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Geopolitics

Prisoners Release In Myanmar Ahead Of Historic Obama Visit

IRRAWADDY(Myanmar), BBC NEWS (UK), REUTERS, YAHOO NEWS

Worldcrunch

RANGOON- Myanmar is set to free 452 prisoners in a goodwill gesture ahead of President Obama’s visit next week. This comes as the latest in a series of reforms implemented by President Thein Sein over the past 18 months after nearly 50 years of repressive army rule.

Reuters reports that former political prisoner, Nobel laureate and head of the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, had received no information that any detainees released were political prisoners. Similarly, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) had not heard of any among those released by mid-afternoon Thursday.

Obama’s visit will be the first to Myanmar, also known as Burma, by a sitting president as he seeks to forge links and promote the U.S. on his November 17-20 visit. He will also travel to Thailand and Cambodia on his Southeast Asia trip.

Burma Campaign UK believes that the prisoner release is a manipulative way to propel the country into the spotlight just before a key international moment. The independent Burmese magazine Irrawaddy reports that prominent activist and former detainee Ko Ko Gyi echoed the criticism of activist groups saying that “The release of prisoners of conscience should not be used as a bargaining chip”.

According to Yahoo news, Samantha Power, a top Obama advisor, has signaled that the U.S. President will use the talks to put pressure on the civilian government to do more on human rights for its people.

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food / travel

Meet Blanca Alsogaray, The First Woman To Win Cuba's "Oscar Of Cigars"

For the first time, Cuba's prestigious annual cigar festival recognized a woman, Alsogaray, owner of an iconic cigar shop in Buenos Aires, as the top representative of this celebrated lifeline of the Cuban economy.

Photo of a woman smoking a cigar.

Alsogaray smoking a cigar at her shop in Buenos Aires

Mariana Iglesias

BUENOS AIRES — Cigars are traditionally reserved for a man's world. But this year, for the first time, a Latin American woman has won one of three awards given at the 23rd Habano Festival in Cuba.

Every year since 2000, the Festival has gathered the top players in the world of Cuban cigars including sellers, distributors, specialists and aficionados. A prize is given to an outstanding personality in one of three areas: production, communication and sales. The latter went to Blanca Alsogaray, owner of the Buenos Aires shop La Casa del Habano. She says these prizes are not unlike the "Oscars of cigars."

"It's a sexist world for sure, but I won," she said of a prize which was called "Habano Man" (Hombre habano) until this year, when the word was changed for her.

"It recognizes a lifetime's work, which I consider so important as Argentina isn't an easy place for business, and less so being a woman." She was competing with two men. "In truth," she added. "I really do deserve it."

Alsogaray opened her shop in 1993. At the time there were only two sellers anywhere of Cuba's premium, hand-rolled cigars, the other one being in Mexico. Now habanos are sold in 150 outlets worldwide. "I want to celebrate these 30 years, and the prize. We're going to have a big party," she said. The firm celebrated its 30th anniversary on May 16.

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