Counter Intelligence: UBS Will Give Up Suspected Tax Cheats

Swiss bank will turn over 4,450 names to IRS

Updated 3:15 PM EDT, Wed, Aug 19, 2009

Print Email Share TWITTER FACEBOOK

Getty Images

See why Swiss bank UBS plans to name names and take a look at our list of must-reads that will have you chatting at the lunch counter, over IM or wherever it is that people actually talk these days.

Swiss banking agent UBS will give the names of 4,450 suspected tax cheats to the IRS. Wealth American clients suspected of evading their taxes will have their financial data turned over to U.S. investigators. The accounts at one time held an estimated $18 billion in assets, the IRS said.
Egypt's pharaonic tombs are fated to disappear within 150 to 500 years if tourists continue to be allowed to visit them, the head of antiquities said. Poor ventilation and the breath of the crush of tourists that visit tombs like King Tut's or Queen Nefertiti are causing damage to the coloring and engraving on the ornate pharonic tombs.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo plants based in Beijing are among the top 12 factories causing the worst pollution in China's capital, according to government data. China set a goal of reducing energy consumption by 20% from 2006 to 2010 but have failed to meet the goal. Both companies declined comment.
The world's first cocaine bar is in South America, according to a report. Route 36 is a coke lounge full of chatty -- natch -- unemployed backpackers who have embarked on what's being called the latest travel trend: cocaine tourism. Bolvia boasts the fastest growing cocaine production in South America.