Thursday, July 23, 2009 COLOMBO: Sri Lanka faced a record chase of 492 runs after Pakistan declared their second innings at 425-9 soon after lunch on the fourth day of the third and final cricket Test here on Thursday. The highest successful fourth innings chase in history is by the West Indies, who scored 418-7 to beat Australia at St John's, Antigua in 2003. The most runs scored in the fourth innings to win a Test at the Sinhalese sports club here is 326-5 by Sri Lanka against Zimbabwe in 1998. The hosts are looking to sweep the series 3-0 after winning the first two Tests.
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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