Record Attendance Expected at
Cuban Habano Festival
Leader of the
premium cigar world market,
Habanos S.A. will hold the 7th
International Habano Festival
from February 21 thru 25, with a
record attendance of almost one
thousand participants from 52
countries.
This year the event will focus
on the Partagas brand which
arrives at its 160th anniversary
of coming out to market.
Partagas is currently one of the
most prestigious brands,
organizers informed Thursday.
The two main products to be
presented at the festival are
the Partagas Reserve and the
Partagas Series P number 2, with
an attractive container
conceived in the form of a
suggestive pyramid.
The usual cultural element of
these events will present a
figure of world stature like the
Cuban pianist and composer
Chucho Valdes, several times
Grammy-award winner and the
Spanish dancer Joaquin Cortes,
ambassador to Flamenco
throughout the world.
Jean Bunnet, from Canada, is
another Festival attraction, as
this year the traditional Dinner
of the Distributor, called a
Cool Night in Hot Havana, will
be dedicated to that northern
country.
The 7th Habano Festival will
repeat its usual sections of
trade fair, scientific lectures
and debates, sommeliers contest,
visits to tobacco plantations
and factories, tasting sessions
and master classes of
hand-rolling cigars, among
others.
Cuba has a vast tobacco culture.
At present, more than a
quarter-million persons, from a
little over 11 million
inhabitants in the island are
employed directly or related to
the production of the famous
habanos.
Manuel Garcia, commercial vice
president of Habanos S.A.,
assured that recent restrictions
on smoking in the island will
not affect sales of this
enterprise.
Not even the normal celebration
of the Festival bring us any
concern, as during the event
participants will be allowed to
puff away to their heart´s
content in the halls linked to
the program, he said.
Habanos S.A. cobres 30 per cent
of Premium cigars (hand-rolled)
if the United States is included
and 70 per cent if the US is
excluded.
Washington urged to remove
export limit on Cuba
Twenty US
senators have called on the Bush
Administration to remove
restrictions on agricultural
export to Cuba.
These lawmakers say the US will
lose an important trade market
by imposing sanctions on Cuba.
They also urge US companies to
resume sales of food and
medicines to Cuba.
Cuba has imported US goods worth
one billion US dollars since
2001.
Argentine prison riot kills 4
A six-hour prison riot in
Argentina left at least four
people dead and several others
injured on Thursday.
Convicts at a prison in
Argentina's second largest city
Cordoba turned violent during
family visiting hours and took
several people hostage to
protest overcrowding, Argentine
media reported.
Three prisoners were killed
while trying to escape in a
truck. One guard died in
hospital due to serious wounds.
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Most Salvadorans oppose new
troops deployment in Iraq
Most Salvadorans are opposed
to an extension of the
country's troops deployment
in Iraq, an opinion poll
showed.
The CID-Gallup poll
conducted on Jan. 29-Feb. 3
revealed that 90 percent of
the 1,216 people interviewed
nationwide were opposed to
the government plan to send
in a new contingent to
replace its 380 troops whose
mandate has expired.
Almost one in four (23
percent) respondents
believed the government of
President Antonio Saca keeps
troops in Iraq "under
pressure from the United
States."
Despite public disapproval,
the government sent another
contingent Thursday for Iraq
with a mandate of six
months.
A Defense Ministry spokesman
said the old contingent will
return home on Feb. 25.
El Salvador is currently the
only Latin American country
with troops deployed in
Iraq. So far one Salvadoran
soldier has been killed and
15 others injured.
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