Thursday, October 29, 2009 WASHINGTON: The White House has said that it has no plans to quit its operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan in spite of Wednesday's blast in a Peshawar bazaar.Recent reports had suggested that a rapid increase in attacks on US and NATO forces in Afghanistan might force the Obama administration to leave the country, but the White House said that US troops would stay put.“The president began the meetings on the assessment with saying we were not leaving Afghanistan. We understand that we have a role to play in ensuring stability in the region, which is why the president is taking his time to get this policy right,” a local newspaper quoted Robert Gibbs, White House Press Secretary, as saying.Gibbs also said President Obama will meet US military chiefs on Friday to review military strategy in Afghanistan. “This is a meeting requested by the president to see the Joint Chiefs and to have a chance to talk to them and to other service branches about the ongoing assessment in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” he added.Earlier, Obama had held a meeting with his top advisers on the region to have a new policy to confront Taliban and Al Qaeda militants threatening the Governments of both countries. It was also attended by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is currently in Pakistan on a three-day official visit.Media reports had speculated that the consultations might lead to the announcement of a timeline for withdrawing US troops from the region.
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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