Monday, July 06, 2009 TOKYO: A senior Iranian official, reacting to comments by US Vice President Joe Biden, on Monday said his country would respond "in a very full-scale and very decisive way" if it were attacked by Israel. In Tokyo, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said: "I think that America and Israel are fully aware what kind of result such a wrong judgment will entail. "Israel showed its military power sufficiently in the 22-day war," its offensive in Gaza early this year, he told reporters. "That kind of erroneous judgment poses a threat to the entire Middle Eastern region and the world."He added: "If an Israeli attack occurred, then the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond in a very full-scale and very decisive way."
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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