Egypt's leading cigarette maker Eastern Co. posted a 17.1 percent increase in net profit in the year to 30 June on the back of stronger sales. Eastern, which has a monopoly on producing cigarettes in the country of 86 million people, lifted sales by 13 percent to LE6.2 billion ($867 million), though it now faces the challenge of a government-imposed increase in tax on cigarettes. Egypt raised the sales tax on cigarettes by up to 120 percent this month as part of a series of measures to curb the budget deficit. Eastern's full-year sales boost helped the company to reach a net profit of LE883.2 million, up from LE754.4 million a year earlier. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/106865.aspx