Britain
LONDON — The British government Wednesday unveiled sweeping anti-terrorism legislation designed to crack down on Islamic extremism, raising concerns from Muslim leaders, opposition parties and legal experts about the potential for infringing on civil liberties. In the wake of the July attacks on London's transit system, the government wants the power to detain terror suspects for three months without charge, outlaw attending terrorist training camps in Britain or abroad and make it an offense to glorify or encourage terrorism.
Canada
OTTAWA — China's ambassador to Canada warned Wednesday that a bill before Parliament calling for formal trade and cultural ties with Taiwan could destroy the foundations beneath 35 years of diplomatic ties between Ottawa and Beijing. Ambassador Lu Shumin said there would be serious "consequences" if the measure introduced by British Columbia Conservative Jim Abbott were passed. Though the measure is considered unlikely to become law, the issue is creating tensions as Canada and China move toward building much stronger trade ties.
Gaza Strip
GAZA CITY — Palestinian gunmen briefly kidnapped an American and a British journalist on Wednesday as the pair drove through the central Gaza town of Khan Younis, Knight Ridder said. Dion Nissenbaum, an American reporter for the newspaper chain, and British photographer Adam Pletts, who was working on contract for Knight Ridder, were freed Wednesday night after several hours in captivity, Nissenbaum said.
Germany
BERLIN — Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said Wednesday he will not participate in Germany's new coalition government, ending seven years in power marked by a newly assertive foreign policy and efforts to prune welfare benefits that were a drag on Europe's biggest economy. Schroeder's Social Democrats lost last month's parliamentary elections to conservative Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, and Merkel struck a power-sharing deal Monday to become Germany's first female chancellor.
Luxembourg
The European Union agreed Wednesday to legally require telecommunications companies to keep records of their phone and e-mail traffic for at least a year as part of the bloc's anti-terrorist campaign. The decision by the 25 EU justice ministers comes after years of European debate over the privacy and cost concerns of data retention. The ministers agreed phone companies must keep records for 12 months and Internet access providers must retain data on Web sites visited and e-mail addresses used for six months.
Somalia
An influential religious leader and alleged al-Qaida collaborator vowed in an interview Wednesday in Kenya to establish an Islamic state in Somalia, a lawless Horn of Africa nation the United States fears could grow into a major base for Islamic terrorists. "The Western world should respect our own ideas in choosing the way we want to govern our country, the way we want to go about our own business. That is our right," said Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, a key figure in a growing religious camp vying with secular factions for control of Somalia.
Vatican City
A senior cardinal warned Wednesday that relaxing the Roman Catholic Church's rule on celibacy for priests would be a "serious error," countering calls by reformers that allowing them to marry would help resolve a shortage of clergymen. Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia, delivered the strongest defense of celibacy yet to the Synod of Bishops, a meeting that gives Pope Benedict XVI recommendations on running the church. Pell praised what he called the "ancient tradition and life-giving discipline of mandatory celibacy."
Venezuela
BARRANCO — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez ordered a U.S.-based Christian missionary group working with indigenous tribes to leave the country Wednesday, accusing the organization of "imperialist infiltration" and links to the CIA. Chavez said missionaries of the New Tribes Mission, based in Sanford, Fla., were no longer welcome during a ceremony in an Indian village where he presented property titles to indigenous groups. "The New Tribes are leaving Venezuela. This is an irreversible decision I have made," Chavez said. "We don't want the New Tribes here. Enough colonialism!"