Thursday, September 24, 2009 WASHINGTON: The World Bank today approved four loans worth $4.3 billion to help India finance its infrastructure programmes and further strengthen the capital base of state-run banks. The approved loan includes a budgetary support of $2 billion for capital infusion in select public sector banks to help them maintain credit growth.The approval also includes a $1.2-billion lending for the government-run India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) that will provide long-term funds to public-private partnership (PPP) projects in road, port and power sector.The Indian government has estimated that public sector banks will require at least $4.8 billion during 2009-11 to maintain credit growth over the medium term. For the infrastructure sector, the Indian Planning Commission has estimated that an investment of $500 billion is required during the Eleventh five-year plan (2007-12).The World Bank loan also includes $1 billion loan for Power Grid and $150 million for improving water supply and sanitation project in 2,600 villages of Andhra Pradesh.
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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