KABUL: Presidents Hamid Karzai and Barack Obama have spoken on the phone for the first time since Obama's inauguration. Karzai's office says the two presidents talked about security issues and the Afghan presidential elections in August.Karzai admitted last week that almost four weeks after Obama's inauguration he still had not spoken with the U.S. leader. Karzai spoke with former President George W. Bush regularly; fueling speculation that Obama was sending a clear signal that Karzai's standing with him was much lower.
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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