DHULUIYAH: Four people were killed and 13 others wounded on Wednesday when a suicide bomber targeted a US-allied militia leader at a mosque north of the Iraqi capital, security officials told media. The explosion happened in Dhuluiyah, 70 kilometres (45 miles) from Baghdad, said a police colonel, speaking on condition of anonymity, giving a final toll of four dead and 13 wounded."It's an action of Al-Qaeda because only this organisation is committing suicide attacks," he said. An interior ministry source earlier said that five people had been killed. The attacker detonated his explosives-filled vest during evening prayers at around 8 pm (1700 GMT) in the Sunni town, in an attempt to kill Mullah Nadhem, a local US-allied Sahwa "Awakening" leader, the colonel said. Nadhem was not present but his brother was wounded in the attack. A bomb at the mosque last year also failed to kill Nadhem although he was wounded. Violence has fallen sharply over the past two years as US and Iraqi forces have allied with the Sahwa, local tribes and former insurgents, to bring calm to vast swathes of the country. But attacks remain common in some areas.
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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