Monday, November 23, 2009 LONDON: Engineers and emergency workers checked hundreds of bridges for damage on Sunday, fearful some could collapse and isolate villages, as heavy rain lashed northwest England.In the southwest, a 46-year-old canoeist, believed to be from the Reading area died after becoming wedged under trees on the flooded River Dart near Newton Abbot in Devon on Saturday.A search was under way for a 21-year-old woman believed to have been swept into the River Usk in Brecon, mid-Wales, late on Saturday.Conditions were predicted to worsen on Sunday, with up to 50 mm (2 inches) of rain on high ground, and winds inland of up to 55 mph (90 kph)."I have spoken to people...they are running short of food, they are running short of medication. Things are getting pretty desperate," Tony Cunningham, member of parliament for Workington, told a local television channel.He said some people were having travel about 35 miles to get food and milk because of diversions.British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited the worst hit area, Cumbria, on Saturday to see the damage caused by record rainfall, and pledged 1 million pounds ($1.51 million) of aid.Heavy rain during the past few days has left hundreds of people sheltering in rescue centres, hotels and with family and friends, with the expectation that some will not be able to move back into their homes for up to six months.Water levels were receding on Sunday, but one bridge in particular, Calva Bridge in Workington, Cumbria, was described as extremely unstable and "could potentially collapse at any time".Five bridges have already collapsed in the area, including one in Workington which resulted in the death of Police Constable Bill Barker.He was directing motorists off the bridge when it collapsed, sweeping him down river.
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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