Saturday, November 28, 2009 TAIPEI: The lowest birth rate in the world and a rapidly ageing society could lead to a spate of social problems in Taiwan, a report cited the Taiwanese health minister as saying on Saturday.In a population of 23 million, just 1.07 children are born per woman in Taiwan, even lower than Japan's 1.57, the United Daily News quoted Yaung Chih-liang as saying."This is a tragic society," Yaung said. "There is no war or other major disasters in Taiwan but the birth rate is plummeting so fast. It's unseen in other countries."Taiwan is likely to face more social problems, such as lack of care for the elderly and younger people committing suicides because of economic pressure, he warned."Many people choose to have a pet over having children," Yaung said, adding that a growing number of baby shops have been going out of business in recent years while pet stores are mushrooming.Education officials have warned that more than one in three Taiwanese colleges could be forced to close by 2021 because of a shortage of students.Taiwan's government has been offering various incentives in an unsuccessful bid to boost fertility rates amid growing concerns that a severe manpower shortage will trigger more social and economic woes.Health authorities have said the declining birth rate is because many women are choosing to marry at a later age or to stay single.
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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