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N.H. is 6th state to allow gay marriage

CONCORD, N.H., June 3 (UPI) -- Gays will be able to get married in New Hampshire starting in the new year after Gov. John Lynch signed same-sex marriage legislation Wednesday.

Dozens of supporters looked on as the governor put his signature on the measures after an amendment was passed by the state Legislature earlier in the day, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. The law takes effect Jan. 1.

The add-on bill approved Wednesday clarifies the rights of churches and their employees to refuse to take part in same-sex marriage ceremonies or celebrations.

New Hampshire will join Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont and Iowa in recognizing gay marriage. Opponents of same-sex marriage in Maine are seeking to overturn that state's law through a referendum.

California briefly allowed gay marriage before the practice was banned by voters.

Obama to urge new U.S.-Muslim engagement

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, June 3 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama hopes to begin a new phase of engagement between the United States and the Muslim world when he speaks in Cairo, his speechwriter said.

Obama sees his speech Thursday as a chance to advance a dialogue his inauguration "to really start a new chapter of engagement," speechwriter Ben Rhodes said during a briefing Wednesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the first stop of the president's Middle East trip.

Obama will address extremism and the threat it poses, America's response, the situations in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian issue and the broader Israeli-Arab issue, Rhodes said.

Obama also will be "acknowledging the fact that (the Arab-Israeli issue) has been a very important source of tension and passion for people of all faiths within this region and around the world," Rhodes said, as well as offer his view of the conflict and what all sides need to do to resolve it.

Finally, Obama will address issues "that really matter in people's lives, in terms of economic development, in terms of education, in terms of health, in terms of science and technology," the speechwriter said. "And I think you'll see some concrete steps towards developing partnerships in these areas so that we can deepen engagement between the United States and Muslim communities, and point towards opportunity for all of our people."

The speech is only a step in seeking a new level of engagement, Rhodes said.

"But in terms of this speech, what he was very clear with us was to cast a wide net both within the U.S. government and outside of the U.S. government," he said.

Bin Laden tape rips U.S.; U.S. blasts back

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 3 (UPI) -- Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden purportedly saying U.S. policy in Pakistan foments hate is just more of the same old rhetoric, the White House said Wednesday.

In what the Arabic-language TV network al-Jazeera says is a voice recording issued by the fugitive terrorist, a speaker is heard saying the Pakistani government's military offensive against Taliban militants in the Swat Valley, supported by Washington, is generating "new seeds of hatred and revenge against America," CNN reported.

"I think the reports we've seen are consistent with messages that we've seen in the past from al-Qaida, threatening the U.S. and other countries that are involved in counter-terrorism efforts," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said during a news briefing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the first stop of President Barack Obama's Middle East trip.

The voice in the message says Obama is "walking the same road of his predecessors to build enmity against Muslims and increasing the number of fighters, and establishing more lasting wars."

CNN said the speaker cites what he calls Obama's "order" to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari "to prevent the people of Swat from implementing Shariah (Islamic) law. All this led to the displacement of about a million Muslim elders, women and children from their villages and homes. They became refugees in tents after they were honored in their own homes."

Asked if he could provide assurance that Americans have nothing to fear from the latest purported bin Laden tape, Gibbs said, "I can give the American people every assurance that everything is being done to protect them and to protect our homeland, as we've done since we took office."

Wife's rape said set up through Craigslist

KANNAPOLIS, N.C., June 3 (UPI) -- A North Carolina man allegedly used the Craigslist Internet site to find someone to rape his wife in their home while he watched, police say.

The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday the Kannapolis man, whose name it withheld to protect the wife, was in jail charged with first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree sexual offense and attempted first-degree sexual offense. The unidentified man who carried out the rape was still at large.

Police said the woman was sexually assaulted at knifepoint early Sunday after awaking to find the armed man at the foot of her bed, the newspaper said. The couple's two children were home at the time but unaware of the incident, the newspaper said.

Investigators said it wasn't clear whether the assailant knew the woman was an unwilling participant and not just playing out a fantasy for the couple. But police said they believe the husband arranged the assault without her knowledge or consent.

Police said they found out Tuesday the husband had responded to at least two personal ads on Craigslist, looking to get someone to "have sex with his wife using some type of scare tactic."

Craigslist, a free classified ad Web site based in San Francisco, has come under fire recently after violent incidents linked to its listing of erotic services.

The company says it will eliminate the erotic category and monitor postings to its "adult services" section more closely.

Man accused of airing rape of woman online

PHOENIX, June 3 (UPI) -- The chief executive of a U.S. video-sharing Web site that aired an alleged rape live on the Internet said Wednesday the company is cooperating with police.

Phoenix police allege Jonathan Hock, 20, raped an unconscious woman, whose identity was not reported, while using a webcam and laptop computer to broadcast the attack on Stickam.com, The Arizona Republic reported Tuesday.

Hock was arrested on charges of sexual assault and surreptitious video taping Monday after news of the video reached police.

Police said the female victim learned of the Feb. 26 assault after friends informed her of the online video.

Hock knew his alleged victim for less than a month when the video was made, the Republic reported.

Police told the newspaper their investigation uncovered information that led them to suspect Hock may have conducted similar acts in the past.

Steven Fruchter, chief executive officer of Stickam.com, issued a statement via a public relations firm expressing the company's deep concern for the woman and that it was investigating its staff's handling of the incident as well as offering its assistance to Phoenix investigators.

"All of us at Stickam are deeply concerned about the well being of the young woman who was involved in this incident and our thoughts are with her and her family," Fruchter said. "Our investigation, while still in progress, indicates that the Stickam site monitor team did in fact 'ban' the account of the person arrested, and the live broadcast of the incident was terminated immediately upon notification.

"Further, to the best of our knowledge, a video of the incident was never published on the Stickam Web site."