LONDON: US president Barack Obama’s half brother was denied UK visa after being accused of sexually assaulting a group of young girls in Berkshire last November. Samson Obama was headed for Washington via Britain to attend the historic inauguration that saw his brother become the US president in January. But he came under the scanner of immigration officials at East Midlands airport when the hi-tech database revealed Samson had been taken into custody by British cops after trying to sexually attack a group of young girls, including a 13 year-old. He was later fingerprinted and not charged before leaving the country but not without providing his details, which were recorded on the Home Office’s new database of prints and biometric details. A Home Office spokesman confirmed Samson, one of the President’s 11 half brothers and sisters was stopped from entering the country after immigration officers detected a false document with his visa application. Samson was believed to have reached Washington through a connecting flight from East Midlands to the US. |
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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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