Updated at: 0109 PST, Sunday, August 16, 2009 ALGIERS: A head-on collision between a lorry and a minibus in Algeria on Saturday killed 16 people, including more than a dozen members of the same family travelling together, the Algerian civil guard said. The minibus driver and his 5 passengers were killed in the accident that occurred on the outskirts of the city of Ghazaouet, more than 500 kilometres (313 miles) west of the capital Algiers, the civil guard said. The cause of the collision was not y?et known. All the passengers on the minibus were members of the same family who had gone to the beach earlier in the day, the El Watan newspaper said on its website. It had earlier reported that 17 people were killed. The Algerian government recently toughened the penalties against drivers due to the number of fatal accidents from speeding or reckless driving.
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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