SINGAPORE: Sri Lanka appealed Sunday for support in dismantling the Tamil Tigers' international support network after declaring victory over the rebels following the decades-long conflict.Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told a high-level security forum in Singapore that the global organisation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) remained "largely intact." "Many of the operatives have clearly cultivated powerful, political lobbies in certain capitals with a view to resurrecting the LTTE," he said.“It is important for the international community to take all measures to assist the government of Sri Lanka to track down the global network of the LTTE," he told an annual forum of defence and military officials organised by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.
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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