Websites pose huge terror threat to UK, says watchdog

London:

The official reviewer of the British government's anti-terrorism laws, Lord Carlile, has warned prime minister David Cameron that there are many website that openly advocate violence.

A liberal democrat, Lord Carlie, the terrorism watchdog, has suggested the outlawing an organisation just because their views are offensive and extremist in nature is not going to help fight against international terrorism.

He was referring to Cameron's proposed move to ban the Hizb ut-Tahrir, which describes itself as a global Islamic political party "devoted to cultivating a Muslim community that adheres to the rules of Islam".

Lord Carlie has told government ministers to concentrate on more pressing threats.

"The proscription of Hizb ut-Tahrir has been subject of political debate over several years. Certainly we should resist strongly the temptation to proscribe organisations because we find their opinions and aspirations offensive," The Independent quoted him as saying in a note given to the British government.

He said, " On the internet there are numerous sites, some highly offensive to those who enjoy encourage violent jihad; some praise the asserted heroism of suicide bombers."

"International apathy has meant it is extremely difficult to remove these sites, mainly because of jurisdictional issues and in part because providers of the worldwide web are unwilling to judge sites with rigour and remove them, even when they encourage what is serious crime."

Lord Carlile also warned that there are too many dangerous who are evading deportation from Britain because of the risk that they will be tortured or killed if they were returned home.

He called for a more "imaginative approach" which would ensure that suspects who are returned to their home countries are not ill treated.

'Britain can't protect itself'

London:

Britain cannot afford to protect itself against all potential threats to its security, defence secretary Liam Fox has warned.

The dire state of the public finances meant the armed forces could no longer be equipped to cover every conceivable danger, Fox told The Daily Telegraph.

Since the World War II, the nation has maintained a force that can conduct all-out warfare, counter-insurgencies such as in Afghanistan or medium scale campaigns like the Falklands or Sierra Leone.

"We don't have the money as a country to protect ourselves against every potential future threat," he said. "We just don't have it."

The ministry of defence is facing a substantial squeeze on resources, with indications that 30,000 serviceman may be sacrificed to meet the government's review of budgets.