TOKYO: Japan closed more than 4,000 schools and kindergartens, double the previous day's number, to slow the spread of swine flu, which has infected 163 people in the country, officials said.A total of 4,043 schools and kindergartens were closed in and around both cities at the request of government authorities, up from some 2,000, an education ministry official said.Japan's number of confirmed cases has risen to 163 -- the fourth largest national figure on the world infection table -- in the central Honshu island region since the first confirmed domestic infection was reported Saturday. No fatalities have been reported in Japan.
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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