Saturday, June 20, 2009 KANDAHAR: Afghan authorities on Saturday said 33 militants were killed in an air strike and other operations in the insurgency-hit southern province of Helmand.Twenty-six Taliban were killed in an air strike conducted by foreign forces near the town of Lashkar Gah late Friday, said Daud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the local administration there."A group of Taliban were targeted from the air by coalition forces. Twenty-six enemy fighters were killed in that strike," Ahmadi told a foreign news agency. He said the rebels left their dead comrades behind as they fled the scene.The US-led coalition denied involvement in the incident while NATO's International Security Assistance Force could not immediately provide information.General Sher Mohammad Zazai, the commander of the Afghan army for southern Afghanistan, said seven other rebels were killed elsewhere in Helmand the same day.The general said the rebels were killed during operations recently launched across southern Afghanistan to push back the militants from their strongholds ahead of presidential polls in August.The Taliban are trying to topple the US-backed administration of President Hamid Karzai and oust the foreign forces from Afghanistan.Taliban rebels have also increased their activities, staging guerrilla-style attacks which mainly include roadside bombs and hit-and-ran ambushes.
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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