Saturday, November 21, 2009 JOHANNESBURG: South African President Jacob Zuma met the Miss World contestants at the Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria.The women are in South Africa preparing for the pageant, which takes place in Johannesburg next month.A jovial Zuma was all smiles as he welcomed the 112 contestants together with the reigning Miss World to South Africa.He said the Miss World pageant played an important role in promoting peace, love and prosperity because the women were world ambassadors.
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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