WARSAW: Poland has welcomed NATO's support for Warsaw's plan to host part of a planned U.S. missile defense shield.Defense Minister Bogdan Klich said that Warsaw negotiated its missile defense deal with Washington with the knowledge that “allies in NATO accept our bilateral agreement”.He said Thursday that NATO first backed the plan during a summit in April. NATO foreign ministers reaffirmed their support this week. The U.S. says the system would include 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic to help protect Europe against potential threats from the Middle East. Russia is opposed to the plans and has threatened to deploy short-range missiles to its westernmost region of Kaliningrad, near Poland.
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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