Tuesday, August 04, 2009 LONDON: The House of Commons has awarded large pay rises to its most senior officials, some of whom oversaw the MPs’ expenses scandal. Accounts released show that the Clerk to the House, Malcolm Jack, received a pay rise of about 11 per cent, taking his salary from £175,000 to £195,000 – more than that received by the Prime Minister. Andrew Walker, who ran the Fees Office, which administered the expenses, received a rise of about 8 per cent, taking his salary into the £125,000-£130,000 band. Joan Miller, the head of information technology, was awarded the biggest rise, from £95,000 to £110,000 – up 15 per cent. A senior pay panel reportedly approved the pay rises as others in the public sector see their annual salary rises restricted to about 2 per cent. It is unclear whether the rises were agreed under the Commons speaker Michael Martin, who stepped down after the expenses row, or more recently.
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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