Thursday, August 13, 2009 NEW DELHI: Panic ridden citizens in India, particularly in Maharashtra state have started criticizing the government for not taking adequate measures to control swine flue as death till rose to 15 on Wednesday. Schools, colleges, cinema halls have been shut in Mumbai city, Pune and adjoining areas. Some educational schools in national capital were also closed. People have been asked to stay away from crowded places. The spreading flu has claimed a total of 15 lives—one each in Ahmedabad, Vadodra, Thane, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram, two in Mumbai and eight in Pune. More than one thousand persons are affected. The Indian Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is under focus of media criticism for not taking timely and adequate measure to control the new disease is holding emergency meetings with the centre and state officials and medical experts. Passengers on entry points at airports and border areas are being screened while warnings have been issued to the people to take preventive measures.
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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