25 British Muslim leaders have met Tony Blair and leaders of the oppostion.

The Muslim leaders were told to back gov plans to combat terrorism.

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[size=18]Terrorism to be tackled 'head on' [/size]
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UK Muslim leaders and politicians have met at Downing Street and agreed to tackle terrorism "head on", Prime Minister Tony Blair has said.
The 25 senior Muslims, as well as opposition leaders, met to discuss the London bombings, which killed 56.

In the short-term a task force is to be set up to tackle the problem.

Mr Blair said the meeting was "heartening" and demonstrated "a remarkable degree of unity across the community and the political spectrum.

Speaking after the talks, Conservative leader Michael Howard said it was the responsibility of Muslim leaders to reach out to young people in their communities to prevent the "merchants of evil" from influencing them.

But he added: "We must do much more than we have done so far to make everyone in this great national community of ours proud of being British."

Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said representatives had agreed the taskforce would have to be centrally driven but "locally achieved".

Tony Blair said the group would have to "confront this evil ideology, take it on and defeat it".

The Downing Street meeting was one of several this week aimed at reaching the widest possible consensus on action to deal with terrorism and its causes. [/size]

[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4695275.stm]BBC[/url]

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[size=18]UK plans global extremists list [/size]

[size=12]The UK is to set up a global database of extremists who face automatic vetting before being allowed in, Home Secretary Charles Clarke has told MPs.

He said the database would list "unacceptable behaviour" such as radical preaching, websites and writing articles intended to foment terrorism.

Individuals' presence on the list means they may face exclusion from the UK.

Hopes for an international conference for countries affected by Islamic extremism were unveiled by Tony Blair.

The home secretary outlined new counter-terrorism measures, agreed by the three main parties, in the wake of the London bombings.

The legislation, which will cover acts preparatory to terrorism, indirect incitement to terrorism and giving and receiving terrorist training, will come before the Commons and Lords from October.

Mr Clarke also told MPs the UK has reached an agreement with Jordan which will enable Britain to deport Jordanian nationals suspected of inciting or supporting terrorism.

Under international convention the UK government cannot send people back to a country where they might face mistreatment or the death penalty.

But Mr Clarke said the government had reached a "memorandum of understanding" which removes this bar to deportations.
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[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4699745.stm]BBC[/url]

We're heading down a dangerous road.

We don't want our Friday sermons to be censored.

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[size=18]Police ask for tough new powers[/size]

[size=15]PM told of need for three-month detention of suspects and crackdown on websites[/size]

[size=12]Police last night told Tony Blair that they need sweeping new powers to counter the terrorist threat, including the right to detain a suspect for up to three months without charge instead of the current 14 days.

Senior officers also want powers to attack and close down websites, and a new criminal offence of using the internet to prepare acts of terrorism, to "suppress inappropriate internet usage".

They also want to make it a criminal offence for suspects to refuse to cooperate in giving the police full access to computer files by refusing to disclose their encryption keys.

The police would also like to see much clearer information given to the public about the threat level, the creation of a specialist border security agency and further discussions about the use of phonetap evidence in terrorist cases.

The Association of Chief Police Officers published its list of 11 further changes in the law it wants after meeting Mr Blair and security services chiefs yesterday.

Whitehall officials confirmed that, as reported in yesterday's Guardian, the security and intelligence agencies want a new system of plea bargaining. Convicted terrorists would be given lighter sentences if they supplied information before their trials.

Suspects would be given the chance to provide information in "intelligence-only" interviews and none of the information would be used against them in trials.

Officials also said MI5 was "in principle" in favour of the product of phone taps being used as evidence in trials. What has not been resolved is who would pay for the resources needed to transcribe the tapes in a way that would satisfy defence lawyers, according to counter-terrorism sources.

The prime minister has said he is willing to consider any "gaps in the law" that police and security chiefs identify as a result of the London attacks.

Other powers police told Mr Blair they needed include:

· Terror suspects to give compulsory answers to questions similar to obligations on company directors in fraud trials;

· A duty on the private sector to install protective security in designated locations;

· Putting private security staff at the disposal of the police in the immediate aftermath of an outrage;

· New generation CCTV cameras at ports and airports.

The police sought extra funding for a regional network of Special Branch officers and a further £45m to ensure national coverage for the new generation CCTV cameras, which scan number plates and alert intercept teams.

"The terrorist attacks in London on July 7 and today provide an opportunity for us to reflect on our systems and practices to ensure they are sufficient to counter such unprecedented events," Mr Jones said.[/size]

[url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1533917,00.html]G...

[size=18]Italian anti-terror law enacted[/size]

The lower house of the Italian parliament has approved new measures to combat the threat of terrorist attack, which means they have become law.

The bill includes surveillance of the internet and phone networks and making it easier to detain suspects.

[b]Those who hide their features from the public - including through wearing the Islamic burqa - also face punishment.[/b]

A number of Western countries have introduced extra measures after the London bombs this month.

The BBC's Jacky Rowland notes that explicit threats against Italy have appeared on a number of extremist websites.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has rejected the theory that Italy is being targeted due to its presence in Iraq, where it has 3,000 troops.

The government has indicated that it plans to start withdrawing those troops next year.

[b]'Very satisfied'[/b]

Italy's upper house backed the bill on Friday.

The package of extra measures approved overwhelmingly by parliament includes:

* doubling to 24 hours the time suspects can be kept in custody without charge

* interrogating suspects without lawyers present

* strengthening of measures to prevent terrorists from financing their operations

* increasing penalties for carrying false documents

* compiling lists of mobile phone users to help police investigating suspected terrorist crime

[b] * up to two years in prison and a 2,000 euro (£1,379 or $2,424) fine for anyone who purposely hides their features by covering their faces in public.[/b]

Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu said after the vote that he was "very satisfied" with the overwhelming approval of the house.

There are growing fears that Italy could be the next target in Europe.

"The terrorist threat with Islamic origins has a world-wide dimension, it could materialise everywhere and no corner of the planet is immune," Mr Pisanu said.

The minister has said the Italian government has received no specific information of a strike.

However, about 13,000 sites around the country are being guarded against possible terrorist attack, including public buildings, embassies, ports, railway stations and the Vatican.

[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4731711.stm]BBC[/url]