Tuesday, November 10, 2009 NEW DELHI: India is launching a joint maritime security exercise this week to prevent future Mumbai-style terror attacks and test various measures taken during the past one year to secure the 7,500-kilometre coastline. The exercise, involving the Indian Navy and Coast Guards, state police of the nine coastal states and several other agencies, would be carried out on both east and west coasts. It would test how and at what pace various agencies shared intelligence and acted on it to prevent terrorists and smugglers from infiltrating. Sources said the exercise, to check coordination among the agencies at various stages of an operation, would be launched formally by the end of November to avoid any possible terrorist attack on the Mumbai attacks’ first anniversary on November 26. This exercise would be bigger than the state-wise tests being carried out by the navy and other agencies to determine the response to any attacks from the sea. It would include simulated attempts by mock terrorists to sneak into Indian waters through various sea routes and how the navy, Coast Guards, Customs, port authorities, state police, Intelligence Bureau, Fisheries Department and the lighthouse directorate foil the attempts.
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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