| LONDON: The first person to be convicted in Britain for the crime of directing terrorism has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 10 years. Thirty-three-year-old Rangzieb Ahmed was convicted of heading a three-man Al-Qaida cell which was planning mass murder. Justice John Saunders told Ahmed today that he was "an extremely dangerous man." Co-defendant Habib Ahmed was sentenced to a minimum of nine years for being a member of a terror group. The jury in Manchester had heard that Rangzieb Ahmed gave two diaries to Habib Ahmed that contained details of al-Qaida operatives written in invisible ink. |
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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