Sunday, August 02, 2009 WASHINGTON: The United States said Saturday it has asked Switzerland, which represents US interests in Tehran, to confirm reports that three American tourists were arrested through the border with Iraq. "We have seen Iranian media reports stating that three American citizens have been detained in Iran," said State Department spokesman Robert Wood in a statement."We have asked our Swiss protecting power to confirm these reports with Iranian authorities and, if true, to seek consular access," he said. "The protection of American citizens is our highest priority," he added. In northern Iraq, a Kurdish official said earlier that three US backpackers were arrested after having been warned on the Iraqi side not to hike in the mountains because of the proximity of the border with Iran. Beshro Ahmed, media adviser for general security in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, said the two men and a woman had entered from Turkey earlier along with a fourth American who did not join the trek because he was ill. According to media, Iran detained the three US nationals on Friday after they crossed into the country from Iraqi Kurdistan. Ahmed named the three as Shane Bower, Sara Short and Joshua Steel, while Shaun Gabriel Maxwell stayed behind in their hotel in the Kurdish region's second largest city of Sulaimaniyah. Iranian state television, without quoting a source, said on an earlier Saturday news bulletin that three US military personnel had gone missing near the border. "Three US military personnel went missing in an area bordering Iran-Iraq," the announcer said.
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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