Macy Gray asks fans if she should boycott Israel

U.S. singer Macy Gray performs during multimedia performance directed by Robert Wilson titled "Solidarity.



JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Soul singer Macy Gray has asked her fans on Facebook whether she should cancel planned concerts in Tel Aviv because of the "disgusting" way the Israeli government treats Palestinians.

International artists, entertainers and academics are under increasing pressure to boycott Israel because of Israeli actions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But Gray took the unusual step of asking Facebook followers what to do, in a posting that went up Monday.

"I'm getting alot of letters from activists urging/begging me to boycott by NOT performing in protest of Apartheid against the Palestinians," she wrote.

"What the Israeli government is doing to the Palestinians is disgusting, but I wana go. I gotta lotta fans there I dont want to cancel on and I dont know how my NOT going changes anything. What do you think? Stay or go?"

After receiving almost 4,000 often impassioned messages in just four days, Gray has announced via Twitter that she would indeed sing in Tel Aviv next month.

"Dear Israel fans. Me and the band will be there in 20 days. Can't wait. See you then. Peace," she wrote in a Tweet.

Israelis and Palestinians have been locked in conflict for six decades, with U.S.-led initiatives to bring about a negotiated settlement making little head way over the years.

Palestinians accuse Israel of operating a de-facto apartheid system in the occupied West Bank, where they want to establish an independent state. Israel says Palestinian militants are intent on destroying the Jewish State.

Singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, for example, canceled his planned concerts in Israel last summer because of what he called the "grave and complex" sensitivities.

Earlier this month, French singer Vanessa Paradis, who is married to actor Johnny Depp, canceled a February 10 concert in Israel. She said it clashed with an important meeting, but the Israeli media have speculated that is was a political decision.

Arrest troublesome foot-soldiers - Minister orders

The Northern Regional Minister, Moses Bukari Mabengba, has directed the police to henceforth arrest and prosecute National Democratic Congress (NDC) foot-soldiers who through unwarranted agitations lock up offices.

Mr. Mabengba indicated that there were laid down regulations on demonstrations in accordance with the public order act but the party's youth in recent times had flouted those rules during their rampages.

He said the increasing number of reports involving foot-soldiers threatening government appointees and locking up their offices in the region was beginning to get on the nerves of the Regional Security Committee (REGSEC).

The minister, who also chairs the Northern Regional Security Committee, therefore directed that such deviant foot-soldiers be arrested and dealt with ruthlessly to serve as a deterrent to others.

"We cannot continue to condone such indiscipline acts in the name of agitations," he remarked.

According to him, the party's youth had the right to demonstrate but were only allowed to present a petition to the President through the minister, after which the matter may be looked into. He however expressed worry at the manner in which some of these foot-soldiers had taken the law into their own hands, treating some government appointees as if they (foot soldiers) had appointed them.

Mr. Mabengba, who spoke to Daily Guide about the ensuing fracas between the West Mamprusi District Chief Executive (DCE), Abudu Sulley Zakari Lord and the youth of the area, disclosed that the situation was calm.

He confirmed Daily Guide's earlier reports that the DCE had been given a 24-hour police protection at both his office and official residence, but indicated that he was cautioned of security implications if he failed to adhere to REGSEC's directives.

The minister hinted that an official report on the matter would be dispatched to President Mills for him to look into the matter, expressing the hope that calm would be restored in the area as soon as possible.

Earlier, the minister and some members of REGSEC called on traditional rulers of the area and pressed upon them to advise the youth in order for peace to prevail in the district after weeks of party agitations.

Foot-soldiers and constituency executives in Walewale declared Lord Sulley Abudu Zakari, the DCE, persona non grata.

The aggrieved foot-soldiers had earlier armed themselves to the teeth and braced themselves for a possible bloodbath if he dared return to the office, which was locked up during the last demonstration.

It would be recalled that hundreds of NDC supporters last Wednesday hit the streets of Walewale for the second time in five months in protest against what they described as the tyranny leadership of Lord Sulley Abudu Zakari.

They were reported to have locked up the offices of the DCE and attempted lynching him but the DCE managed to escape as he had been hinted of their intentions.

The rioters threatened mayhem if he dared resumed official duties, claiming his continued stay in office was derailing the fortunes of the assembly, which for the last two years had witnessed retrogression under his supervision.

The DCE has since resumed official duties but is under heavy security after members of REGSEC visited the area on Wednesday.


Source: Daily Guide

NDC wants credit for things they've not done - Ex-minister

Former Minister for Fisheries, Mrs. Gladys Asmah has described as laughable, assertions by Deputy Minister in charge of Fisheries, Nii Amasah Namoale that the Mills' administration deserves all the credit for the current infrastructural development projects in that sector.

According to the former Minister, the NDC after failing to honour its numerous campaign promises to the indigenes of fishing communities across the country, has resorted to lying about some pertinent national issues to save its image.

Reacting to some claims made by the Deputy Minister regarding the sector, Mrs. Asmah told The New Crusading Guide in an interview that "the man cannot be serious. He knows what he is saying cannot be substantiated. You can never twist the facts. The NDC is panicking. They are just wondering what to tell the electorate and that is why they want to take credit for things they've not done".

Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister had earlier told this paper in an interview that the Mills-led Administration deserved every credit for the current developmental projects in the fishing industry. These projects included the construction of fishing habours, cold-stores and refrigeration facilities to help reduce post-harvest losses and also modernise the fishing industry.

The Deputy Minister in the two-year old NDC Administration, said the Mills government deserved commendation for work done so far as the NPP whiles in office only exhibited its dreams for the sector and nothing more.

To this, Mrs. Asmah said "President Kufuor wouldn't have cut the sod for projects he did not know where money would come from for their funding. They had all been accepted and approved. Just as in the case of the Bui dam project, cabinet decided that we used our internally generated funds before the loan was ready".

She further explained that local funding was used for the preparation of the site for the projects, adding that "four companies applied after which a contract of $41 million was signed. We completed everything and knew where the money was coming from. He (Nii Amasah) said he went to Netherlands for what? To continue with what had been initiated".

Giving a breakdown, the former Minister said President J.A. Kufuor signaled the start of the projects by cutting the sod for construction to begin on one of the fishing harbours in James Town.

She said the James Town project was estimated at US$16.5 million, and all the projects together amounted to US$148 million. "How did we arrive at all these figures if we were just dreaming?" she added.

She wondered how the Deputy Minister could say the NPP was only exhibiting a dream, saying "even for the cold stores the equipment arrived in the country in 2008. They are unable to raise revenue because they cannot be trusted and that's why they are claiming ours as theirs".

He said all documents on the project were made available to the current Administration.

On the naval boats which Nii Amassah claimed the Mills Administration paid for through the Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Asmah recalled that the process of their acquisition commenced in 2006.

"Those boats are not like cars which you can just go and stand by, and say you want to buy them. It takes three years to build a boat. We negotiated for them after placing an order. We visited china and after some negotiations there and here, an agreement was placed before parliament for approval. All those happened before the Mills administration came into office in January 2009", she explained.

She said "I have said time without number that I personally went to Israel to initiate negotiations for some of these boats. Two of these boats are coming from Britain and the other four are coming from Israel and China respectively".

She recalled that the Vessel Monitoring System of the Agriculture Ministry together with Finance Directors of the Fisheries Ministry were asked to use internally generated funds to start the payment. MOFA went on to make the internally generated fund part of our budgetary allocation".


Source: New Crusading Guide

Asamoah Gyan Wants Inter Midfielder Sulley Muntari To Join Him At Sunderland

Asamoah Gyan has revealed he would love to see Ghana team-mate Sulley Muntari join him at Sunderland.

Muntari has fallen out of favour at Inter Milan since his move from Portsmouth in 2008 and has been linked with a return to England.

He has expressed a desire to leave the San Siro and Steve Bruce has already submitted a loan offer for the player.

Reports have suggested that the midfielder would be open to a return to the Premier League, although Muntari is believed to favour a move to London.

However, Gyan has called on his countryman to join him in the North East and believes the 26-year-old would be a great addition to the Sunderland side.

"Sulley would give us a big boost," he told Sky Sports.

"He would be loved by the fans if he was here. The fans like players who fight for the team and he is certainly one of them.

"Muntari is a quality player, with features similar to Lee Catermole. He has a big left foot and can shoot from distance."

Gyan and Muntari featured together in Ghana's World Cup 2010 campaign and the striker is to see Muntari make the switch to Sunderland.

He added: "I've known him a long time and I would be very happy if he came to us.
"I'd love to play in the club with him."

UN adds 2,000 troops to Ivory Coast force

UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday voted unanimously to deploy 2,000 additional peacekeepers to Ivory Coast, where the incumbent president has refused to relinquish his post to the man internationally recognized as the West African country's legitimate leader.

Ivory Coast has seen violence and increased tension since the disputed presidential election in November. The new U.N. troops, to be deployed through June, would bolster the world body's peacekeeping force to nearly 12,000.

African Union envoy Raila Odinga, Kenya's prime minister, said Wednesday that despite two days of meetings he has failed to persuade incumbent Laurent Gbagbo to relinquish the presidency to Alassane Ouattara.

Ouattara, declared the winner of the elections, has been unable to assume the presidency because Gbagbo refuses to leave office despite sanctions, multiple visits by African leaders and now the threat of a military ouster.

"I regret to announce that the breakthrough that was needed did not materialize," Odinga said in a statement issued Wednesday morning.

Odinga said Gbagbo had broken several promises that he had made to lift a blockade put in place around the Abidjan hotel where Ouattara is confined.

"Mr. Gbagbo gave me an assurance that this blockade would be lifted yesterday, but he broke that promise — for the second time in two weeks," Odinga said.

Swiss authorities, meanwhile, were moving to immediately freeze any assets belonging to Gbagbo, Swiss President and Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said Wednesday. It was not immediately known how much money Gbagbo may have in Swiss bank accounts.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said peacekeepers face an "openly hostile security environment" with threats from forces loyal to Gbagbo. Attacks against the peacekeepers have been mounting. Last week six of their cars were destroyed by pro-Gbagbo mobs, who accuse the U.N. of bias, and of being part of "a foreign plot" to remove the leader.

The Security Council on Wednesday also extended the temporary deployment of 400 troops and 100 police officers from March 31 until June 30. It said three infantry companies and two utility helicopters from Liberia should remain in Ivory Coast for four more weeks, and authorized the transfer of three armed helicopters from Liberia to Ivory Coast for four weeks.

Pro-Gbagbo forces have been accused of targeting Ouattara's supporters in the commercial hub of Abidjan, and supporters of both candidates have taken to the streets in protest. The United Nations has reported more than 200 deaths in postelection violence.

A West African bloc has threatened military intervention if Gbagbo does not step down.

"Time is running out for an amicably negotiated settlement," Odinga said. "In addition, the window of any opportunity for any amnesty will continue to close if Mr. Gbagbo's supporters continue to commit crimes against civilians and peacekeepers."

Once a prosperous state, Ivory Coast has become a nation perpetually in crisis following the disputed 2000 election that brought Gbagbo to power. The country was plunged into civil war in 2002, and a presidential election initially scheduled for 2005 has been delayed every year since.

In a televised debate on the eve of the vote, Gbagbo vowed to respect the results issued by the country's independent electoral commission. He changed his mind several days later when the commission announced that he had lost, and the U.N. certified Ouattara's victory.

Odinga ran as the opposition candidate in Kenya's disputed 2007 presidential vote, which led to violence that left more than 1,000 people dead. He was later appointed prime minister as part of a power-sharing deal. On Wednesday, he said Ivory Coast could set a dangerous precedent for Africa.

"If the continent's people came to believe that their votes were not what brought to power the leaders they wanted, elections would become meaningless and pave the way for unrest and instability throughout the continent," he said.

UN: 8 soldiers arrested in New Year rapes in Congo

KINSHASA, Congo – A former rebel commander integrated as a colonel into the Congolese army has been arrested in the rapes of dozens of women in volatile eastern Congo on New Year's Day, the United Nations reported Wednesday.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid also reported that the number of people who have come forward to report being raped has risen to 50, from 13 a week ago. That number could rise as more survivors emerge from the bush to which they fled.

Lt. Col. Kibibi Mutware has been identified by some victims and witnesses as the commander of the punitive mass rapes against residents of Fizi town. Seven other soldiers were also arrested.

The incident started after one of his soldiers was killed in a dispute over a woman, according to the U.N. The area long has been a hotbed of rivalry between the majority Babembe people and so-called Banyamulenge of Rwandan origin or Congolese belonging to the Tutsi tribe.

The soldiers' involvement is the latest outrage in the Central African nation's epidemic of rape, which has become a weapon of war used to break down family and community structures. Such attacks also drive residents from areas that fighters — both in the army and from the many rebel groups operating in the east — want to use for mining, which provides income and fuels the conflict.

Murwana was identified as a former commander in the Tutsi-led CNDP rebel movement that swept across large swaths of eastern Congo at the end of 2008 until a peace agreement was signed in January 2009. The rebels were speedily integrated into a national army that has become a conglomeration of numerous rebel groups and militias along with mutinous soldiers. Congo endured back-to-back civil and regional wars that erupted in the aftermath of neighboring Rwanda's 1994 genocide and ended in 2002.

Burglars snort man's ashes, thought it was cocaine

MIAMI (Reuters) – Burglars snorted the cremated remains of a man and two dogs in the mistaken belief that they had stolen illegal drugs, Florida sheriff's deputies said on Wednesday.

The ashes were taken from a woman's home in the central Florida town of Silver Springs Shores on December 15. The thieves took an urn containing the ashes of her father and another container with the ashes of her two Great Danes, along with electronic equipment and jewellery, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said.

Investigators learned what happened to the ashes after they arrested five teens in connection with another burglary attempt at a nearby home last week.

"The suspects mistook the ashes for either cocaine or heroin. It was soon discovered that the suspects snorted some of the ashes believing they were snorting cocaine," the sheriff's report said.

Once they realized their error, the suspects discussed returning the remaining ashes but threw them in a lake instead because they thought their fingerprints were on the containers, sheriff's spokesman Judge Cochran said.

Police divers were trying to recover the ashes. The suspects were jailed on numerous burglary and other charges.

United back on top of Premier League after Spurs draw

LONDON (AFP) – Ten-man Manchester United returned to the top of the Premier League here Sunday after holding Tottenham to a 0-0 draw in a match that failed to live up to expectations.

United's hard-earned point saw them reclaim top spot from Manchester City on goal difference, although Sir Alex Ferguson's unbeaten side have two games in hand over their bitter local rivals.

An open encounter at White Hart Lane never quite caught fire, and United were forced onto the defensive in the final stages after fullback Rafael Da Silva was sent off for his second yellow card.

The result leaves Spurs in fifth place on 37 points, eight points off the lead and one point behind Chelsea, who occupy the fourth Champions League spot.

"It was a tough game," United manager Ferguson said afterwards.

"Tottenham are in a great bit of form but they really didn't make many chances against us and we can take credit for that.

"We were a bit careless with the use of the ball. But overall it's a decent point for us you so we can't complain. Our defenders were particularly good."

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp admitted that defence had prevailed.

"Both teams defended well, especially the two central defenders on their side and (Michael) Dawson and (William) Gallas on ours. They were fantastic, did their jobs and made it difficult," he said.

"Chances were few and far between. I thought we edged the game without creating too many clear-cut chances."

It was the fourth score draw of a packed Premier League fixture list on Sunday, which had earlier seen Liverpool draw 2-2 with Merseyside rivals Everton in an emotional Anfield homecoming for Kenny Dalglish.

Dalglish appeared to be heading for his third consecutive defeat since taking over from Roy Hodgson after two second-half goals in seven minutes from Sylvain Distin and Jermaine Beckford gave Everton a 2-1 lead.

But Liverpool -- who had taken a first-half lead through Raul Meireles -- fought back to secure a draw courtesy of a Dirk Kuyt penalty on 68 minutes after Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard upended Maxi Rodriguez.

The atmosphere inside Anfield had been electric before kick-off as the Kop roared out "You'll Never Walk Alone" to mark Dalglish's return to the home dugout for the first time in 20 years.

Dalglish later praised the character of his players for coming back after trailing early in the second half.

"After five minutes of the second half we were 2-1 down but the players attitude and desire to get back in the game was really something," Dalglish told the BBC.

"It was fantastic. We could have been more than one up but we were really pleased with the way we played and that's great credit to the players who have had to adjust to the new ways of playing and training."

Earlier Sunday, an injury-time goal from Sunderland's Ghanaian international Asamoah Gyan denied Newcastle home-and-away victories over their northeast rivals as Birmingham and Aston Villa drew at St Andrews.

Newcastle, seeking to bounce back from their shock FA Cup exit to lowly Stevenage last week, looked to be heading for a 1-0 victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light after a Kevin Nolan goal put them ahead.

But with the game deep into injury time World Cup star Gyan scrambled in a fortunate equaliser to make it 1-1.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew was dismayed by his side's failure to close out the win.

"Sunderland are having a great season and you have got to remember that," Pardew said. "We are really disappointed because we know our performance and some of our play deserved a win.

At St Andrews, Aston Villa fought back from 1-0 down to secure a vital point in their derby clash with Birmingham.

Birmingham, who handed a debut to new signing David Bentley, took the lead on 49 minutes when Roger Johnson volleyed in from 12 yards past Brad Friedel.

The Blues looked to be in control of the game and heading for victory until Villa equalised against the run of play, when a cross by Marc Albrighton was touched on by Gabriel Agbonlahor before being swept home by James Collins.

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish was disappointed with his side's defending for the equaliser.

"It was unbelievable we could get ourselves in a mess like that and then give away the goal," he said. "I think it hit one of our defenders and deflected in. Everything that could have gone wrong in that goal did."

The draw saw Villa scrape out of the bottom three on goals scored ahead of Wigan. Birmingham meanwhile are one place ahead of Villa in 16th place.

BP in stock swap, offshore drilling deal with Rosneft

Deal between global giant and state-controlled business raises concerns in U.S.


LONDON — BP Plc and Russia's state-controlled Rosneft agreed to a share swap under which they would jointly explore for offshore oil and gas, in a deal that immediately raised concerns in the U.S. about Russia's global oil ambitions.

BP, recovering from its Gulf of Mexico oil spill, said Friday it will swap 5 percent of its shares, valued at $7.8 billion, for 9.5 percent of Rosneft. BP said it will issue new shares to Rosneft.

The deal covers areas in the South Kara Sea in the Arctic that BP said could contain billions of barrels of oil and gas.

The deal, which is expected to be completed in a few weeks, highlights a sharp turnaround in relations with Moscow both for BP and its Chief Executive Bob Dudley. Dudley was forced to flee Russia in 2008 after heading BP's Russian joint venture, TNK-BP
Dudley said the deal was the first significant cross-shareholding between a nationally owned oil company and an international oil company.

Dudley called the deal "a new template for how business can be done in our industry .... This is truly the first alliance fit for the 21st century."

Dudley had been the boss for TNK-BP's formation in 2003 and was forced to leave following what he described as a campaign of harassment by BP-TNK's billionaire oligarch co-owners.

The issue has since been resolved and Dudley returned to Moscow for the first time this summer, following his appointment as CEO of BP.

Tony Hayward, Dudley's predecessor who was vilified for his handling of BP's massive Gulf of Mexico spill in 2010, holds a seat on TNK-BP's board of directors.

"They've chosen to get into that part of the world to expand reserves and for future growth in production," Michael Cuggino, CEO of Pacific Heights Asset Management and a BP shareholder, said.

"So I don't know if this is something new, or just a recommitment to that strategy. The problem is they had a difficult time a few years ago," he said.

Russia is a key part of BP's global operation, providing the company with a quarter of its reserves before the U.S. oil spill, so it is vital for Dudley to establish a good working relationship with the world's largest oil exporting nation.

Congressman Edward Markey, who is the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, immediately called for a review of the deal by U.S. regulators.

BP has a market capitalization of $150 billion U.S. dollars, while Rosneft is valued at about $83 billion

Somalia to launch attacks soon on al-Qaida

UNITED NATIONS — Somalia's new prime minister said 8,000 government troops will start waging attacks on Islamist insurgents and al-Qaida terrorists "very, very soon."

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, a Somali-American educator, also said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday night that increased U.S. and international support for his government is essential to end Somalia's lawlessness and prevent terrorists from continuing to use the country as a safe haven
He also warned that nearly 2.5 million Somalis in both Islamist and government-controlled areas are on the verge of starvation and said some have already died. He urged immediate global help to prevent even more deaths than in the 1992 famine when 500,000 people died.

Somalia has not had an effective government since 1991 when warlords overthrew longtime dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned on each other, plunging the country into chaos and anarchy. The weak U.N.- and U.S-backed transitional government, established in 2004, and a poorly resourced African Union peacekeeping force control only a small slice of Mogadishu and haven't been able to push past the firing lines of Islamist insurgents who are set up only a few blocks from the presidential palace.

Last month, al-Shabab and the second major Islamist group, Hizbul Islam, ended a long feud and merged.

Mohamed said his government's policy remains the same to these "enemies of peace."

The government would prefer dialogue and reconciliation and has received "a lot of phone calls" from middle-ranking members of both groups, he said, but if fighting continues it will use force.

Mohamed said there has been progress in reorganizing Somali troops who were recently paid. The 8,000-strong force will include some 1,000 troops who will be returning from training in Uganda soon, he said.

"For the last couple of days, their morale is high, and I hope they effectively face their enemy very, very soon," Mohamed said.

The prime minister stressed, however, that his government can't function without financial support.

While the international community donates "a lot of support" to Somalia, he said, the funds go through the United Nations and the government only has the revenue from the port and the airport, less than $1 million a month.

"We appreciate all their contributions but ... we are appealing to the international community — U.S., European Union, Arab League — to step up to the plate to do more," Mohamed said.

He said the international terrorists are well financed and have "a great network" that sends foreign fighters to Somalia.

"In order to face them effectively, you have to have the same resources they have," Mohamed said. "The more Somalia remains the way she is, definitely that's where international terrorism wants to be."

Mohamed urged the United States to give Somalia the same financial, economic, military and diplomatic support that it gives to Afghanistan saying both countries face the same issues — international terrorism, and weak or no central government.

If NATO-led forces in Afghanistan defeat al-Qaida, he warned, "they're going to go to Somalia, because that's where they can find a place to reorganize, because of lack of central government, effective government."

The mandate of the transitional government runs out in August.

Iran searching for nuclear bomb materials: cables

OSLO (Reuters) – Iran has been developing contacts in more than 30 countries to acquire technology, equipment and raw materials needed to build a nuclear bomb, a Norwegian newspaper said on Sunday, citing U.S. diplomatic cables.

Aftenposten said that according to the cables, obtained by WikiLeaks, more than 350 Iranian companies and organizations were involved in the pursuit of nuclear and missile technology between 2006 and 2010.

Iran says its nuclear program has purely peaceful aims but the West suspects is designed to develop a weapons capability.

"For years, Iran has been working systematically to acquire the parts, equipment and technology needed for developing such weapons, in violation of U.N. sanctions against the country's nuclear and missile program," Aftenposten said.

Aftenposten has said that it has all 250,000 U.S. cables leaked to WikiLeaks, most of which have not yet been published, and is gradually releasing them.

It cited sources as saying Iran is racing to develop nuclear weapons before its already crippled economy succumbs to the sanctions. "A race exists between the bomb and financial collapse," the daily cited a cable quoting a French nuclear expert.

Iran was practically out of uranium, which it needs to enrich for use in weapons, forcing Tehran to look abroad for more radioactive material, cables said.

"Iran's limited domestic supply of uranium makes it practically impossible to supply the nation's current and future nuclear power plant capacity," said a U.S. State Department note from February 2009.

"Consequently, the Iranians are likely to be forced into dealing with foreign suppliers to get uranium for their domestic nuclear industry," it added.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said earlier this month that the sanctions had set back Iran's nuclear program, giving major powers more time to persuade Tehran to change tack.

Tehran is due to hold talks with the major powers on the nuclear program in Istanbul on January 21-22.

Swiss whistleblower to hand over bank data to WikiLeaks

LONDON (AFP) – Swiss whistleblower Rudolf Elmer is planning to handover to WikiLeaks two CDs containing data of around 2,000 bank clients who may have been evading taxes, according to an interview published Sunday.

"The documents show that they are hiding behind bank secrecy, possibly to avoid taxes," Elmer, a former Swiss banker, told Swiss newspaper Sonntag.

The data is to be handed over on Monday, during a press conference in London.

The event will take place at the Frontline Club -- a media club where WikiLeaks operates in Britain -- from 11:15 am (1115 GMT).

Elmer "will reveal more details of alleged abuses in the world of offshore financial centres," the Club said on its website.

"As he did back in 2007 he will pass the said documents and information to WikiLeaks. A representative from WikiLeaks will be attending to accept this information," it added.

Sonntag said that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange would also "participate" in the press conference and that "everything will be done to ensure that Assange is personally present."

However his lawyer would not confirm the report and Assange's appearance would turn out to be a surprise given the terms of his bail.

Separately, Swiss newswire ATS said Elmer expected Assange to participate in through video conferencing.

The Australian is on bail in Britain awaiting Sweden's attempt to extradite him for questioning on sexual assault allegations.

A full extradition hearing will be heard at a London court on February 7-8.

Assange's bail conditions for the hearing have meanwhile been altered, allowing him to stay at the Frontline Club on the nights of February 6 and February 7.

According to Sonntag, the information set to be disclosed by Elmer on Monday will not be published immediately on the whistleblower website.

"WikiLeaks will go through the data, and if they really deal with tax evasion, they will be published later."

According to Elmer, the clients listed on the two discs include multimillionaires, multinationals and hedge funds from several countries, including Switzerland, the United States, Germany and Britain.

The data also implicates around 40 politicians.

Elmer said that the data stems from at least three financial institutions and cover the period of 1990 and 2009.

Elmer, who was a director at Bank Julius Baer in Cayman Islands, is meanwhile to appear before a Zurich court on Wednesday to answer to charges of bank secrecy violations, after he passed on clients' data to WikiLeaks in 2007.

The move led to tax evasion prosecutions in several countries against these clients.

Bomb kills 9 wedding guests in Afghanistan

PUL-E-KHUMRI, Afghanistan (Reuters) – A roadside bomb destroyed a car carrying nine people to a wedding in northern Afghanistan Sunday, killing everyone inside including a child, the provincial governor said.

The previous day, six civilians were killed by a roadside bomb in the southern province of Helmand and six died after an air strike by foreign forces in mountainous eastern Kunar, according to local officials.

Violence in Afghanistan is at its worst since the 2001 overthrow of the Taliban government. The insurgency is spreading rapidly in previously peaceful areas such as the north, and civilian and military casualties have risen to record levels.

Sunday's explosion in Pul-e-Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province, which lies on the main highway connecting Kabul to the north, killed six women and two men along with the child, said provincial governor Abdul Majid.

In Kunar, three children were among the dead in the airborne attack on two houses in the Kodagai area which straddles the province's Dangam and Shigal districts, Sultan Sediqi, a member of the provincial council, told Reuters.

"NUMEROUS" INSURGENTS KILLED --ISAF

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement that an air raid in Dangam had killed "numerous" insurgents after they were identified as an imminent threat to ground forces. It was not clear if this was the incident referred to by Sediqi.

When asked about the allegations of civilian casualties, an ISAF spokeswoman said they had not carried out any operations in Shigal and those killed by the air operation in Dangam had been "positively identified as insurgents."

Civilian casualties have frequently caused friction between President Hamid Karzai's government and Western military forces.

A recent string of attacks around the country has helped to dispel expectations of a winter lull in fighting. While insurgents normally target Afghan and foreign troops, civilians are often caught in the crossfire.

The roadside bomb in the violent Sangin district of Helmand province killed six people Saturday, the provincial governor's spokesman, Dawood Ahmadi, said Sunday.

Sangin is one of the main battlefields in the intensifying fight between Afghan and NATO-led forces on one side and the Taliban on the other, in the group's southern strongholds of Helmand and Kandahar provinces.

Saturday, Afghan and foreign forces killed 13 insurgents in the Nerkh district of Wardak province, southwest of Kabul, the provincial governor's office said. Three more were killed in a joint operation Sunday, it said.

The United Nations has said 2,412 civilians were killed and 3,803 wounded from January to October last year -- up 20 percent from 2009.

A record 711 foreign troops were also killed in 2010, according to monitoring website www.iCasualties.org. The government says 1,292 Afghan police, 821 Afghan soldiers and 5,225 insurgents were killed.

Wild floods hit thousands more Australians

SYDNEY (AFP) – Australia's flood crisis shifted to the country's far south on Sunday, with more than 1,400 homes swamped by a record deluge as the toll mounted in the reeling northeast amid scenes of devastation.

Dozens of towns braced for unprecedented river levels in Victoria state, where emergency officials told AFP more than 1,400 homes were waterlogged and 3,500 people had fled, just days after the flooding emergency peaked in northeastern Queensland.

"I would expect that to reach 1,500 by daylight tomorrow," emergency spokesman Lachlan Quick told AFP.

"To put that in perspective it was just a few hundred during September's floods statewide, which were some of the worst we had ever experienced," Quick said, describing the volume of water as unprecedented.

Earlier reports had said 14,000 houses had been inundated.

Homes were swamped to waist height as waters swept through the southeast, levelling fences and trees and tearing up roads. There were more than 5,000 calls for help, with more than 100 rescues

"It's shocking, devastating, heart wrenching," said Charlton resident Peter Gretgrix. "It's just total devastation, some of the shops in the lowish area are just a mess, windows smashed out, it's terrible."

"I've never seen anything like it, (and) I'm 57," he added.

Devastated by the worst wildfires in Australia's history which killed 173 people just two years ago, parts of Victoria were now facing once-in-a-century flooding, with some towns having never experienced such inundation.

Soldiers were helping people evacuate from their homes while desperate sandbagging was under way in a number of towns, where a season's worth of rain had fallen in just one or two days, completely submerging some river gauges.

It follows a six-week crisis in Queensland, where floodwaters swallowed an area the size of France and Germany combined, culminating in the swamping last week of Brisbane, Australia's third largest city, and utter devastation of towns to its west.

Experts have linked Australia's downpours to an especially strong La Nina weather pattern bringing cooler water temperatures and exacerbating the traditional tropical cyclone season. Five of the nation's seven states and territories have seen flooding since January 1.

The Queensland death toll climbed to 18 since January 10 on Sunday, with the discovery of two bodies in the ruined Lockyer Valley -- a middle-aged man under debris near a creek and an elderly woman in her Grantham home.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said the house was so damaged police found the woman's body on only their third search of the rubble. Debris was piled three metres high, three metres wide and 100 metres long in the shattered town.

Residents gathered at the Murphy's Creek pub, one of few buildings still standing, to mourn the dead and pray for 14 people still missing -- the first chance for many in the tight-knit community to grieve with neighbours and friends.

"There are going to be neighbours that don't return home after this aftermath, families that don't return, there's going to be empty desks at schools," said local MP Scott Buchholz.

"Words really cannot express what the people of the Lockyer Valley are feeling at the moment."

Soldiers and police combed through buildings and fields in the search for bodies in the Lockyer Valley, where shipping containers were to provide temporary shelter for those whose homes were swept away.

As waters receded in Queensland, Bligh said the full scale of destruction was emerging, with the number of flooded homes and evacuations doubling in the past week and the number of properties affected by the waters trebling across an area with a population of 2.1 million.

She warned people to stay out of floodwaters where possible, describing them as a "toxic" soup of rotting animal corpses and food, chemicals and debris.

Treasurer Wayne Swan toured the ravaged Brisbane suburb of Rocklea with friends hit by the disaster as the federal and Queensland governments pledged Aus$10 million ($9.86 million) each to the relief fund, which has now raised more than Aus$84 million.

"In terms of cost it's far too early to evaluate," Swan told AFP of the damage bill.

"The priority is to provide immediate relief with emergency payments to the people affected.

"There is certainly a huge impact in terms of tourism, in terms of the export of resources, especially coal, in terms of small businesses. But it's too early to say how much."

Tennis stars including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal drew sellout crowds to a "Rally for Relief" fundraiser for flood victims in Melbourne on Sunday, with a cricket charity day and major concerts also planned.

Police commander abducted in Mexican coastal state

VERACRUZ, Mexico – Authorities say a police commander in the Mexican Gulf coast state of Veracruz was abducted by armed men following a car chase.

State Public Safety Subsecretary Remigio Ortiz Olivares says Cmdr. Raul Espinoza and a guard were kidnapped about 5 a.m. Saturday in Boca del Rio, just south of the port city of Veracruz.

He says that an SUV forced the police vehicle in which the two were traveling off the road and then abducted them.

Police later spotted the suspected kidnappers' vehicle and exchanged gunfire with the occupants. One officer was wounded. The SUV sped south out of the city.

Twelve suspected cartel gunmen and two soldiers were killed Thursday during a nearly six-hour gun battle in the Veracruz state capital of Xalapa.