NAIROBI: A police spokesman says 24 people have been killed in violence overnight between residents of a central Kenya town and members of a banned sect.Deputy Police spokesman Charles Owino says residents of Karatina town have been fighting members of the banned Mungiki sect because they have been extorting money from local residents. Owino says that most of those killed were Mungiki members. The government banned Mungiki in 2002 but the gang has continued to operate, extorting money from owners of minibus taxis and other public transport vehicles. The group is known for beheading some of its victims
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...
Comments