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Tony Blair: $20 Million Man

October 31, 2008 8:10 AM

BY PHILIP VICTOR, ABC News London

For some the credit crunch isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair is said to have earned close to $20 million since leaving office in June 2007.   

Much of Blair’s income has come as a result of his speaking engagements, which can run up to $250,000 for a 90-minute speech.  The former prime minister’s inter-faith charity had also embarked on an agreement with Yale on Blair's teaching a seminar about religion in the interconnected world titled “Faith and Globalization,” for which the university reportedly paid over $200,000. 

The currently salary for a U.K. prime minister is £189,994 ($310,539). Blair, however, has earned that amount many times over with his speaking tours and company dealings. The U.K. Times reports Blair has earned £4.6 million ($7,520,143) from his memoirs, £2 million ($3,268,965) from JPMorgan Chase, £500,000 ($817,048) from Zurich Financial Services, and £5.8 million ($9,480,095) from speaking engagements.  Blair also receives a taxpayer sum of £84,000 ($137,297) in addition to his annual pension of £63,468 ($103,745).   

Blair has served the Swiss firm Zurich, assisting them with developments and trends in the international arena as well advising on matters of climate change. At JPMorgan Chase, Blair has advised the bank on global political and strategic issues.

The Times indicates that Blair's employers are quite happy about with his services.  JPMorgan says Blair “has played an extremely valuable role here.”  “He provides us with pretty useful insights,” Zurich Financial said.   

Some believe that Blair’s extracurricular activities have sidetracked him from carrying out his duties as the Quartet’s Middle East envoy. Blair’s mission as envoy was to work toward a sustainable peace agreement and solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on behalf of the U.N., U.S., Russia and the E.U. 

A senior U.N. official quoted in the Times says of Blair: “There’s a view in the UN that he’s not making any progress and that from all the status he brings to the position, he doesn’t seem to be achieving anything.” 

But Blair’s office told the Times that the former PM’s role as Middle East envoy “takes up the largest portion of his time,” adding “No official of the UN or any other Quartet member has ever raised any such concerns with us.” 

Contributing an op-ed to the Times, Alice Thomson writes, “A prime minister shouldn’t take advantage of their position in office…but once a prime minister has left office and given up his seat, he should be free to do whatever he wants as long as his snout isn’t in the people’s trough.” 

Thomson downplays the earnings and writes that despite Blair’s multimillions, “he still spends one week a month saving the world, unpaid as the Quartet’s Middle East representative.”

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October 31, 2008 in Philip Victor | Permalink | User Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

‘Liquid Smoking’ Could Find its Way to U.K.

October 27, 2008 1:50 PM

BY PHILIP VICTOR, ABC News London

Ever imagine getting your cigarette fix in a can?  Smokers in the United Kingdom looking to get around the smoking ban may find themselves with a temporary alternative until they get a chance to pop out for a smoke. 

The Dutch supplier, United Drinks and Beauty Corporation, hopes to bring its fruit-flavored herbal drink “Liquid Smoking” to the U.K by December of this year.  The makers claim the product, which has been popular in the Netherlands, contains no nicotine but rather a combination of South African plant roots. 

The company says that the mixture is intended to give “a slight energizing effect, followed by a euphoric sense of calming and relaxation.” 

Does this description raise red flags over product safety?  “Not really if they are just herbal extracts, Amanda Sanford of the  U.K.’s Action on Smoking and Health told ABC News, adding, however, that it,  like anything, “can be dangerous is not used properly.” 

Sanford says that her group has concerns about the marketing of the product.  “The way it is packaged [it resembles] a Marlboro cigarette pack,” Sanford told ABC News.

The chief executive for United Drinks and Beauty Corp., Martin Hartman, said “the product we have developed has got similar properties to nicotine, so we are trying to help people out who are affected by the ban.  People might use this instead of a cigarette or tobacco to help the cravings.” 

The  U.K.’s Telegraph reports that “although there will be no lower age limit to buy it, the makers believe it should not be drunk by anyone under 15.” 

Could this be a potential problem with children abusing the drink?  Sanford says she believes there should be “an incumbent warning” on the product and that it “shouldn’t be targeted to children.”

Hartman told Sky News that Liquid Smoking was even safe for children to drink and impossible to get addicted to. 

This isn’t the first alternative product that has sought to make inroads in the U.K.  Earlier this year, electronic cigarettes were introduced and put on sale in select pubs and by online retailers.  The electronic cigarettes were also marketed to those smokers who hoped to find a way around the U.K.’s smoking ban, which was enacted more than a year ago, in enclosed public places.   

"It's for smokers on trains, public places, planes -- anywhere where smoking is prohibited and people want to fulfill the need of nicotine," said Hartman of the product.

Sanford says that the liquid cigarette “seems to be in a similar mould” to electronic cigarettes.  She indicates, however, that the products are not being manufactured in order to curb traditional smoking, but rather the companies are trying to “cash in on people’s nicotine cravings.” 

While the U.K. smoking ban has created a market for alternative cigarette products, it remains to be seen whether they will catch on or the traditional cigarette will still remain the primary choice. 

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October 27, 2008 in Philip Victor | Permalink | User Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Far-Right Politician Admits Gay Affair

October 23, 2008 1:01 PM

BY PHILIP VICTOR, ABC News London

In a striking new revelation on Austrian Radio, Stefan Petzner, the successor to Austrian far-right leader Jörg Haider, admitted to having a gay affair with the deceased politician.

“He was the man of my life. Our relationship went far beyond friendship,” Petzner told ORF, the Austrian state radio. 

Jörg Haider, who led the Alliance for the Future of Austria, was killed in a car accident Oct. 11 after reportedly leaving a gay nightclub. 

According to Britain's Times, local papers in Austria reported that on the night of the accident, Haider and Petzner had an argument at a magazine launch party. The reports say that Haider hurriedly left and drove himself to a gay club in his hometown, where he drank vodka with male escorts. The reports describe Haider as hardly able to walk to his car when he left the club, according to the Times.

Following Petzner’s admissions of the affair and “special” relationship, the party demoted him to deputy under the new leader, Josef Buchner, a divorced father of two who is thought to be more conservative.

The Alliance for the Future of Austria, seeking to become once again relevant in Austrian politics, had won 11 percent of the vote in elections held shortly before Haider’s death.

Embarrassed by the revelations and hoping to limit the political fallout from Petzner’s candid remarks, party officials canceled upcoming interviews with the politicians. The party was unable, however, to prevent the rebroadcast of the radio interview, the UK Independent reported.   

Haider’s politics, which were known for their anti-immigrant sentiments, were seen by many as pro-Nazi. “He famously praised the employment policies of Hitler’s Third Reich and insisted SS members were ‘decent people,’” the Times reported. 

The UK Guardian reports that Haider had presented himself as a family man who drank sparingly, but an investigation of his car accident revealed that he had been driving at twice the speed limit and that his blood alcohol level was four times the legal limit. 

Petzner dropped out of his university when he met Haider five years ago at a party, and his appointment as leader was seen to be Haider’s last wish, as he had publicly said on numerous occasions that “he would like his young protégé to take his place one day,” the Times reported. 

Petzner did not hold back as he expressed his deep feelings for Haider in the state radio interview. 

“I only had him. Now I am all alone. I would spend nights with him and his family and that was important for me because I often was afraid to be alone in the dark,” Petzner said. 

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October 23, 2008 in Philip Victor | Permalink | User Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)

Melamine Scare Hits U.K. Sex Toys

October 21, 2008 1:29 PM

BY PHILIP VICTOR, ABC News London

The Chinese melamine scandal has already killed 4 and hospitalized thousands of young children and babies.  Chinese dairy producers have been blamed for adding the chemical to products such as baby formula and chocolates in order to make them appear high in protein.   In fact, Reuters news agency has estimated the number to be close to 94,000 children who are either in the hospital or have released because of melamine linked illness. 

In a striking new twist to the scandal, the melamine laced products have found their way into the U.K. by way of chocolate flavored sex toys.  That’s right.  Those looking to spice up their love life with a little chocolaty kinkiness have now been warned about the affected products.   

The U.K.’s Food Standards Agency issued a food alert for the following contaminated food toys including: 

• The Chocolate Body Pen
• The Strawberry Body Pen
• Chocolate Flavored Willy Spread
• Chocolate Flavored Nipple Spread

Food Standards Agency says that the products were manufactured in Zhongshan, China by the manufacturer Le Bang and imported into the UK by Scobie (Llarn) Ltd. They have been sold to a number of Ann Summers stores in the UK.  “Scobie (Llarn) Ltd has removed the affected products from sale,” the FSA added in a statement on its website. 

Ann Summers’ stores have also removed the products from their shelves.  The U.K.’s Guardian newspaper quoted a spokesperson from the sex store chain saying: "As a responsible retailer we have tested all of our chocolates and even before the FSA alert was issued had taken all relevant steps to remove the chocolate willy spread product that could be affected by this issue."

The European Commission on its website says that “all products originating from China and containing more than 15% of milk as an ingredient must be checked for the presence of melamine.”  The E.C. has also ordered that any products containing more than 2.5mg of melamine per kg are “to be immediately destroyed.”   

Both body pen sets contained 126 mg/kg, the willy spread 152 mg/kg, and the nipple spread 259 mg/kg.   

A spokerperson for the FSA in a statement on the agency’s website said: “This is a first. We’ve never had to put out an alert before on ‘willy spread’ – chocolate-flavored or otherwise.”  He did however add that “if anybody has used any of the affected products they shouldn’t worry, the risk from the melamine in these products is low and it is very unlikely to be harmful.”

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October 21, 2008 in Philip Victor | Permalink | User Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)

Former Mr. Gay U.K. Eats Boyfriend

October 20, 2008 11:44 AM

BY PHILIP VICTOR, ABC News London

In a world of bizarre stories, here’s one chilling case of a gruesome murder and an act of cannibalism. 

A U.K. chef found guilty of brutally stabbing and murdering his former lover and frying up pieces of the man’s flesh will spend at least 30 years behind bars.  Anthony Morley, 36, a former Mr. Gay U.K., claims that Damien Oldfield, 33, tried to rape him at his home and that the killing was done in self-defense.

According to the U.K. Sun, police found six lightly fried pieces of Oldfield’s leg mixed with herbs on a chopping board in Morley’s kitchen.  A seventh piece, which Morley chewed, was discovered in a trash bag.

The U.K. Times reported “Morley was arrested after he walked into a takeaway restaurant near his home in Leeds wearing a bloodstained dressing gown and flip-flops and told staff there that he had killed someone who had tried to rape him.”

The couple had exchanged text messages in which Morley expressed that he hoped to revive their broken relationship, but that he wanted to take things slow. 

The two men met in Leeds on the day of the murder and later went to Morley’s house where they went to bed after drinking.  “Mr. Oldfield had assured him nothing would happen between them. But he said that he awoke to find the other man performing a sex act on him,” the Times reported.

Morley told Leeds Crown Court that he was sexually confused and that he killed Oldfield over a “feeling of betrayal” over the attempted rape attempt, the Sun reported. 

Sky News reported that during the sentencing, Judge James Stewart QC called Morley "cold-blooded" and "a savage executor."  The judge said that it was “one of those most gruesome murders” he had ever encountered.  "You have plumbed depths rarely encountered in our court," the judge said. 

Morley, who denied the murder charges citing self-defense, told the court: “At some point Damian’s body had just become something I would deal with at work…a piece of meat.  That’s the only thing I can think of.  That was my daily task, preparing meat.” 

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October 20, 2008 in Philip Victor | Permalink | User Comments (71) | TrackBack (0)

It's a Dirty Commute in the U.K.

October 16, 2008 11:32 AM

BY PHILIP VICTOR, ABC News London

Mom always did tell us to wash our hands before we ate dinner when we were young, but apparently she should have been scolding us well into our adult years to rinse up after using the john. 

A new study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has found that 28 percent of U.K. commuters carried fecal matter on their hands, most likely resulting from a lack of proper hand washing.  More than 400 people were tested in the study that spanned the U.K. cities of London, Cardiff, Birmingham, Liverpool and Newcastle. 

Dr. Valerie Curtis, director of the Hygiene Center, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told ABC News that she was “flabbergasted” by the high percentage of contaminations and that she was expecting the results to perhaps be closer to 5 percent.

The study, which coincided with Global Handwashing Day, was carried out by trained master’s students at the London School who approached people at major bus stops in the aforementioned cities.  Willing participants had their fingers swabbed, and were asked profile questions including their age, sex and occupation.  Students also inquired as to what mode of transportation they had used that morning and whether participants had washed their hands before their commute.   

Results from the study show of 100 people tested in London, 13 had contaminated hands.  But the results were much more shocking in the city of Newcastle where 43 of the 98 people tested were found to have fecal matter present on their hands, including 53 percent of men and 30 percent of women.  The study also found that people who had used the bus as their mode of transport had higher rates of contamination that those who used the train. 

Why so many people with fecal bugs on their hands?  “People aren’t washing [their hands] regularly enough,” Curtis said. 

While most individuals would not admit to not washing their hands, the study shows that it happens more often tha n  we would like to think.  Why don’t people just take a few minutes to rinse up and get squeaky clean? 

People offer up numerous excuses for not  cleani ing their hands. Curtis told ABC News that among the excuses given include “I was in a hurry” and “There was nowhere to put my bag” as well as “The water was too hot or there was no soap.” 

The practice of washing your hands after using the toilet would seem to be conventional wisdom or common courtesy, and most importantly a matter of hygiene; unfortunately it’s apparently not so conventional to some commuters.  Curtis offers the idea that people are “honoring it [hand washing] in principle more than in practice.” 

The study’s most interesting finding, according to its authors, is that the contamination rates became higher for men the further north the cities were.  Curtis says that she was “really puzzled” by this.  The results showed that female hygiene violators were equally dispersed across the United Kingdom.

One thing is for sure though; the results of this finding will surely make you think twice about greeting your good commuting friend with that customary handshake.  Remember to keep your hand sanitizer with you at all times.   

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October 16, 2008 in Philip Victor | Permalink | User Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)

Who Knew Recycling Could Be So Romantic?

October 07, 2008 1:26 PM

BY PHILIP VICTOR, ABC News London

They say the couple that recycles together romances together.  Or at least that’s what they’ll be saying when they hear the story of John and Ann Till.

The U.K. couple had just gotten married at the end of July and wanted their honeymoon to be really special, but they didn’t initially have the funds to meet their expectations.

John Till told ABC News that the couple wanted to “take a cruise on the Queen Mary 2,” but he added that they had neither the “time or money” to make the return journey on the cruise ship whose voyages include both trans-Atlantic and European destinations.   

The Tills then decided that they would take the cruise to New York via the QM2 and raise the money needed to pay for their plane tickets home. 

So how were they able to raise the funds to return home?  Simply by collecting cans, bottles and containers that were just lying around on the streets of their hometown, Petersfield in Hampshire, England.

The couple learned that they could earn reward points from their local Tesco supermarket by depositing recyclables in special machines at the store.  For every four items the couple recycled, they earned one Tesco Clubcard point, and for every 250 Clubcard points accumulated, they earned 600 British Airways’ Airmiles.   

“We got the idea by accident,” Till told ABC News.  “My wife found out about it from a money saving  Web site.” 

John, 31, and Ann, 24, rummaged their hometown to gather any and every recyclable they could get their hands on for nearly three months.  Till said he and his wife would routinely “walk the streets looking behind hedges and behind walls” to gather their bounty. 

When it was all said and done, the couple had racked up 36,000 BA Airmiles, which calculates to 60,000 recyclables. 

Did the couple think that they would really be able to pay for return plane tickets by picking up empty cans and bottles? 

Till, a railways communication manager, says he and his wife, a merchant navy navigation officer, thought there was “no way we could achieve this, but as the points kept coming, it became clear we could,” adding that the money didn’t pay for the business class tickets in their entirety but a very substantial portion of the amount. 

Will the couple be planning another recyclable sponsored vacation anytime soon?  “No,” Till said, chuckling, adding “unless we really want to go somewhere special.”  The couple plans to enjoy their next vacation in the Middle East.    

So the next time you and your significant other are planning that special vacation and find yourselves penny pinching, the answer to your worries could be right under your nose, or even in your recycling bin. 

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October 7, 2008 in Philip Victor | Permalink | User Comments (20) | TrackBack (0)

Cell Phones On Planes Could Leave Your Head Ringing

September 25, 2008 10:50 AM

By PHILIP VICTOR, ABC News London

Looking for a quiet journey to your next destination?  Hoping to pass the time dreaming about the island paradise you will encounter upon landing?   How about a nice, relaxing onboard nap?  Well you’re in for quite the wake-up call or more accurately—calls!

The Irish budget airline Ryan Air is the latest carrier to launch mobile phone service on 14 of its aircraft.  It will be implemented in the next few weeks. 

So what is this new technology and how does it work?

Charlie Pryor, a spokesman for On Air, a company specializing in developing and operating in-flight passenger communications services, spoke with ABC News. Pryor said that the machinery behind the scheme isn’t necessarily new and innovative, it’s the use of the technology in different ways.  Passengers will be able to use their phones thanks to a picocell that will be fitted into the plane. 

“A picocell is a device that collects a cell phone signals and routes them to the ground,” Pryor said. 

With the picocell now fitted in the aircraft, cell phones will not have to search for a network signal on the ground. 

On Air, whose system debuted in Air France last year, is currently working with 13 carriers including BMI (British Midland), TAP Portugal and other Middle Eastern and Asian carriers.  The company, formed in 2005, specializes in developing and operating in-flight passenger communications services.

So why are airlines taking flight into this new market?  Pryor surmises it’s a “combination of passenger demand and the airlines.” 

Passengers have been told time and time again that they are to switch off mobile phones and other electronics during takeoff and landing.  What allows this new project to remain safe?

Pryor explained that the reason for the safety precautions was the effect of distance in relation to cell phone base station.

“The cell phone while seeking a signal was a long way from the base station, emitting a high power signal,” Pryor told ABC News. 

The strength of the signal was in direct relation to how hard the phone was trying to find a base station.  With the picocell on board, that is no longer a problem. 

And the old safety precautions of phones being turned off during takeoff and landing will still be in place.

“Phones will be switched off below 10,000 feet,” Pryor said. 

The phone service will certainly not be cheap.  Early estimations put the figure at about $3.70 a minute.  Pryor said however that the rate will ultimately come down to the passenger’s cell phone service provider. 

What about annoyances and policing of cell phones on board? 

“Aircrafts are noisy anyway,” said Pryor, adding that the picocell will only allow six simultaneous calls and that the calls likely won’t last too long.  Why not?  At $3.70 a minute on a budget airline, who will be able to afford anything longer than a “Honey I’m on the plane. Bye!” 

Certainly hordes of cell phone users aboard a plane could be a nightmare in waiting for some. That is unless they too are on their cell phones. 

Bottom line, if you dread that you may find your next flight mobile enabled, be sure to pack your iPod in your carry-on!

 

September 25, 2008 in Philip Victor | Permalink | User Comments (12) | TrackBack (0)

High Tech Cigs Beat Ban

September 24, 2008 1:59 PM

By PHILIP VICTOR, ABC News London

Smokers in the United Kingdom facing public smoking bans may now be able to enjoy their pastime in a slightly unorthodox way. 

An UK based company has managed to find a way around the public smoking ban.  The Electronic Cigarette Company has developed just that – an electronic cigarette. 

So what exactly are these contraptions? 

Electronic cigarettes, according to the Electronic Cigarette Company, are battery-operated devices featuring an atomizer, which is activated by the user’s inhalation. The atomizer then converts the liquid nicotine into a vapor to be inhaled while releasing a water vapor, saving bystanders hazardous second-hand smoke. 

Jason Cropper, managing director of the Electronic Cigarette Company, told ABC News that the new cigs do not have nearly the same detrimental effects as their traditional counterparts. 

“There is no tobacco and it’s a lot healthier,” said Cropper, referring to carcinogens released from the burning of tobacco in normal cigarettes.  He added, “they are totally legal because nothing is burning.” 

The high-tech cigarettes do, however, contain nicotine. 

The cigarette can be purchased for about £36 ($67) as part of a starter pack that includes the electronic cigarette itself, a charger, and 5 nicotine cartridges. Each cartridge includes nicotine roughly equivalent to 15 cigarettes. Further cartridges can be purchased as needed.

In light of the public smoking ban, some UK establishments have decided to give these new cigarettes a try, hoping they may become a new trend. The British pub Butler Arms located near Birmingham introduced the product about a week and a half ago and claims it has been met with some interest.   

James Cook of Butler Arms told ABC News that the pub has sold “about seven or eight” starter packs, and said “we’d like to sell as many as we can.”   

So will these cigarettes give users the same kick as traditional cigarettes? 

“It tastes a lot like a cigarette,” Cook said.  Cropper agreed, saying “it feels like a cigarette in your hand and 95 percent as real.”

The new cigarettes may even be a matter of convenience for those needing their nicotine fix in the U.K.

The smoking ban has forced many smokers to take their puffs outside and, as Cook pointed out, that can be a major inconvenience in the unpredictable U.K. weather. 

Cook says: “Because you can’t smoke anywhere outside your house these days and you’re never too sure about the weather, why not introduce this?” 

Of course, this begs the question: Why bother with an electronic cigarette at all if you can just buy a pack of nicotine gum? It might even help you kick the habit someday.

September 24, 2008 in Philip Victor | Permalink | User Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Sex Ed For 6 Year Olds?

September 18, 2008 1:39 PM

By PHILIP VICTOR, ABC News London

A U.K. charity has published a new sex education comic book directed specifically at 6- to 7-year-olds, which has angered parenting groups who say it’s up to families to speak to their children about sex.   

The FPA, formerly the Family Planning Association, has released a new 12-page booklet titled “Let's Grow With Nisha and Joe” in which the two main characters and their dog introduce kids to the physical and emotional elements of sexual development.   

FPA Press Campaign Manager Rebecca Findlay says that sex education for children is “massively important,” and that the publication was developed in response to children’s curiosity.  The group says that the target age was chosen to coincide with the English and writing development of 6- and 7-year olds. 

Findlay says that “children are asking these normal questions” and that the pamphlet was developed after sending out test comics to schoolteachers and their pupils.

But some parenting organizations disagree.

The Family and Youth Concern is among the groups outraged by the comic. Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust for the organization, believes that the FPA has purposely moved to overshadow the role of the parent.

“The FPA does not respect parents,” Wells told ABCNews.com. “They want to bypass parents, starting with age 4.” 

With the British government currently reviewing sex education in its schools, the Family and Youth Concern released a statement saying “There is no doubt the publication is intended to put pressure on the government”

The interactive pamphlet includes coloring and cartoons, and it is written in a comic book style to engage its young audience.  The work also features a section in which children are asked to label the parts of the body, including sexual organs -- a main factor in the outcry.      

Responding to objections, including  from parents who say that they should be the ones talking with their children about the topic of sex, Findlay  says  “We agree with that and want parents to be involved and use the guide as a resource in educating their children.”

Wells, however, said he believed that these issues “could be dealt with in the context of everyday family life.”

So far only test copies of the pamphlets have been sent out, but the FPA is taking preorders from schools at £15 for every 50 copies, and it plans to continue selling them despite the public opposition.

September 18, 2008 in Philip Victor | Permalink | User Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)