When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

You've reach your limit of free articles.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime.

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Ad-free experience NEW

Exclusive international news coverage

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Monthly Access

30-day free trial, then $2.90 per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
This Happened

This Happened — May 5: Death Of An Irish Martyr

Bobby Sands died on this day in 1981, after 66 days on a hunger strike. He had refused food in protest of the British government's refusal to grant him and other IRA prisoners political prisoner status.

Get This Happened straight to your inbox ✉️ each day! Sign up here.


Who was Bobby Sands?

Bobby Sands was an Irish nationalist and member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). He was born in 1954 in Northern Ireland and became active in the Irish republican movement in the 1970s. His death from the hunger strike, protesting the British government's refusal to grant him and others political prisoner status, made him a martyr for the Northern Irish national cause.

What was the impact of Bobby Sands' hunger strike?

Bobby Sands' hunger strike and subsequent death had a significant impact on the Irish nationalist movement, as well as on the wider international community. It brought attention to the issue of Irish political prisoners and helped to galvanize support for the republican cause.

What was the reaction to Bobby Sands' death?

Bobby Sands' death sparked widespread protests and violence in Northern Ireland and beyond. Supporters of the Irish nationalist cause saw his death as a tragedy and a symbol of the struggle for Irish independence. The British government expressed regret over Bobby Sands' death but maintained its stance on political prisoner status. Margaret Thatcher, the British Prime Minister at the time, was widely criticized for her handling of the situation.

How is Bobby Sands remembered today?

Bobby Sands is remembered in various ways, including through murals and street art in Northern Ireland, as well as through films, books, and music. His image and legacy continue to inspire those who support the cause of Irish nationalism and independence.

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

food / travel

Meet Blanca Alsogaray, The First Woman To Win Cuba's "Oscar Of Cigars"

For the first time, Cuba's prestigious annual cigar festival recognized a woman, Alsogaray, owner of an iconic cigar shop in Buenos Aires, as the top representative of this celebrated lifeline of the Cuban economy.

Photo of a woman smoking a cigar.

Alsogaray smoking a cigar at her shop in Buenos Aires

Mariana Iglesias

BUENOS AIRES — Cigars are traditionally reserved for a man's world. But this year, for the first time, a Latin American woman has won one of three awards given at the 23rd Habano Festival in Cuba.

Every year since 2000, the Festival has gathered the top players in the world of Cuban cigars including sellers, distributors, specialists and aficionados. A prize is given to an outstanding personality in one of three areas: production, communication and sales. The latter went to Blanca Alsogaray, owner of the Buenos Aires shop La Casa del Habano. She says these prizes are not unlike the "Oscars of cigars."

"It's a sexist world for sure, but I won," she said of a prize which was called "Habano Man" (Hombre habano) until this year, when the word was changed for her.

"It recognizes a lifetime's work, which I consider so important as Argentina isn't an easy place for business, and less so being a woman." She was competing with two men. "In truth," she added. "I really do deserve it."

Alsogaray opened her shop in 1993. At the time there were only two sellers anywhere of Cuba's premium, hand-rolled cigars, the other one being in Mexico. Now habanos are sold in 150 outlets worldwide. "I want to celebrate these 30 years, and the prize. We're going to have a big party," she said. The firm celebrated its 30th anniversary on May 16.

Keep reading...Show less

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

You've reach your limit of free articles.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime.

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Ad-free experience NEW

Exclusive international news coverage

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Monthly Access

30-day free trial, then $2.90 per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch

The latest