JERUSALEM: Al-Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage issued an urgent appeal to the Palestinian people and the Islamic Nation to save occupied Jerusalem before it is entirely judaized and Al-Aqsa Mosque before it is destroyed, warning that there will be more dangerous Zionist attacks on the holy city and Mosque during this year.In a new report, the foundation underlined that during 2008, Israel escalated its policy of fait accompli in Jerusalem and raced against time to carry out different judaization schemes against Islamic holy places, antiquities, history and civilization other than Palestinian inhabitants of the city.The report outlined that the Zionist break-ins at Al-Aqsa Mosque escalated significantly in the second half of 2008, where groups composed of hundreds of men, women and children in addition to Israeli politicians under heavy police guard desecrated the Mosque dozens of times.It added that the IOA also committed a violation of another kind against the Mosque last year, where it allowed foreign tourists half naked to take a tour inside the Mosque and banned any activities in support of Al-Aqsa Mosque.The report elaborated that Israeli extremist groups along with officials built a synagogue on an Islamically-endowed (Waqf) real estate called Hammam Al-Ain near Al-Aqsa Mosque in the heart of Muslim neighborhood and there are still ongoing Israeli excavations under this Waqf.It added that the IOA almost finished the building of a huge tall synagogue called Ha Hurba on the land of the Omari mosque in the heart of the old city of Jerusalem. The dome of this big synagogue, the report says, is aimed to create a Jewish landmark covering the historical Islamic places especially the Dome of the Rock. According to the report, illegal Israeli settlers seized dozens of houses in Jerusalem through piracy and fraud despite the attempts made by Jerusalemites to encounter this scheme, while the IOA demolished 71 Jerusalemite houses and buildings, issued 219 evacuation warnings and closed many Islamic institutions.
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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