Thursday, August 27, 2009 BERLIN: The swine flu (A/H1N1) virus has spread throughout the ranks of the German army units operating within the International Security Assistance Force, Media Circle of the German government announced on Wednesday. The German Federal army (Bondsver) reduced flights to Afghanistan in fear of the spread of the A/H1N1 virus in the German army in the northern Afghan areas. German army Command spokesman for the German army in Afghanistan, based in Potsdam near Berlin said that 25 cases of A/H1N1 had been reported at the end of last week in the German military base area of Mazar-e Sharif.
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...
Comments