Tuesday, August 04, 2009 WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Monday on Iran to ensure the safe return of three missing Americans thought to have been detained by Tehran after straying across the Iraq border.Iranian state television reported Saturday that the Americans had been arrested after "infiltrating" from Iraq, but Clinton said the US government was still to receive official confirmation from Tehran."Obviously, we are concerned. We want this matter brought to a resolution as soon as possible. And we call on the Iranian government to help us determine the whereabouts of the three missing Americans and return them as quickly as possible," Clinton told journalists.Switzerland, which in the absence of US-Iranian diplomatic relations represents American interests in Iran, had been asked to help track them down, she added.State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters that despite the lack of official confirmation there was no reason to doubt the Iranian state TV report.The presumed detention of the US nationals comes as Washington seeks to increase pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program and amid political turmoil in Iran following President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election.Clinton's plea to Tehran for information regarding the missing Americans came as more details emerged about the trio.The autonomous Kurdish government in northern Iraq, where the three Americans set off from, said it was in contact with Iranian and US officials in a bid to resolve the issue.
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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