LONDON: British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton say Pakistan faces a serious threat from terrorism, but the country's nuclear arsenal is not at risk. Taliban militants have launched a series of increasingly audacious attacks on military and political targets on Pakistan. On Saturday militants attacked the army headquarters, taking dozens of hostages. At a news conference Sunday, Miliband said Pakistan faced a ``mortal threat,'' but there was not a risk of Pakistan's nuclear weapons falling into terrorist hands. Clinton said the U.S. had confidence in Pakistani authorities. She said terrorists were ``increasingly threatening the authority of the state, but we see no evidence they are going to take over the state.''
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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