Friday, June 05, 2009 WASHINGTON: The humanitarian crisis involving millions of displaced people of Swat and adjacent valleys is getting worse every day and it is critical that the government of Pakistan and the Obama Administration undertake immediate joint relief operations modeled on the successful efforts following the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, U.S. Senator John Kerry said.The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee suggested that the U.S. commit military assets, such as Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, combat engineers and uniformed medical personnel that the Pakistani government needs to facilitate these efforts without further delay. Kerry underscored the emergency for aid and said the two and three million displaced civilians need to have access to adequate shelter, food or medical care. “In a few weeks, the summer monsoons will turn ramshackle camps into fetid swamps, incubators for a host of preventable epidemics. History has already taught us that poorly-resourced refugee communities are prime breeding grounds for extremist movements.” He recalled that the Taliban itself had its genesis in the Afghan refugee community during the 1980s and 1990s. “We don’t need to repeat that disaster when instead we can show America’s true commitment to the Pakistani people.”
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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