Blair emerges front-runner to become first permanent president of EU

October 5th, 2009 LONDON - Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is bidding to become the first President of Europe, stands to pocket a whopping 3.65 million pounds, if he is successful in his endeavor. Blair could be named President this month following Ireland's vote.

October 1st, 2009 LONDON - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is set to become the first President of the 27-member European Union. According to The Sun, Blair will be nominated by EU leaders in Brussels if, as expected, Ireland backs the hated Lisbon Treaty in tomorrow's referendum.

September 27th, 2009 LONDON - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been cashing it up by attending various lecture events and corporate work, and for a latest event, admirers have paid 180 pounds to have a photograph with him. Blair will attend the Surrey Regional Economic Summit in British Columbia on October 6, during which as many as 100 people will be whisked through in a one-hour session, where they would get an opportunity to meet and have photographs taken with the former prime minister.

September 21st, 2009 LONDON - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair thinks his successor Gordon Brown is a political "quitter" who could stand down before the next election. According to a new book, Blair has told his inner circle that Brown does not have enough political courage.

July 4th, 2009 LONDON - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair Friday finally got to publicly thank the man credited with crafting his Labour party's win and putting him into power - courtesy of an Indian medal. Old pals Blair and Lord Peter Mandelson were brought together on a London stage by the Labour Friends of India, a lobby group, for Mandelson to present his former boss with the Frenner Brockway medal.

June 21st, 2009 LONDON - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown decided to hold the independent inquiry into the Iraq war behind the closed doors because he was urged by his predecessor Tony Blair to do so, The Observer has claimed. Blair was reportedly afraid of a "show trial" that he dreaded the prospect of giving evidence in public and under oath about the use of intelligence and about his numerous private discussions with US President George Bush over plans for war.

June 16th, 2009 LONDON - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is to be grilled in a secret Iraq War inquiry ordered last night by his successor Gordon Brown.ccording to The Sun, Blair will be a main witness in the probe. The country's military top brass will insist that its occupation force was too small, under funded and poorly equipped.

May 25th, 2009 SYDNEY - Notorious conman Peter Foster has claimed on Australian radio that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair might have fathered the baby of his ex-girlfriend Carole Caplin, who was a former confidant of Cherie Blair. Foster, recently released from prison after serving one third of a seven year sentence for money laundering in Australia, also repeats discredited claims that Tony and Cherie Blair used offshore trusts to avoid paying British taxes.

May 22nd, 2009 LONDON - English barrister Cherie Blair has revealed that her husband, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, loses his temper with her if dinner is not on the table when he gets home. In an interview with Total Politics, she revealed him to be a "very traditional" man, reports the Telegraph.

April 25th, 2009 LONDON - Hugh Jackman once missed a rare chance to meet former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, because he was too busy throwing up behind the stage. The ex-PM made a special trip to see a show of the 1998 London production of musical 'Oklahoma!' at the National Theatre, starring the 'Australia' star.

April 21st, 2009 LONDON - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Facebook profile set up to promote his charity foundation has been hijacked by computer users who have launched personal attacks on him and his wife. The Tony Blair Faith Foundation on Facebook, which is accessed via a link from the charity's official website, is supposed to promote understanding of the world's religions.

April 10th, 2009 LONDON - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has launched a new organisation about religion and God named after him, admitting that he did not pass a "single day" without reflecting on the aftermath of the Iraq war. The Tony Blair Faith Foundation would promote understanding about the world's major religions.

April 7th, 2009 LONDON - Kent skipper Rob Key has emerged as a front runner to be England's Twenty20 captain after Andrew Strauss was dramatically axed from the list of probables. Key tops the list for World Twenty20 event because he is a sharp thinker, aggressive batsman and a respected leader, The Sun reported.

January 11th, 2009 CAIRO - Former British prime minister and Middle East special envoy Tony Blair Monday said 'elements were in place' for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Speaking after a meeting with Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak in Cairo, Blair stressed that any agreement must be predicated on an end to weapons smuggling into Gaza and an end to the blockade of the territory.

December 29th, 2008 LONDON - Former British premier Tony Blair is to visit the Middle East next week to try and broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, according to a report Tuesday. Blair, the Middle East envoy for the EU, Russia, the US and Britain, is to meet Israeli and Palestinian officials and politicians in his efforts to bring an end to a conflict that has killed 300 people so far.