Tribute to Iraqi shoe-thrower

Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit has unveiled a giant monument of a shoe in honour of the journalist who threw his footwear at the former US president George Bush.

The 2m-high statue depicts a bronze-coloured running shoe. The inscription reads: "Muntazer: fasting until the sword breaks its fast with blood; silent until our mouths speak the truth." It is in honour of Muntazer al-Zaidi, who hurled his shoes at Mr Bush and called him a "dog" at a news conference. Mr Zaidi has been held in jail in Baghdad since the incident.

Fatin Abdul Qader, the head of an orphanage and children's organisation in Tikrit, said the monument, by the artist Laith al-Amiri, was entitled Statue of Glory and Generosity. He added: "Iraqi hearts were were comforted by his throw."