http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/country/cuba.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://theadvocate.com/news/business/2009549-123/no-cigar-embargo-on-cuba.html http://tobacco.org/news/333608.html The world is much changed since the early days of 1962, but one thing has remained constant: The U.S. economic embargo on communist-run Cuba, a near-total trade ban that turned 50 on Tuesday. . . . In the White House, the first sign of the looming embargo came when President John F. Kennedy told his press secretary to go buy him as many H. Upmann Cuban cigars as he could find. The aide came back with 1,200 stogies. Kennedy announced the embargo on Feb. 3, 1962, citing “the subversive offensive of Sino-Soviet communism with which the government of Cuba is publicly aligned.” Associated Press Cuba USA Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://truthdive.com/2012/02/09/JFK-ordered-1-200-Cuban-cigars-hours-before-authorising-them-as-illegal.html http://tobacco.org/news/333560.html John F Kennedy ordered an aide to buy him as many Cuban cigars as possible just hours before he authorised the U.S. trade embargo, which subsequently made them illegal, it has been revealed. The 34th President of the United States asked his head of press and fellow cigar smoker Pierre Salinger to obtain "1,000 Petit Upmanns" on February 6, 1962, so he could have them in his hands before they were deemed contraband. Merely seconds after he was told the next morning that 1,200 of Cuba's finest export had been bought for him, he signed the decree to ban all of the communist state's products from the U.S. The re-surfacing of the story, initially recounted by Salinger to Cigar Aficionado magazine in 1992, comes with the passing of the 50th anniversary of the embargo on Tuesday. According to him, JFK called him into his office and said he needed "some help" to find "a lot of cigars". He wanted "1,000 Petit Upmanns" and needed them by "tomorrow morning". ANI Cuba USA Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://story.ohiostandard.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/2411cd3571b4f088/id/203263949/cs/1/ht/Cuban%20makes%20statues%20using%20tobacco%20leaves/ http://tobacco.org/news/333392.html A Cuban sculptor uses tobacco leaves to create wonderful pieces of art, and has made life-size as well as miniature sculptures of Winston Churchill, Che Guevara, John F. Kennedy, Charles Chaplin, Luciano Pavarotti and Arnold Schwarzenegger. With his unique work, Janio Nunez Leal has pieces in many private collections around the work, the Prensa Latina news agency reported. Nunez, who worked as a "torcedor" or cigar twister in many cigar factories, first took up the idea of becoming a tobacco sculptor in 1994. His work will be on display at the 14th Habano Cigar Festival to be held Feb 27-March 2. Indo-Asian News Service Cuba Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=58616 http://tobacco.org/news/331202.html I was going through adolescence when I became interested in the job of people who would read to workers in cigar factories as they rolled tobacco. I had fallen into the net of passion for books and became convinced that it would be the best job anyone could have: spending the whole day reading…and getting paid for it. . . . I also found out, talking with a Cuban writer, that on a few occasions there had been readings organized through the Cuban Book Institute whereby the authors would read their own works to the tobacco rollers. This writer, though, said he didn’t feel good doing it since he felt the workers weren’t interested in his work. I’m not against any book, I think you can learn something from any of them, but I think cigar factories offer a setting in which better advantage could be taken. We should remember that tobacco rollers have been “problematic” throughout history, in large part because of the work of readers. It’s no wonder that in 1866 the Spanish government banned readers at tobacco factories under the suspicion that they were collaborating with revolutionary independence forces. Havana Times ciriclesrobinson@gmail.com ( Irina Echarry ) Cuba Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://bikyamasr.com/51675/whiff-of-despair-circles-australias-cigar-shops/ http://tobacco.org/news/331062.html Sydney (dpa) - Australia and Cuba: one is a robust democracy with a free-trade agenda and the other is a one-party state where the government sets prices and rations food. But that has not deterred Cuban Ambassador to Australia Pedro Monson Barata from accusing Canberra of ignoring trademark protection and trampling free trade. New tobacco retailing rules which took effect from December 2012 stand to spoil the sales of Cuban cigars in Australia sparked Barata's tirade. Infinitely more worrisome than a dig from Havana is a High Court challenge to the world-first public health initiative from Philip Morris International Inc, which owns Marlboro and six more of the world's top 15 cigarette brands. Philip Morris complains that "plain packaging turns tobacco products into a commodity, robbing Philip Morris Ltd of its ability to differentiate its products from competitor brands." A year from now tobacco products must come in plain green packets. Logos and other brand imagery will be banished. Covering most of the packet will be graphic warnings of the health hazards of smoking. The new rules are aimed at cigarette smokers; cigar smokers, a minuscule sector of the market, are set to become collateral damage. "I don't know whether I'll still be here next year," said Ray Battistella of Cigarworld Australia, one of the nation's biggest cigar importers. "I've spent half of this year worrying how I'm going to cope with these new regulations." Bikya Masr support@bikyamasr.com (Sid Astbury ) Australia Cuba Mon, 26 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/business/news/article_1681802.php/Whiff-of-despair-circles-Australia-s-cigar-shops http://tobacco.org/news/330821.html Australia and Cuba: one is a robust democracy with a free-trade agenda and the other is a one-party state where the government sets prices and rations food. But that has not deterred Cuban Ambassador to Australia Pedro Monson Barata from accusing Canberra of ignoring trademark protection and trampling free trade. New tobacco retailing rules that from December 2012 stand to spoil the sales of Cuban cigars in Australia sparked Barata's tirade. Infinitely more worrisome than a dig from Havana is a High Court challenge to the world-first public health initiative from Philip Morris International Inc, which owns Marlboro and six more of the world's top 15 cigarette brands. Philip Morris complains that 'plain packaging turns tobacco products into a commodity, robbing Philip Morris Ltd of its ability to differentiate its products from competitor brands.' Monsters and Critics Australia Cuba Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20111206/news/712069967/ http://tobacco.org/news/330000.html As the dictator synonymous with Cuban cigars, Fidel Castro, puffing one here in 1985, is at the heart of the U.S. economic embargo against the Caribbean island. With the new flights from Chicago to Havana, might the ban on Cuba cigars be the next Cold War restriction to fall? . . . "If cigars from Cuba were made legal, (cigar store owners) would have a line around the block on Day One of people waiting to get them," says Hal Elmore, 55, owner of the Bull & Bear Tobacco Shop in downtown Naperville, envisioning throngs of people willing to pay $50, $75 or more for a single Cuban cigar. "And then, on the second day, there would be no one in line." A half-century of being labeled as the forbidden fruit has given Cuban cigars a mythical status they don't deserve, argues Elmore, who talks about tobacco leafs and cigar wrappers with the passion White Sox fans use to describe the hustling Minoso. "I've had more conversations with people coming in asking about Cubans," says Elmore. Chicago Daily Herald elizabethb@countrysideassn.org (Burt Constable) Cuba USA Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.cigaraficionado.com/webfeatures/show/id/16255 http://tobacco.org/news/329907.html Cuba’s cigar factories have been closed to tourist visits. According to Habanos S.A., the exporter of all Cuban cigars, the decision was made by Tabacuba, the governing agency for Cuba’s cigar factories. . . . Habanos has acknowledged that a Cuban cigar factory is one of the highlights of many casual tourists' visits to the island. So, expect to see some kind of accommodation in the future. Cigar Aficionado james.beavers@sympatico.ca (clicking) Cuba Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CB_CUBA_CORRUPTION_CRACKDOWN?SITE=CAACS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://tobacco.org/news/329434.html Green-clad security agents swoop down on an upscale business complex to shutter the offices of a Canadian car dealership. Top executives at Cuba's famed cigar monopoly find themselves behind bars. A former government minister trades his seat in power for a jail cell and a 15-year term. President Raul Castro is matching his free market economic changes with a zealous battle against entrenched corruption on this Communist-run island, much of it involving Cuban officials at major state-run companies and ministries as well as the foreigners they do business with. . . . The arrests and raids also have sent a shudder through Havana's small foreign business community, a collection of risk-takers who always have accepted a high degree of uncertainty doing business with a Marxist country that is subject to a 49-year U.S. trade embargo, and which has a mixed track record of payment. Some now see themselves as targets. . . . A dozen executives at cigar maker Habanos SA also have been jailed since 2010, including company vice president Manuel Garcia, according to three sources close to the company, a joint venture between the Cuban government and a subsidiary of England's Imperial Tobacco Group PLC. The sources refused to be identified for fear of angering authorities. Associated Press Cuba Sun, 20 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/cuba-fumes-over-tobacco-packaging-laws/story-fn59niix-1226194053123 http://tobacco.org/news/328790.html COMMUNIST Cuba and democratic Ukraine, once part of the Soviet Union, have challenged the free-trade credentials of the Labor government, becoming the first countries to foreshadow action in global trade forums against its tobacco plain-packaging laws. The Cuban government and state-owned cigar company Habanos have warned the federal government that forcing it to comply with the new laws, which would apply to its famous cigars, could violate Australia's obligations under the World Trade Organisation. The Australian Australia Cuba Ukraine Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-national/cuba-ukraine-warn-on-plain-packaging-20111114-1ne6c.html http://tobacco.org/news/328747.html Cuba and Ukraine have warned the Australian government over its move to introduce plain packaging for tobacco products. The Cuban government and a state-owned cigar company Habanos warned the government that forcing it to comply with the new laws could violate Australia's obligations under the World Trade Organisation (WTO), News Limited reported on Monday. AAP Australia Cuba Ukraine Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-07/28/content_12997358.htm http://tobacco.org/news/327792.html But nobody in Cuba seems to have any interest in replacing her with a radio or TV. Indeed, she prides her old-school duties for its content and delivery - in a range of voices (a different one for each character) when reading a novel, for example - as well as careful preparation before her sessions. She chats with workers between reading stints to get feedback and take requests. She is one of about 300 of cigar factory "readers" who have been brightening the long and monotonous work day of cigar rollers for over a century and a half. To some the tradition is so unique and valuable that UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization has proposed including it as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage. Most workers spend 10 hours rolling, clipping and trimming tobacco with a few simple tools, for under $20 a month. The day often starts with readings from the Cuban press, poetry and classic novels like The Count of Monte Cristo. Agence France Presse Cuba Thu, 28 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/2011-09/07/c_131111574.htm http://tobacco.org/news/325858.html Cuban medical authorities have launched the sales of the world's first therapeutic vaccine against lung cancer, local officials said on Tuesday. The CimaVax-EGF vaccine, as a result of a 25-year research into diseases related to tobacco smoking, has been developed by researchers and scientists at the Center of Molecular Immunology (CIM) in Havana. The active drug ingredient in the vaccine is based on "a protein we all have when cancer is uncontrolled." "The epidermal growth factor is related to all cell proliferation," said Gisela Gonzalez, head researcher of the project. "The drug could turn the cancer into a manageable, chronic disease by generating antibodies against the proteins which triggered the uncontrolled cell proliferation," she said. . . . "It is not possible to prevent the disease but this vaccine improves significantly the status of the critically ill patients," she added. She said the CimaVax-EGF has gone through clinical studies and trials in over 1,000 patients across the island and is currently distributed free of charge in all hospitals of the Caribbean island nation. Xinhua Newswire english@xinhuanet.com Cuba Tue, 06 Sep 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.springerlink.com/content/70236p415358875j/ http://tobacco.org/news/324335.html Background Cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract (UADT; including oral cavity, pharynx, larynx and oesophagus) have high incidence rates all over the world, and they are especially frequent in some parts of Latin America. However, the data on the role of the major risk factors in these areas are still limited. Methods We have evaluated the role of alcohol and tobacco consumption, based on 2,252 upper aerodigestive squamous-cell carcinoma cases and 1,707 controls from seven centres in Brazil, Argentina, and Cuba. Results We show that alcohol drinkers have a risk of UADT cancers that is up to five times higher than that of never-drinkers. A very strong effect of aperitifs and spirits as compared to other alcohol types was observed, with the ORs reaching 12.76 (CI 5.37–30.32) for oesophagus. Tobacco smokers were up to six times more likely to develop aerodigestive cancers than never-smokers, with the ORs reaching 11.14 (7.72–16.08) among current smokers for hypopharynx and larynx cancer. There was a trend for a decrease in risk after quitting alcohol drinking or tobacco smoking for all sites. The interactive effect of alcohol and tobacco was more than multiplicative. In this study, 65% of all UADT cases were attributable to a combined effect of alcohol and tobacco use. Conclusions In this largest study on UADT cancer in Latin America, we have shown for the first time that a prevailing majority of UADT cancer cases is due to a combined effect of alcohol and tobacco use and could be prevented by quitting the use of either of these two agents. Cancer Causes and Control Brazil Cuba Argentina Fri, 01 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/bumc-teo080211.php http://tobacco.org/news/324277.html Upper aero-digestive tract cancers (UADT), especially those of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx, are often referred to as alcohol-related cancers as it has been shown repeatedly that heavy drinkers, in particular, are at increased risk. The combination of heavy alcohol use and cigarette smoking is the key factor in increasing the risk of these cancers. A distinguished group of scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IRAC).evaluated the role of alcohol and tobacco consumption, based on 2,252 upper aerodigestive squamous-cell carcinoma cases and 1,707 controls from seven centres in Brazil, Argentina, and Cuba. While this paper only supports much previous research, it is from a part of the world from which little information on the topic is available and it focuses on groups of people where the occurrence of such cancers is high. The case-control analysis showed that both alcohol consumption and smoking tended to increase the risk of such cancers. However, the predominant cause of these cancers was the combination of smoking and alcohol consumption, with much higher risk than either exposure alone. The effects on risk were greater for smoking than for alcohol: for non-smokers, there was little effect of alcohol alone on risk. . . . An especially important finding in this study was that, among ex-drinkers and former smokers, the increased risks associated with alcohol and tobacco use decreased steadily as the time since quitting increased. As stated by the authors, most of these cancers "could be prevented by quitting the use of either of these two agents." . . . Alcohol and tobacco, and the risk of cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract in Latin America: a case-control study. Cancer Causes Control (2011) 22:1037�. EurekAlert ellison@bu.edu Brazil Cuba Argentina Tue, 02 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT