British Prime Minister Tony Blair has again defended plans to toughen anti-terrorism

Tony Blair

laws and detain suspects for three months without charge.

Mr. Blair told his monthly news conference in London that police have made compelling arguments to extend the length of detention from its current two weeks. He says authorities are fighting a new kind of terrorism, which requires more time to investigate and often the cooperation of foreign agencies.

But civil rights activists and opposition politicians say the changes are counterproductive and will undermine efforts by authorities to get more cooperation from Britain's Muslim community.

Mr. Blair proposed the new laws, which would also allow authorities to deport extremists, after the July 7 suicide bombings in London that killed 52 people.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Bloomberg.