Sunday, August 09, 2009 ANNABA: One person died and at least 10 were missing after an Algerian coast guard boat collided with boats filled with possible migrants, officials said.The collision occurred off the Algerian port city of Annaba after three migrant boats ignored calls that they stop, a British news channel reported.More than 70 people have unsuccessfully tried to escape Algeria by boat during the past two days, Algerian radio said, adding that more than 400 people had been intercepted by the Annaba coast guard this year. The Algerian newspaper El Watan reported two migrant boats sank in the stand-off with the coast guards that began Saturday.
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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