Alleged Al Qaeda Broadcast Airs on Web

An Internet video newscast called the Voice of the Caliphate was broadcast for the first time, purporting to be a production of Al Qaeda and featuring an anchorman who wore a black ski mask and an ammunition belt, an Italian news agency in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, reported.

The anchorman, who said the report would appear weekly, spoke about the Gaza Strip and Iraq and expressed happiness about hurricanes hitting the U.S. If the broadcast was made by Al Qaeda, it would mark a change in its publicity tactics, perhaps to avoid editing by TV networks.