British Prime Minister Tony Blair has defended his government's attempts to deport terror suspects to countries with poor human-rights records and denied that Britain's proposed anti-terrorism legislation would undermine civil liberties.
In an interview with the BBC broadcast yesterday, Blair also played down the failure of the UN to agree on a common definition of terrorism at its summit of world leaders in New York.
"Personally I would not make too much of that," said Blair, who was interviewed before leaving New York for London late on Thursday night. "There is a coming together in the international community around the need to fight terrorism and fight it not just at the level of security but at the level of taking on and defeating the ideas of these people."
PHOTO: EPA
Offering his own definition of terrorism, Blair said: "It is the killing of innocent people deliberately, innocent civilians ... I think in practical terms most reasonable people have no difficulty with this definition."
Since the London bombings on July 7 that killed 52 bus and subway commuters, and the failed attacks two weeks later, Blair has moved swiftly to tighten terrorism laws and crack down on Islamic extremists.
Britain has also stepped up efforts to deport extremists and foreign terror suspects. Last month, authorities detained 10 foreigners for deportation, including firebrand cleric Abu Qatada, previously described by Spanish officials as Osama bin Laden's "spiritual ambassador in Europe."
On Thursday, authorities detained seven foreigners for deportation, some of whom are Algerian men once suspected of involvement in a plot to spread the deadly poison ricin in London.
The detentions come as Britain tries to reach agreements with several north African and Middle Eastern countries, including Libya and Algeria, that deportees will not be tortured or abused on their return. As a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, Britain is not allowed to deport people to countries where they may be mistreated.
But civil-rights campaigners and legal experts warn the agreements will have no standing in international law, and accuse Blair's government of harming human rights.
"Virtually every country in Europe, following terrorist acts, has been toughening up their legislation," Blair said.
Blair hopes to pass a new counterterrorism bill by the year's end. If approved by parliament, it will outlaw "indirect incitement" of terrorism and "glorifying" violence -- targeting extremist Islamic clerics blamed for seducing Muslim youth.
The legislation will ban publishing or selling material that incites terrorism, and outlaw attending terrorist training camps in Britain or abroad.
The most controversial proposal is to extend the period of detention without charge for terror suspects from 14 days to three months.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
‘DELUSIONAL’: Targeting the families of Hamas’ leaders would not push the group to change its position or to give up its demands for Palestinians, Ismail Haniyeh said Israeli aircraft on Wednesday killed three sons of Hamas’ top political leader in the Gaza Strip, striking high-stakes targets at a time when Israel is holding delicate ceasefire negotiations with the militant group. Hamas said four of the leader’s grandchildren were also killed. Ismail Haniyeh’s sons are among the highest-profile figures to be killed in the war so far. Israel said they were Hamas operatives, and Haniyeh accused Israel of acting in “the spirit of revenge and murder.” The deaths threatened to strain the internationally mediated ceasefire talks, which appeared to gain steam in recent days even as the sides remain far
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The