Sunday, June 28, 2009 TEHRAN: Eight Iranian employees of the British embassy in Tehran have been detained on accusations of involvement in post-election unrest in the Islamic Republic, a local news agency reported on Sunday. "Eight local employees at the British embassy who had a considerable role in recent unrest were taken into custody," the news agency said, without giving a source. "This group played an active role in provoking recent unrest," the news agency said. Iran has accused Western powers -- Britain and the United States in particular -- of inciting street protests and violence that rocked the country after its disputed June 12 presidential election. Britain has rejected the accusations. Last Tuesday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Britain was expelling two Iranian diplomats after Iran forced two British diplomats to leave.
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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