JODHPUR: A Russian-made Indian fighter jet crashed in western India on Friday, injuring seven people on the ground, after the pilot bailed out safely, police said. The MiG-27 pilot ejected over a village in Rajasthan state but seven members of a family working in a field were injured by falling debris, police superintendent Sharad Kaviraj told foreign news agency. The plane was on a routine sortie when it went down in the village of Salawas, 42 kilometers (26 miles) from the city of Jodhpur, he said. The Indian air force, the world's fourth largest, has been plagued by crashes, particularly of its Russian-made MiGs.
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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