People

quot;I finally arrived on Sunday about 2 a.m. and tell him: I don8217;t know where we will find the time to discuss all the issues8217;. He says don8217;t worry about that Tony 8212; I have discussed it with your mother-in-law and we8217;ve sorted it all out8217;.quot; In another story Blair revealed he had once been forced to cut Queen Elizabeth II off in mid sentence as theyspoke on a mobile telephone as he returned from Belfast. quot;It was the first time she had come on the mobile. But the pilot turned round and said switch the phone off8217;. I said to him It8217;s the Queen on the line8217; but he just told me I don8217;t care who it is mate, rules are rules8217;.quot;

Immune to charges

Former Nicaraguan revolutionary and President Daniel Ortega said he will not give up immunity accorded all deputies to face his stepdaughter8217;s rape charge. In filing the charges, Zoilamerica Narvaez, 30, asked that the immunity that Ortega and all deputies in the National Assembly enjoy be lifted so that he can be prosecuted. Ortega refused, adding that he would fight any attempt to strip him of immunity. Narvaez accused Ortega, 54, who adopted her when he married her mother, of abuse, rape and sexual harassment that began when she was 11 years old and lasted until she was 23. Narvaez rocked Nicaragua in early March with her accusations against Ortega, a fiery socialist orator who served as NicaraguanPresident from 1984 to 1990 and was last week re-elected as head of the Opposition Sandinista National Liberation Front. Stripping Ortega of his immunity would require 61 of 93 votes in the lower house. The Sandinistas, who back Ortega, have 36 seats.

El Loco8217;s shadow

The shadow of ousted President Abdala Bucaram 8212; known as El Loco or the crazy one 8212; hangs over Sunday8217;s election which was called after he was forced out last year. As campaign workers drape the streets of Ecuador8217;s cities and towns with flags, pamphlets and bunting, and jam the streets with rallies and marches for their candidates, the fallen Bucaram remains a campaign issue. Quito Mayor Jamil Mahuad has a commanding lead in the field of six candidates, at 38 per cent. Millionaire Alvaro Noboa, who is second at 24 per cent, is a personal friend of Bucaram but has sought to distance himself from the ousted President. The flamboyant and eccentric Bucaram occupied the presidential palace for only seven months, before being replaced inFebruary 1997 by congressional speaker Fabian Alarcon.

Bucaram was ordered jailed pending the outcome of police investigations for alleged misuse of public funds and defamation but avoided arrest by fleeing to Panama. Earlier this year he vowed to return to run for President, but the attorney general promised to put him behind bars if he set foot in the country.

In a new role

Joseph Estrada, a former movie star shunned by the elite but adored by millions of his poor countrymen, was proclaimed by Congress as the 13th President of the Philippines. quot;By virtue of the authority vested in me8230; I hereby proclaim Joseph Ejercito Estrada as the duly elected President of the Republic of the Philippines,quot; intoned Senate leader Neptali Gonzales as the gallery erupted into applause. Gonzales and House Speaker Jose de Venecia, whom Estrada defeated at the polls, raised Estrada8217;s hands as the joint session of the US-style Congress and hundreds of guests greeted them with cheers and a standing ovation. Estrada,dapper in a native Filipino shirt and dark pants, smiled broadly with his wife Luisa by his side. The former movie icon and college dropout will took over the reins of power at noon on June 30 from current President Fidel Ramos, who is required by the constitution to stand down after his six-year term. Ruling party vice presidential candidate Gloria Arroyo was also declared the winner over Estrada8217;s running mate Edgardo Angara. Vice presidents in the Philippines are elected separately.

Not for men

Barbara loves swimming and basking under the hot Arabian desert sun but harassment by men deprived her of the pleasure8230;until she discovered Ladies Beach. quot;Now I can relax and enjoy myself away from those staring eyes 8230; I don8217;t know what8217;s the problem with men here,quot; the blonde, sun-tanned Briton said. Barbara, a newcomer to the UAE, is among thousands of foreign women who go to Ladies Beach to escape harassment in this conservative Islamic country. A long strip along the Abu Dhabi shoreline, LadiesBeach is protected by high walls and barbed wire to ensure no men can catch a glimpse of the women as they swim and suntan. Al-Najda rescue police keep a permanent vigil at the gate.