TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday said his US counterpart Barack Obama would find it hard to deliver his much-promised change due to "Zionist" pressure, a foreign news agency reported. Speaking by telephone to Tehran's close ally President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, the hardline Iranian leader said the "US president came to power by campaigning under the slogan of change, but I find it remote that the Zionist leaders (Israeli officials) will allow him to do his job," the report said. Tehran does not recognise Israel and the Iranian president has sparked global outrage for his hardline anti-Israeli stance. Ahmadinejad's latest comment came a day after he said that Tehran was prepared to talk to Washington on the basis of mutual respect and equality. His readiness to talk was a reaction to Obama's comment that in the coming months Washington would be ready to hold "face-to-face" talks with Tehran.
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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