Tony Blair gets to thank Peter Mandelson, courtesy India

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 - British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson says former commerce and industry minister Kamal Nath was a great negotiator but wouldn't budge on opening up the Indian market. In his first public comments since the formation of the new Indian government in May, Mandelson said Friday that negotiating with major economies such as India in world trade talks was one of his main mandates as the European Union's Trade Commissioner.

July 4th, 2009 LONDON - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is nowadays sporting a mysterious black eye. His eye bruising was seen during a reunion with confidant Peter Mandelson at an award ceremony.

June 21st, 2009 LONDON - Cherie Blair has said she feels nice to be in the spectator seat again rather than be "a spectator sport" two years after she left Downing Street. The 54-year-old, who constantly made headlines during her time as the wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, was asked if she missed life at the official residence, where present Prime Minister Gordon Brown is presently struggling to keep his government.

June 7th, 2009 Top deputy to UK's Brown urges restraintLONDON — A top deputy to Britain's troubled Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday warned lawmakers seeking his ouster to end their rebellion — or risk making the situation of the governing Labour Party more tenuous. Business Secretary Peter Mandelson, appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr talk show, urged party dissidents to think about the consequences of an ugly leadership battle.

June 7th, 2009 Top deputy to Britain's Brown urges restraintLONDON — A top deputy to Britain's troubled Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday warned lawmakers seeking his ouster to end their rebellion — or risk making the situation of the governing Labour Party more tenuous. Business Secretary Peter Mandelson, appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr talk show, urged party dissidents to think about the consequences of an ugly leadership battle.

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 2nd, 2009 LONDON - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had a quiet but 'powerful' presence at the Group of 20 (G20) summit of world leaders Thursday, British Secretary of State for Business Lord Peter Mandelson said. 'He has such a presence, and he is so widely respected,' Mandelson told IANS.

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.