LARKANA: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday condemned the flogging of a girl in Swat and ordered an inquiry into the incident.Talking to journalists here, Gilani said Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed and Zulikar Ali Bhutto were the champions of the rights of women and minorities, adding that the government will bring legislation in the parliament for the rights of women. About the situation in Swat and tribal areas, the prime minister said the government was following a three-pronged strategy i.e. dialogue, development and deterrence.He said the military option is not a permanent solution and is used as deterrence only when the writ of the government is challenged.The Prime Minister said Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had a mission for the country’s development and socio-economic progress of masses, which was also promoted and forwarded by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed through her vision. He termed the Charter of Democracy (CoD), signed between Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed and PML (N) chief Mian Nawaz Sharif, a blueprint providing the country a way forward for development. The Prime Minister said Nizam-e-Adl Regulations were in vogue when Swat was a princely state, adding, in 1994 Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed had also approved these regulations. To a question about restoration of government in Punjab and the PPP’s participation, the Prime Minister said the party would decide whether to sit in government or in the opposition. The Prime Minister said the government believes in the politics of reconciliation and the PPP and PML (N) were in unison on the view not to destabilize each other’s government. He said the focus should be on national issues such as unemployment, poverty and law and order.
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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