Sunday, October 04, 2009 TEHRAN: Mohammed El-Baradei, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, arrived in Tehran last night for discussions on Sunday with Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation and other officials. His visit comes as pressure mounts on Iran again following a warning from President Barack Obama that his patience is limited. The US president has demanded swift action from the Iranian regime. An Iranian official told journalists that Mr El-Baradei will discuss a timetable for inspectors to visit a newly disclosed nuclear enrichment plant. Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defended the nuclear programme, including the building of the second plant which was revealed to the outside world for the first time last week. "Iran's actions are based on honesty," he said. "We did not have any secret (nuclear) work because we gave information (about the new plant) ahead of time," to the IAEA, he said at a ceremony in the capital. He also accused the American president of "a great mistake" in criticising Iran over the secret plant. "We gave the information sooner.. but his (Obama's) information was wrong. He said incorrect words," Ahmadinejad said. Iranian newspapers on Saturday praised their government for gaining the upper hand in the Swiss talks - not the view taken in the outside world.
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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