  Tony Blair announced resignationMay 10, 2007 - 16:59 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Tony Blair has announced he will stand down as Prime Minister on 27 June. He made the announcement in a speech to party activists in his Sedgefield constituency, after earlier briefing the Cabinet on his plans. He acknowledged his government had not always lived up to high expectations but said he had been very lucky to lead "the greatest nation on earth". He will stay on in Downing Street until the Labor Party elects a new leader - widely expected to be Gordon Brown.In an emotional speech, Mr Blair said he had been prime minister for 10 years which was "long enough" for the country and himself. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott is expected to announce he is standing down at a meeting of his local Labor Party in Hull later. Earlier, Gordon Brown paid tribute to Mr Blair's leadership, praising "his unique achievement over 10 years and the unique leadership he had given to the party, Britain and the world", BBC reports.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Related sections Latest news The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity  The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization.Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia.Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty.Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |
