Tuesday, October 06, 2009 WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama called up Greece's next prime minister, George Papandreou, to congratulate him on his success in Sunday's elections, the White House said.Obama "wished all Greeks well who participated in the democratic process. The president reiterated the importance of the US-Greece relationship and said he looks forward to working with Mr Papandreou", according to a statement released by the White House. Papandreou's Socialist party won 44 percent of the votes, or 160 of 300 parliamentary seats, according to the interior ministry, which had counted 87 percent of the votes. Papandreou's victory was seen as an expression of voters' discontent over the conservative government's handling of the economic crisis and corruption. His father and grandfather also served as prime ministers in Greece over past decades.
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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