OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was Thursday to call for the two-week old parliament to be suspended to block an opposition bid to topple his government and take over without fresh elections.Harper was meeting with Governor General Michaelle Jean, the country's acting head of state as the representative of Queen Elizabeth II, to ask her to end the current session to buy him time to resolve the political turmoil. The unprecedented move comes after a week of political turmoil, which has rocked the country and sharply divided public opinion.The Liberal opposition led by Stephane Dion has spearheaded moves to oust the minority Conservative government, accusing Harper of failing to address the plunging economy in the Group of Eight nation.As a parliamentary vote of no-confidence looms on Monday, Harper is fighting for his survival just seven weeks after being re-elected at the head of a minority government in snap elections.Dion has called on Jean to dissolve the current government and install in its place a three-party opposition alliance, including Quebec separatists, without fresh elections. Opposition politicians notably accuse the government of failing to boost the country's economy as it confronts the global financial crisis.Under the Canadian constitution, the governor general has the power to accept or reject the prime minister's request to suspend parliament. Constitutional experts say no governor general has ever refused a prime minister's request to suspend parliament. But then no premier has ever requested such a move so soon after an election.Opposition leader Dion has rejected any move to halt the work of the assembly.
Sunday, February 28, 2010 HAVANA: Hundreds of wealthy merchants and cigar aficionados from all parts of the world gathered in Havana this week to bid high stakes for humidors full of premium cigars. Cuba's annual Habanos festival ended on Friday night with an auction of ornate humidors of cedar and mahogany stacked with hand-rolled stogies that raised 800,000 euros ($1.09 million dollars). Habanos S.A. executives this month said cigar sales fell 8 percent to $360 million in 2009, so they have created the Julieta, a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar, aimed specifically at female smokers. Women now make up only 5 to 10 percent of customers for Habanos. But even with the creation of the Julieta, Garcia said Habanos has only modest hopes for 2010 sales, due largely to a weak economy in Spain, the biggest market for Cuban cigars. The flavor of premium tobacco relies on the soil and climate in which it is grown. The western province of Pinar Del Rio, famous fo...
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