Blair knew of secret policy on terror interrogations

October 15th, 2009 ROME - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has backed old chum and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to be the next President of the European Union. In an open letter to Il Foglio, the newspaper part-owned by his estranged wife Veronica, which is mounting a campaign in support of Blair, Berlusconi said: "Tony Blair has everything it takes to become the first President of the European Council." The daily's front-paged article further goes on to say: "My government and I will work to ensure we do not lose a great political legacy, made with courage, equilibrium and prudence without uncertainty." The friendship between the two men goes back to the start of the Iraq war, which Berlusconi staunchly supported.

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 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.

June 25th, 2009 NEW YORK - A secret FBI file has revealed that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had feared an Iranian attack on his country, more than a US one. The secret file claims that Saddam had bluffed about his country's 'Weapons of Mass Destruction' fearing an Iranian assault.

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.

June 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The Obama administration has objected to the release of certain Bush-era documents that detail the videotaped interrogations of al Qaeda detainees at secret prisons, arguing before a federal judge that doing so would endanger national security and benefit the terrorist network's recruitment efforts. In an affidavit, CIA Director Leon E.

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 22nd, 2009 Torture tale in Britain with 7 missing paragraphsLONDON — It is a page-turner of a tale — but one with seven missing paragraphs. Lawyers for several media groups appealed Wednesday to a British court to disclose redacted information they say could show that the British government knew more than it has admitted about the alleged torture of former Guantanamo detainee and U.K.

April 14th, 2009 LONDON - Tom Watson is regarded as ruthless political hard man and a key ally of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He sits feet away from Brown each day in his open-plan Downing Street war room.

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 5th, 2009 LONDON - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has emerged as the front-runner to become the first permanent president of the European Union. Blair has stepped up his campaign for the job, which he wants to use to build a bridge between Europe and the new Barack Obama Administration, The Independent reported.

March 20th, 2009 LONDON - A 1972 painting of Cherie Blair in the nude is listed for sale at a Mayfair art gallery in London, with a price tag of 600,000 pounds. Cherie Blair was 22 and unmarried when she posed for the drawing.

January 30th, 2009 LONDON - Former British prime minister and current international Quartet envoy to the Middle East Tony Blair has said in a newspaper interview published Saturday that the Palestinian militant movement Hamas must be brought into the peace process. Blair, in an interview with The Times, said that the previous policy pursued by the Quartet - the UN, US, Russia and the EU - of isolating Hamas and concentrating peace and reconciliation efforts on the West Bank 'was never going to work and will never work'.

January 5th, 2009 LONDON - Former British premier Tony Blair is to be presented with one of America's highest civilian honours but is yet to pick up a Congressional gold medal awarded to him in 2003. Blair will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom Jan 13 along with President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia, and former premier John Howard of Australia.