Osama bin Laden praised slain Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as the “lion of holy war” in a new videotape Friday. The 19-minute message shows an old still photo of bin Laden in a split-screen next to images of al-Zarqawi taken from a previous video. A voice resembling bin Laden’s narrates a tribute to al-Zarqawi, who was killed June 7.
Al Qaeda hit hard
The U.S. military claimed an advantage in the fight against Al Qaeda in Iraq on Thursday, saying raids since the death of its leader have forced many of its foreign fighters out into the open to be captured or killed. On Thursday, at least 46 deaths were reported across the country, including nine bullet-riddled bodies pulled from rivers–apparent victims of death squads.
4 men hanged for rape
Four Pakistani men were hanged Thursday for gang-raping a Christian woman at gunpoint during a 1999 robbery, a jail official in Multan, Pakistan, said. An anti-terror court sentenced the men to death after convicting them of raping the woman and robbing her family of about $1,000. The men lost appeals last year, including a mercy plea to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.
Women vote in Kuwait
Some female voters came in buses and others stepped out of chauffeur-driven cars at polling stations Thursday, as women in Kuwait happily voted inparliamentaryelections for the first time. Women, who won the right to vote and run for office last year, comprise 57 percent of the electorate. “It feels like a wedding day,” said Salwa al-Sanoussi, 45.
Iran won’t reply by July 5
Iran’s foreign minister on Thursday brushed aside demands from the major industrialized nations to respond by July 5 to an international offer for Tehran to roll back its uranium enrichment program, saying his nation would need until August. “Questions and ambiguities on the Iranian side are pending,” he said. “Therefore, we welcome the discussions and negotiations for clarification of those ambiguities.”
AND FINALLY
Soccer first, house burning down second
A Beijing soccer fan refused to let his house burning down disturb his enjoyment of the World Cup match between France and Spain, Reuters reported. “After getting out of the house, he then set about finding an electric socket to plug in and continue watching his game,” the man’s wife told the Beijing Daily Messenger.
