas Rangers. He has played in the bigs for 10 years but never did play for the Rangers, though he did for the Royals. Chavez made his MLB debut in 2008 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and has bounced around for six organizations.
Chris Davis played a full season for the Indians in 2006, smacking 15 homers in 69 games. He made his big league debut with the Rangers in 2008, hitting .285/.331/.549 with 17 homers and 55 RBIs. He blossomed into a fearsome power hitter with the Baltimore Orioles, leading the A.L. with 53 homers and 138 RBIs in 2013. ...
Three former Indians participated in this World Baseball Classic two seasons ago – Ian Kinsler of the Los Angeles Angels (then Detroit Tigers) for the U.S. squad; and for Puerto Rico, outfielder Carlos Beltran of the Houston Astros and pitcher Alex Claudio of the Texas Rangers. Kinsler was a 2003 draft pick of Texas an...
Two members of the 2016 World Champion Chicago Cubs got their starts in Spokane. Starter Kyle Hendricks pitched in 20 games in relief for the Indians in 2011. He went 2-2 with a 1.93 ERA and three saves. Reliever Carl Edwards made 10 appearances for Spokane in 2012, going 2-3 with a 2.49 ERA.
Of the former Indians in the big leagues, six have been named to an All-Star team. Beltran is a nine-time all-star, Kinsler has been named four times and Greinke thrice. Davis, Neftali Feliz and Odubel Herrera have all been recognized as an all-star once in their big league careers.
It is a logical conclusion that most of the former Indians to make the big leagues have appeared for the Texas Rangers since Spokane has been affiliated with Texas since 2003. In fact, 19 of the 29 current Indians in the bigs at one point played for the Rangers. But former Indians have played across the big leagues – 2...
The EPA is becoming operated more by "industry allies" than scientists. What can we do about it?
As CNN reported on May 8, this is troublesome because, “EPA relies heavily on the scientific guidance of the group when it comes to air and water quality when making policy decisions.” The term “industry allies” is widely regarded as a euphemism for industry lobbyists who will now advise the EPA on what — assuming any ...
These “industry allies” have not been selected, but Pruitt and his associates have explicitly stated that they want industry representatives not only contributing to policy recommendations, but also participating on the scientific review board portion of policy advisement. This is what many are so troubled by, particul...
There are other troubling changes to the EPA. Most of the information regarding climate change research and policy solutions have been removed from their government website. In fact, the page on their website titled “climate change” was removed in entirety last month. With these abusive changes to the agency charged wi...
This inaction came at a cost. Burford’s negligence became widely known after large chemical spills occurred as the result of intentional non-enforcement of environmental regulations. When people started catching on to the EPA’s mismanagement, a Democratic-majority Congress started investigating the EPA and found that t...
Reagan’s next two EPA administrators were much more faithful to the mission of the EPA, and one of them (William Ruckelshaus) is currently an outspoken critic of Scott Pruitt. So the lesson is that while Scott Pruitt may do lasting damage to the EPA and our environment, if the public pays attention, and he continues do...
So stay abreast of what the EPA does next! Message your congressperson when the EPA takes a negligent or unethical action; stage or participate in a protest if things go far enough. Always keep in mind that citizen and governmental oversight can keep the worst from happening. The relative stability of the world’s clima...
David Moyes, the increasingly beleaguered Manchester United manager, admits he urgently needs to buy new players in the January transfer window but confesses that it may not be possible to do so.
The Scotsman was talking in the wake of another major disappointment for his club as United, record 11-times winners of the FA Cup, were knocked out at home in the third round by Swansea on Sunday.
The 2-1 defeat marked United's fourth home loss in their last six games at Old Trafford and just the second time in 29 years that the club has been knocked out in the third round of the competition.
Moyes only brought in Marouane Fellaini, from his former club Everton, after taking over at Old Trafford in the summer and with every growing setback, pressure is mounting on him to improve a squad that is looking well beyond par and which was without seven injured first team players on Sunday.
"I said I would try but probably would be doubtful in January because of the window but I think I have been saying it fairly consistently," said Moyes of his efforts to sign new talent this month.
"There is an urgency that we would like to bring people in but are those players available in January?
"So there is no point in me hyping it up because the players we would like to bring in are probably not available in January, not because we don't want to do it."
The most glaring absentees from the United side were forwards Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie while the late dismissal of young defender Fabio certainly did not aid United's cause as they fell to a last minute goal from Wilfried Bony.
However, Moyes refused to use the absence of key personnel as an excuse for a defeat, which also featured a goal for Wayne Routledge and a quick United reply from Javier Hernández.
"That is no excuse," he said. "We had a very strong team out, just about every player we had out was an international player, maybe Alex Buttner wasn't but the others are internationals.
"It shouldn't be that. We put out a really strong team, lots of international players, everyone is getting an opportunity to show what they can do and hopefully then I will make the decisions from that.
"We have to make sure we find a solution to win.
Part of the job is finding a way of winning. It doesn't matter what style, whatever you do, you have to find a way of winning and that's what we have to do."
United and Moyes at least have the opportunity to respond quickly, with a League Cup semifinal first leg awaiting in Sunderland on Tuesday although Rooney and van Persie remain major doubts for the tie.
"It has been a tough start, a tough opening period," said Moyes. "I am disappointed we have not won more games or played better but I am sure it will change, I have no doubt about that."
Swansea, who won at Old Trafford for the first time on their 11th attempt dating back 83 years, were good value for the victory with manager Michael Laudrup praising his players for retaining their confidence despite bringing a run of seven games without a win into the tie.
"It's very special," he said. "It's a great day for the players and the fans as well. It's another game where we showed confidence, which I think we've done in the last games as well. We just needed a win.
"I've been asked if that special thing about Old Trafford has changed because four teams had won here before us but the reason why some stadiums are very special – Old Trafford, Bernabeu, Camp Nou and so on – it's because of the history of the clubs, not because of what has happened in one, two or three seasons. Coming...
Former India opener Vikram Rathour's appointment as the batting coach of India A and U-19 team has been put on hold after his Conflict of Interest was brought to the notice of the Committee of Administrators (CoA).
NEW DELHI: Former India opener Vikram Rathour's appointment as the batting coach of India A and U-19 team has been put on hold after his Conflict of Interest was brought to the notice of the Committee of Administrators (CoA).
Rathour was supposed to start with India A assignment in Wayanad but for now his appointment has been stalled indefinitely.
Rathour is the brother-in-law of current India U-19 national selector Ashish Kapoor and his appointment would have been a case of Conflict of Interest.
"Yes, the CoA had given a go ahead for Rathour's appointment but today Rathour gave a written declaration of his relation with Kapoor," a senior BCCI official told PTI on Monday.
"Now the matter was discussed with Mr Rai and it was concluded that only an Ethics Officer could have decided if Rathour working with U-19s during Quadrangular series would tantamount to Conflict of Interest," he said.
However with no Ethics officer in BCCI, it was thought Rathour's appointment would have sent out wrong signals.
"The appointment letter was not signed. Saba had only got a go ahead on the basis of Dravid's recommendation. For now, he will not be recruited in the A or U-19 set up," the official confirmed.
While India A coach Rahul Dravid wanted Rathour in the India A and U-19 roster, BCCI (GM Cricket Operations) Saba Karim did not intimate the CoA about the potential case of Conflict of Interest.
An uncle and his nephew admitted dumping the carcass of a dead dog in a field in Draperstown Co. Derry to make it look as if the dog had been legally shot for sheep- worrying.
Brian McEldowney (56) from Five Mile Straight in Draperstown pleaded guilty to shooting Buster, a four year-old border collie cross beagle.
He also admitted entering as a trespasser the byre in which he shot the dog and possessing a shotgun with intent to endanger life.
His 37-year-old nephew Gerald McEldowney, a hill farmer from Cloane Road in Draperstown, admitted removing the destroyed dog to impede the apprehension of his uncle Brian.
Both men are to be sentenced at the Crown Court in Derry on Thursday.

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