CAPE CANAVERAL: Shuttle Atlantis is racing after the Hubble Space Telescope a day after taking off on a daring repair mission.On Tuesday, the seven astronauts will spend the entire day inspecting virtually every inch of the shuttle for any launch damage. They surveyed the thermal shielding on their crew cabin Monday evening. This final trip to Hubble is especially dangerous because of all the space junk in the telescope's 350-mile-high (560-kilometer-high) orbit. Atlantis seems to have come through its launch fairly well, at least. But the analysis is continuing. Another shuttle, Endeavour, is at the launch pad and could takeoff in three to six days if the astronauts had to be rescued. Atlantis will catch up to Hubble on Wednesday.
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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