Saturday, June 27, 2009 BAGHDAD: Iraq's main motorcycle market was hit by a bombing that killed 13 people and wounded dozens on Friday, just four days before US soldiers pull out from cities, towns and villages nationwide. The blast, the latest in a string of attacks in the run-up to Tuesday's withdrawal of American troops, prompted US President Barack Obama to say that conflict-hit Iraq must make greater efforts to counter sectarian tension. Defence and interior ministry officials confirmed the toll of Friday's bomb and said it went off in the capital's Nahdha district at around 9 am (0600 GMT), as people gathered at the market on the Muslim day of rest. "People burned and bodies were thrown everywhere," said Omar Hashem, 34, covered in blood, who was accompanying a friend planning to sell a motorcycle when the explosion struck. "At first we ran away but we returned to help the victims. Blood and body parts covered dozens of motorcycles that were completely destroyed." Bike trader Maytham Abdelamir, 23, crying, said: "There was a huge shockwave. I saw so many people burned; others were thrown in the air. My friend was killed."Officials from two Baghdad hospitals told media that 54 people were wounded.
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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